Eco Alley
Living Green with Connie Pumphrey
My aunt owned an Elvis ironing board cover
Laundry is a repetitive task that historically used significant energy and water plus toxic products so I worked hard to improve the process. (Recall that I do laundry for 2 people plus the cat’s binkies. For larger families, keeping everyone in clean clothes is a miracle; any eco-steps might lead to sainthood.)
A front loading washing machine is far more efficient than top loading brands. It uses 63% less water to wash and it spins more water out of clothes so they dry faster. Selecting the cold water cycle saves big. Comparing wash/rinse cycles, it takes 4.5 kWh for Hot/Warm, 2.8 kWh for Hot/Cold and 0.3 for Cold/Cold cycles which means about 90% of a washing machine’s energy just heats water. Using phosphate-free laundry products is now the law in Maryland and they honestly work well. I don’t use bleach – just Oxyclean – and still get the fish remains off my husband’s tee shirts. These products cost more but the price is coming down. Also, if we recycled the laundry water and used it for flushing and watering our gardens, we could save about 300 gallons of water per month. I hope to get there soon.
The clothes dryer accounts for about 12% of home electricity used (assuming 7 loads per week). I use my dryer once a week - for the load of towels and the rags we use instead of paper towels; otherwise, I hang clothes on a drying rack and/or put them on hangers on the line in our outside mudroom. Sheets are clipped to 3 skirt hangers so they don’t drag the ground. In winter, I can dry everything inside because the inside air needs moisture. {I used the roofer scaffolding (yes, they’re still here) as a clothesline this week-end and it is perfect - all those poles going in every direction.
Everyone is busy but we can make changes that ease the burden we place on our overextended planet.
PS: My beloved Aunt Barbara owned an ironing board cover imprinted with Elvis’ image. Has anyone besides me ever seen one?
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