trying to reduce my carbon footprint....
....isn't going so well.
I'm growing a vegetable or two, having short showers, recycling my packaging.
I try to cook one pot meals as much as possible, so I'm using only one hot plate.
I do only two loads of washing per week.
One clothes, one sheets and towels.
But I've recently bought an electric blanket to help my back relax while I sleep.
I have the airconditioner which I use in the summer.
(it's turned out to be useless in the winter)
I have the column heaters, one is used every night after the sun goes down, the other much less often.
So I've bought one of these...
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...to help me get my washing dry, instead of using the dryer.
It's a fold away washing line, available from K-Mart, camping goods stores, probably the sporting and camping sections of large department stores as well.
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You can see that it holds quite a bit.
The frame is light weight aluminium and comes apart to be folded into a long zipped bag similar to a gun bag.
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These are the legs/feet. The frame is hollow, which means if someone (me) is careless and trips over one leg, landing on another one, it will bend quite badly.
So the caps were removed from the feet, the bent one straightened as much as possible, then lengths of reinforcing steel were inserted. It hasn't added much to the weight, I can still easily carry it when folded.
I usually set it up in the carport, but on really windy days, it's in danger of blowing over, so I shove the couch over a couple of feet and set it up in the living room.
Handy dandy, and uses no electricity.
I just have to remember to wash things a few days before I'm likely to need them, to allow for drying time.
With the aid of a heavy hammer.
I'm growing a vegetable or two, having short showers, recycling my packaging.
I try to cook one pot meals as much as possible, so I'm using only one hot plate.
I do only two loads of washing per week.
One clothes, one sheets and towels.
But I've recently bought an electric blanket to help my back relax while I sleep.
I have the airconditioner which I use in the summer.
(it's turned out to be useless in the winter)
I have the column heaters, one is used every night after the sun goes down, the other much less often.
So I've bought one of these...
It's a fold away washing line, available from K-Mart, camping goods stores, probably the sporting and camping sections of large department stores as well.
The frame is light weight aluminium and comes apart to be folded into a long zipped bag similar to a gun bag.
So the caps were removed from the feet, the bent one straightened as much as possible, then lengths of reinforcing steel were inserted. It hasn't added much to the weight, I can still easily carry it when folded.
I usually set it up in the carport, but on really windy days, it's in danger of blowing over, so I shove the couch over a couple of feet and set it up in the living room.
Handy dandy, and uses no electricity.
I just have to remember to wash things a few days before I'm likely to need them, to allow for drying time.
With the aid of a heavy hammer.
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We use a clothes airer in the spare bedroom. Things take a couple of days to dry, quicker in winter when the heating is on. Sheets, underwear and socks go into the dryer though. I am not hanging up twenty eight socks and fourteen underpants a week and the sheets can't be spread out to dry.
ReplyDeleteHas Firefly taught you nothing? When we use up this planet we'll colonize a bunch of others, and those of us who don't want to live under the oppressive regime of the universal goverment will planet-hop in a spaceship, while dressing and talking like we're in old Western movies. So the faster we ruin this planet, the sooner that will all happen. I'm sure it will be terribly exciting. (That's my excuse for long, hot showers and using a clothes dryer.)
ReplyDelete*government* I do know how to spell.
ReplyDeleteAndrew; I have a clothes airer too. I stand it in the living room and use it to spread out my towel after my shower, it dries much better than hanging it in the bathroom. Sheets can wait for sunny days when I hang them out on the big line to dry as much as possible by late afternoon, then they'll go in the dryer just to finish off drying.
ReplyDeleteno-one; Firefly has taught me quite a lot, but I can't see this planet being used up before I die and so far we haven't colonised any other planets that I can move to. Get right on that would you?
Every little bit helps, well done. I have a stupid next door neighbour who uses the clothes dryer when the temperature is 30 degrees or more to lazy to hang them on the clothes line :-).
ReplyDeleteI'm in battle with Origin Energy at the moment who think Im using $1200 a quarter's worth of power. I have no dishwasher, dryer or air conditioning, I don't run a pool filter or jacuzzi just a hot water system and an oil heater in winter and a front loader washing machine, fridge . . . ridiculous gotta be something wrong with the meter
ReplyDeleteWindsmoke; I never use my dryer in summer, I much prefer that fresh air sunshine smell on my sheets and things.
ReplyDeleteBaino; or possibly someone misplaced a decimal point somewhere. Keep questioning, that amount is ridiculous. Prices are set to rise quite dramatically, but I don't think that's happened yet.
You may/may not (strike out that which is not applicable) be pleased to know you've joined the elite company of about a million grey nomads, who ALL seem to have one of those babies full of fluttering clothes in the caravan park!!
ReplyDeleteDon't get me wrong - I think they're a GREAT idea! Well done for persevering with what is clearly a defective gadget (it shouldn't have bent that easily)!!
If it bent that easily how do the manufacturers expect it to stand up to the rigors of camping? We use our dryer but only in off peak hours between 7:00pm and 7:00am.
ReplyDeleteThat looks like a great clothes dryer! Ours is much smaller and really inadequate for a family of six (what wouldn't be?). My veggie patch and clothes line are competing for sun at the moment so I have been slack with hanging things out. You have inspired me to consider different options. Thanks x
ReplyDeleteIt is too damp here to hang washing on the line in autumn and winter so i have 2 larger clothes airers that I put over our heating vents.they take a load of washing,I wash every day (there are 5 of us)and alternate each airer.works well for us.
ReplyDeleteRed Nomad; Jodi (lighteningonline.com) put the idea into my head when she bought one to take on their big caravan holiday a couple of yeas ago.
ReplyDeletemybabyjohn; they're supposed to be set up in a clear space and pegged to the ground with the attached peg. I had it set up in the spare room and had to dodge around it and some furniture to get to the window one day, when I tripped, I landed quite heavily. Under normal use conditions, there'd be plenty of space to walk around the feet.
MultipleMum; it is quite small, but big enough for me as I'm on my own. It wouldn't handle a family of six that's for sure, I used to have that and the big hills hoist was completely full every weekend.
peskypixies; I find autumn not so bad, it's almost as dry as summer here in Adelaide, we even have lots of sunny winter days. I only use the foldaway if I know it's going to be raining for the next few days but have to wash anyway.
*giggles* I so would have tripped over it too.
ReplyDeleteThis is the first year I HAVEN'T used my clothes horse inside. We have such a mold issue, that I decided to stop letting all the water evaporate onto my walls. The dryer is not working out the best, though, so I need to find a new and better solution. However, the mold issue is improving!
Here in Switzerland where I thought that dryers would be common, they're..... well, not. People seem to use clotheshorses on their balconies during the warm weather (like now) or drape it inside anywhere near a radiator or a door handle. Heaven knows what it's going to be like trying to dry bed sheets!
ReplyDelete