The Viral “Vertical Clothes Hanging” Was Actually Due to a Snapped Cable Tie

Hanging Clothes Vertically Down an HDB Flat?

A TikTok video showing an auntie retrieving clothes that are hanging vertically down an HDB flat, like a colourful waterfall of laundry. has gone viral in the last few days.

Some were amazed at the ingenuity of the idea, while some slammed the idea, thinking that the action intruded other people’s space.

You can watch the video here to decide yourself.

An image of the video is also posted on Facebook, and someone suggested that it might not have been done on purpose as the string holding the clothes might have broken:

But the OP refuted this theory, saying if that was the case, the clothes would have dropped to the ground. So, what’s the real story here?

Well, the truth is now out.

The Viral “Vertical Clothes Hanging” Was Actually Due to a Snapped Cable Tie

Reporters from Shin Min Daily News visited the block and found the unit where clothes were being hung. Ms Lin, a 48-year-old private-hire car driver who lives on the 11th floor, said the whole thing was a misunderstanding.

She said that it was simply a mix-up caused by a clothesline breakage.

The incident occurred last Sunday (2 July) at Block 465 along Ang Mo Kio Ave 10.

Apparently, what happened was that a woman who saw the incident had taken the photos and videos and posted them on Facebook, and also notified the town council. She hadn’t provided any context, leading to various creative interpretations.

During the interview, she explained that due to the lack of sunlight in the place behind her flat where she usually hangs her clothes, she recently used a cable tie to secure a blue rope on both sides of the corridor’s outer wall to dry clothes.

She said that on Sunday, one side of the cable tie must have broken, which led to the rope falling. She has since used a more robust metal ring to secure the rope.

She also clarified that she didn’t want to disturb her neighbours. Therefore, upon seeing the falling rope, she immediately pulled up the clothes. Generally, she would also dry her less presentable undergarments inside the house.

Another neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, commented during the interview that it was a small matter and not necessary to blow it out of proportion.

Therefore, it should have been just another Sunday until the internet came to confuse us once again.