Come Hang Out With Me

If my bloomers looked as good as these (from "filminthefridge" on Flickr), I would proudly hang them on my clothesline outside. Instead, I hide my freshly laundered underwear in my garage on drying racks. Y'all should thank me for that.

In my attempts to be kind to Mother Earth and to be gentle to my wallet, I've turned to that archaic method of drying clothes: the clothes line. Each time that I hang out my clothes, I know that my mother is turning in her grave --- after all, she spent most of her life wishing that she had a clothes dryer. Here I have a perfectly good dryer and use a clothesline instead.

Every time we use our clothes dryers, we are consuming electricity (or natural gas). How much? Michael Bluejay, who calls himself "Mr. Electricity" has a handy energy calculator tool that will give you a rough estimate of the amount of electricity that various appliances use.

I figured that Mr. Tucker and I run about three loads of laundry a week for two people. That's about 12 loads a month. We have an older dryer and it takes about an hour to fully dry a load of towels. According to that calculator, at 12 cents a kilowatt, I'm only spending $76 per year to dry clothes. Now, a savings of $6.36 for a month might not seem like much --- but that will buy me a mocha and a muffin!

However, that calculator didn't take into account that sometimes I forget I have a load of clothes in the dryer and discover that I let my husband's work clothes get wrinkled. Ironing is a skill that I'm trying to forget that I have, so I usually pop a damp towel in with the clothes and run them a little longer.

On top of that, the calculator doesn't factor how hard the air conditioner has to work to dissipate the heat that using the dryer generated. And, it doesn't calculate the effect of that energy usage on the environment. At Project Laundry List, the site suggests that if every American household hung out their laundry to dry, the savings would be enough to be able to close several power plants. Think of the greenhouse gasses that would not be generated!

Other than my small attempt to shrink my environmental footprint and my desire to be frugal, here are the top three reasons that I am drying my clothes the old fashioned way:

1. It doesn't take any longer. Yes, that's what I said. I hang my shirts and slacks on plastic coat hangers straight from the washing machine and place them on the clothes rack to dry. The rack is portable, so I can roll it outside to use solar power to dry them or let them dry inside. I was going to have to hang them up anyway.
2. I like the smell of laundry that has been dried in the sun (and some folks say that the ultra-violet light kills viruses and bacteria).
3. My clothes last longer. That lint that you find in the dryer trap is being beaten out of your clothes!

I'm not even going to mention that the exercise of hanging the clothes is good for me.

Perhaps you live in an area that has a Homeowner's Association and you can't hang the clothes on a line? No worries. I found wooden laundry racks at The Container Store costing from $10-$30 that will hold an entire load of towels. Next winter, when my house is full of static electricity, I expect to dry clothes right in the bedroom to help add humidity to the house. No more zaps for me!

I imagine I will still backslide and use my dryer occasionally, just because of the convenience. I know some of you will decide that drying clothes on the line is not worth the trouble. If you use must use a dryer, remember these things:

1. Clean the lint trap after every use. Not only do you help your dryer run more efficiently, you reduce the risk of a fire hazard.
2. Dry a full load at a time, but don't overload the dryer.
3. Wash and dry clothes in an "off peak" time (early morning or late at night)
4. If you are lucky enough that your dryer has a moisture sensor, use it!
5. Listen for that timer on your dryer, and take out the clothes immediately so you don't have the wrinkles.
6. Or, run around naked. Nudists don't have to worry about these issues, do they?

Come and "hang out" with me. Remember what Benjamin Franklin said:

"We must hang together...
else, we shall most assuredly hang separately."

© Shelly Tucker, 2009

I Saw The Light

My husband eyes me warily as I follow him through the house turning off the lights when he leaves the room. I can hear him muttering under his breath. Though I don't understand all his words, he says: "...sounds like my mother..." I know I sound like mine.

What began for me as an attempt to lower our skyrocketing electric bill has turned into a crusade as a "light bulb went on in my brain." Reducing our energy consumption also helps improve the environment. By lowering our use of electricity, I am not just being frugal ... I am reducing our carbon footprint.

I like that double whammy.

I realize that I could make a much bigger positive impact on the environment by purchasing a Prius. My gasoline consumption is astronomical, partly because I live in Texas. The only way to get from here to there is in your own vehicle, because we don't have adequate public transportation in our area. Texans had plenty of room to spread out several decades ago, and we did. There isn't much within walking distance from my home.

A major purchase, such as a hybrid vehicle, is not in the budget right now, so I've decided to start small. Since last October I've been pinching pennies until they squeal. I'm finding little things -- affordable things -- that I can do to make a positive difference on the environment and my pocketbook. Going "green" can mean more green in your wallet!

It is all starting with the light bulbs, and a little bit of internet research. I've read that our electric lighting can account for 25% of the average electric bill (at my house, it might be more). I decided to explore the possibilities of Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL). They are just miniature fluorescent lights usually seen as the squiggly bulb above. It seems that people either love them or hate them.

Some people worry about the disposal of these bulbs, because they contain mercury. From everything I've read, I gather that the amount of mercury is minuscule. Though you cannot throw them in the household trash, most communities have recycling centers that will take them.

Other people complain that the light from a CFL is too harsh. I've had a few here at the house, and thought the light was too soft. But the arguments for purchasing CFLs are compelling:

• Though they initially cost more to purchase, a CFL is said to last 9-10 times longer than an incandescent bulb.
• CFLs use from 50%-80% less energy to provide the same amount of light as a standard incandescent bulb. That can translate into a $30-$45 energy savings over the lifespan of one single bulb.
• Replacing one incandescent bulb with a CFL will keep 1/2 ton of CO2 out of the atmosphere over the lifespan of that bulb.
• CFLs generate about 70% less heat than an incandescent bulb (saving on cooling bills in the summer)

A trip to my local hardware store was in order! I found that you can purchase the bulbs in several "color temperatures": "soft light," bright light" or "daylight." I discovered that the CFL bulbs come in a variety of shapes (not just the twisty ones), so I could use round ones at my vanity table and candelabra shaped ones in my chandeliers. Best of all, I found that there are some CFLs that work with my three way lamps!

We haven't replaced all of the bulbs at our house, because we can't afford that outlay of cash all at once. I'm loving the bright light 3-way bulb in my reading lamp beside the bed and the daylight bulb in my pantry shows me all the nooks and crannies (now I know I need to dust the pantry). We plan to replace the incandescents with CFLs on an "as needed" basis. In small doses, the expense won't seem so great.

If you are thinking of switching to CFLs, I have a few suggestions:

• Learn more about Compact Fluorescent Lighting at the GE Lighting FAQ page. It will answer many questions you might have.
• Don't dive right in and replace every single bulb in your house! Test it first and see if you like it. If you discover that you hate CFL bulbs, then you can wait for LED lighting to become affordable. It will.
• If you would like to test a bulb, you can receive a free EcoSmart 14w CFL bulb from participating The Home Depot stores on Earth Day, April 19, 2009.
• Check out Earth911.com to find a recycling area in your zipcode for your Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (and any other materials that are hazardous to the environment).

If you decide to test CFL bulbs, GE warns that using a CFL in a lamp that is switched on and off frequently will considerably lower the lifespan of the bulb. They work best in applications where the light will be left on for fifteen minutes or longer.

But, Honey, if you are reading this please understand that this is no excuse for you not to turn out the lights! Turning out the lights when you no longer need them is a way to save money and the environment that is absolutely free!

© Shelly Tucker, 2009