Greener and Cleaner

A few months ago, I decided to put up a clothesline in my backyard to save energy.  It took me a few months to figure out how to do this because 1) I've been a little busy, and 2) I didn't know where I was going to put it.  You see, my yard is fairly small and I wanted to put a line up somewhere that wouldn't keep us from using it for other reasons.  I wanted it to be discreet (I'm not sure if my Homeowners Association would approve.) and temporary so that I could take it down when we want to entertain.

My husband came to the rescue with his superior search engine talents.  He found a collapsible drying rack that had 40 feet of drying space for around $50.  Not bad.  I could see we were on the right track.  A drying rack would take up very little space and could be folded up and put away when not in use.  But I wasn't sure if it was the right rack for us.  It was time for me to put my superior shopping talents to work.

As luck would have it, our warehouse store had a stainless steel drying rack for about $30!  I snatched it up quickly and rushed home to play-I mean to dry clothes.  After a quick set up I started using our new rack and was amazed at how quickly the clothes dried.  I'm still tweaking how I use it, though.  I've decided that underwear, socks and towels will still go in the dryer.  Otherwise we end up with crunchy towels and undies.  Not good.  But, t-shirts and shorts (which we wear a lot of) turn out well and I know we're reducing the amount we use our electric dryer by a LOT.  I'm sure I'll continue to tweak my system but, for now, I'm happy with the results.  The beauty with this method is that you don't need a yard to use it.  That means apartment dwellers and condo owners can still green up their laundry.

Next green project--figure out how to make the most of our new electricity smartmeter.  I consider the name "smartmeter" a kind of challenge.  "So you call yourself a smartmeter, eh?  Where's your MENSA membership card smarty meter, eh?  That's what I thought!"  Someone has to keep those meters in line.  They can get so cocky!

Blessings,
Laura