Hi everyone! Just thought I’d share a snippet of my routine around laundry; hot-water use.
I have repurposed a wide-mouth plastic jar, which originally contained salty snacks, as a micro “washing-machine” for very small items. (“Small items” could be napkins, handkerchiefs, a pair or two of underwear. The other day it was a week’s worth of toilet-cloth squares. BTW I have found the best source of toilet-cloth squares is old bedsheets that have become too worn-out, such as having holes in them etc. The worn-outness gives them a nice soft texture that makes them ideal for TC.)
For washing, I use regular hand-soap, and sometimes baking soda with it for extra oomph. The other day I used part of a detergent pod that had been left by some past housemate. (The pods are super purple in color, really turn the water purple, and have a strong “artificial fragrance” smell even though I use just a portion of the pod! To be honest, I really don’t like artificial scents of any kind — and I know a lot of you are very allergic or otherwise sensitive to same. I’m looking forward to when the little stash of pods is used up. There’s actually only a pod and a half left; if it were more, I’d really feel a wish to get rid of them. Would probably give to a neighbor or something.)
Water temp: Sometimes I use just cold water; sometimes I add a bit of hot water (from the electric kettle that I typically boil in the morning) to make warm water.
Kettle: Any hot water from the electric kettle that’s not used right away for my morning coffee, or to add to the laundry or dish-washing tub, goes into a thermos so I have very-warm water for 24 hours without needing to boil another batch. The thermos is an old-fashioned metal one I bought for almost nothing at a yard sale. It looks cool and works great!!
The couple of liters of water I boil in the kettle are almost always the only hot water I need all day. Many times I don’t even need that much!
Once the laundry water cools, it can go outdoors around the shrubs, mulch-pile, etc.
Want to see photos? Visit the corresponding post on my DEEP GREEN Facebook page. (In case you are wondering why I don’t post photos here — I used to occasionally in the past, but have stopped — there are multiple reasons. First, I’m trying to keep this site as low-bandwidth as possible, not only to make it easy for anyone to load regardless of the quality of their internet connection, but also to keep my “online footprint” to a minimum by only posting photos in one location (usually Facebook or Twitter). Servers use significant bandwidth, and I’m trying to do my part to minimize our collective footprint there.
Also, I want to help you strengthen your mind’s eye. Being able to visualize from a written description is a valuable skill. (That said, I don’t wanna torture you, which is why I include a link to the FB post with photos.)
And finally, esteemed readers, I am trying to encourage you to engage in “inter-platform travel.” If you are willing to follow me on multiple channels, it greatly multiplies the quality and quantity of valuable resources I’m able to share with you.
Enjoy your day! And when in doubt, use the smallest container possible for the job you want to do — be it washing clothes or heating water or whatever!