Eco Advantages of Line Drying Clothes

photo by Tabitha Blue

Most of us toss our laundry in a clothes dryer and add a dryer sheet for that clean, fresh scent. Line drying clothes has become a thing of the past. As more and more people look for easy ways to save money and energy it will probably become a thing of the future.

Using the clothes dryer costs the average household between $2 and $10 dollars per month and accounts for about 12 percent of household electricity use. Unlike many other appliances there are not more eco-friendly, Energy Star versions of the clothes dryer — dryers use a lot of energy no matter what the make and model. Unlike many other appliances the clothes dryer is one of those things that you really can do without, with little or no loss of convenience.

Why not start hanging your clothes to dry? With many inexpensive, easy to set up outdoor and indoor options, there's really no reason not to give up conventional dryer use and evolve into line drying.

What are the benefits? You'll lower your household carbon footprint with less greenhouse gas emissions. You'll save money on your electricity bill each month. You can avoid the toxins found in drier sheets. You will be taking a great step towards eco living with little effort on your part.

When line drying clothes you can of course use an outdoor clothesline or umbrella. For those who don't have outdoor space, you can still line dry indoors. For a good indoor retractable rack you can spend as little as thirty to forty dollars. The rack would pay for itself in a few months with reduced energy costs. If you aren't ready to spend the money but you are ready to give up your dryer, be creative. You can hang clothes over the bathroom shower rod and towel rack. Use hangers and hang drying shirts and pants on chairs and doors. Just make sure your clothes have space and ventilation. An open window will greatly speed up the line drying process.

The Pros and Cons of Home Gray Water Recycling

photo by Sarah Flemming

Clean water is a finite resources, yet many of use use water in the home without much regard for the long-term consequences. According to the EPA, the average American uses 100 gallons of water a day, the biggest offender of home water use being the toilet flush. There are of course many things we all can do to conserve water, but what about actually reusing the water?

Maybe you have heard of gray water recycling before — its the reuse of 'gray water,' mostly for home landscape irrigation. Is this eco-friendly practice really a good idea? With all the graying substances that we add, anything from laundry detergent to fruit and vegetable residues, do we really want to put the things we rinse off and wash with into the soil?

There are many pros of gray water recycling. If of course saves water, and money. It allows households to irrigate shrubs and flowers without taxing the local clean water supply. Practicing gray water recycling also cuts down on your own environmental waste.

On the other hand, gray water is, well, dirty. It can be difficult to collect and move the used water without having a gray water system installed — and its really only well-suited for one household

photo by Robert S Donovan

purpose, watering the plants you are not going to eat. Its not for your vegetable garden! Also, you have to be careful what you use, making sure not to use 'black water,' or water that is too contaminated.

If you use natural cleaning supplies, pesticide-free organic fruits and vegetables and have a lovely landscape to water — it may be a great idea to reuse water from the shower, bathroom sink and kitchen sink. Having a gray water system installed may even be worth it if you live in an area with little rainfall; this allows for an easy transfer of the used water from great gray water sources, the bathtub and washing machine, directly to the landscape. If gray water doesn't fit your specific lifestyle, there are still dozens of ways to cut down on your home water use.

Switching to an Eco Shower Head: Are Low Flow Shower Heads Worth It?

Are low flow shower heads worth it? How much water is saved with each use? Are they easy to install? Find out the pros and cons of installing an eco shower head in your house.

What Is It Like to Take a Low Flow Shower?

First, functionality. Low flow shower heads use significantly less water due to reduced water pressure. The greater the pressure, the more water that is pushed through the head per minute. A conventional model will use 5 to 8 gallons per minute while an

image by Krikit

 eco-friendly shower head will use between .5 and 2.5 gallons per minute. So, that means you may be cutting your shower usage in half at the very least, just because of a low flow shower head. Cut your shower time by one or two minutes and turn down the temperature on your water heater and you are making serious strides towards reducing your carbon footprint and utility bills.

What about the actual performance? A high-quality eco-friendly shower head will still deliver a respectable flow of water making this a wise green living move. They use aeration to work, which means that air is mixed with the water to create an even, substantial water pressure. Actual water temperatures may cool because of this. Also, a better quality low flow shower head will be self cleaning, which means it is less likely that mineral deposits will clog up the shower head.

A very inexpensive model may not deliver in energy and water savings, or a good shower. If mineral deposits form, then the head becomes clogged, resulting in poor flow and a longer shower. Non-aerating shower heads limit water use by blocking it. This can also lead to sediment build-up, and eventually a poor performance. It is possible to clean your shower head with vinegar to help prevent mineral deposits.

Installation and Cost of Eco Shower Heads

Installing an eco-friendly model is relatively simple. You should be able to unscrew an old head and then install your new, water-saving model. How much do low flow shower heads cost? They run from around $5 to $80 dollars. By using less water eco shower heads will eventually pay for themselves through savings in energy costs.

What are the pros of switching to a low flow shower head? Less water use and lower energy bills. What are the cons? Depending on which model you use the performance may be less than what you are expecting, leading to longer showers and high water use anyway. Choose a good model, read the manufacturers directions and install it correctly, and make your eco head worth it.

The best green way to wash dishes: eco friendly dishwashing

What is the best way to wash dishes, to conserve water and energy?  Dishwasher machines require quite a bit of energy, but are they more water-efficient?  What about hand washing?  Isn't the DIY way always better for the environment?  What exactly is eco-friendly dishwashing? 

Hand washing vs. automatic washing

Both can be eco-friendly ways to clean the dishes, or detrimental to the environment.  It depends on how each method is approached.  The best way to wash dishes and conserve water is to do everything possible to use the least amount of water.  The energy saver cycle on an efficient automatic washer may use less water and energy than hand washing.  An efficient hand washer, minimizing hot water use, can be just as eco-friendly. 
As a general average however, the machine method is greener, using 15 gallons of water for every load on a normal cycle, and 20 to 30 for hand washing the same amount of dirty dishes.

Eco-friendly dishwashing tips for machine washing

There are ways to make dishwashing as green as possible, whichever method is used.  For automatic dishwashers:

• Use the most energy efficient cycle button, which may be a 'smart' energy saver button for newer models, or a water miser cycle. 
• Don't use the heat dry option.  This is an unnecessary use of a lot of energy.  To help dishes dry naturally, open the door a bit once the cycle is done. 
• Only wash with a full load; don't run the machine without enough dishes.
• Don't put plastics in the machine as the hot water could cause plastics to leach out into the water and onto other dishes, potentially making their way into food. 
• Use a natural dishwashing detergent, such as Seventh Generation Dishwashing Powder or a homemade eco-friendly dish soap.  Also, white distilled vinegar works well as a rinse.  

Eco-friendly dishwashing tips for hand washing

The focus of eco-friendly hand washing is to use as little water as possible.

• Clean dishes before washing by scraping off food beforehand.  Pre-soak really grimy pans.
• Fill up sink with sudsy water and wash all dishes in that tub of water, cleaning less dirty dishes first.
• Instead of running water to rinse dishes, put some lukewarm water in the other side of a double sink, or a large bowl, and dip dishes in to rinse.  Fill only as much as needed initially, then when too sudsy, dump and replace, again being conservative with water use.  
• Use a natural dishwashing soap, or a homemade green liquid detergent. 

photo by Aaron 13251

Green laundry tips: efficient clothes washing and drying

Ever thought of the impact on the environment of washing a load of clothes?  How much water is used?  How much energy?  What about the effect of laundry detergents?  With 40 gallons of water per load for conventional washing machines, 1800 to 5000 watts of energy used (and average energy costs of twenty to forty cents) per dryer cycle, and a host of unnecessary chemicals, dyes, and perfumes added to the ecosystem, just doing a load of laundry has quite a carbon footprint.  There is such a thing as efficient clothes washing and drying.  Follow these simple green laundry tips for eco-friendly washing.

Green, efficient clothes washing

• Use full loads to maximize use of water and energy with each load
• Wash and rinse with cold water — 90% of energy used for washing clothes goes towards heating water, according to the US Department of Energy
• Clean heavy stains by hand with soap and water before washing; this will eliminate the need for heavy washing, hot water, and harsh chemicals
• Use natural, biodegradable laundry detergents, or make a homemade detergent from eco-friendly ingredients such as borax, baking soda, and essential oils
• When in the market for a new washing machine, buy an energy efficient, Energy Star rated model

Green, efficient clothes drying

• Clean lint filter after each load to improve air circulation
• Wash heavy linens and towels separately to reduce drying time of lightweight clothing
• Air dry, air dry, air dry!  Use an outdoor clothes lines, or even an indoor rack as much as possible.  According to Project Laundry List, if everyone in America switched to clothes lines, several power plants could be shut down, so much energy would be saved.  
• Switch to an energy efficient, Energy Star dryer when it is time to upgrade your appliance

These green laundry tips require minimal effort and cost.  Saving water and energy will in fact save you money as well!  Buying a new washer and dryer for efficient clothes washing does come with an initial cost, but the lifetime financial and environmental savings of Energy Star models are well worth it.

photo by: Mysza831

Conserve water at home: 5 tips on how to save water and energy

Making efforts to conserve water at home can really make a difference.  For example, if everyone in America lowered the temperature on their water heater by 10 degrees F, 45 million tons of carbon monoxide would not enter the atmosphere every year, according to Renee Loux's eco living guide, Easy Green Living: The Ultimate Guide to Simple, Eco-Friendly Choices for You and Your Home.  This would be the equivalent to all the CO2 emissions of a small country, such as Libya.  The more people who conserve water at home, the better; but, every individual who makes an effort is a step forward, and not a step backward.  Try any or all of these tips on how to save water, and the energy used to heat water.  They are not a huge commitment, but rather small changes anyone can do.

1. Take shorter showers!  Even shaving two or three minutes from a ten minute shower will save gallons of water — 7 to 10 gallons per minute for conventional showers.
2. Wash laundry in warm or cold water instead of hot water, and use the smallest water setting for the size of the load.  According to the US Department of Energy, 90% of the energy used for doing a load of clothes is directed towards heating the water.  
3. Turn down the temperature on the water heater.  An eco-friendly setting is 120 degrees F, most heaters are set to 140 degrees.  Turning the temperature down 10 degrees will prevent 600 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions from each household.
4. Turn the water off while brushing teeth.  Leaving the water running uses ten gallons of water on average!
5. Washing dishes by hand is a good way to save energy, but not to conserve water.  With the faucet running, on average 30 gallons of water are used, as opposed to about 15 with a dishwasher.  If washing by hand, fill up the sink with soapy water and rinse dishes in cold water.  

photo by Steven DePolo