Change your habits with the seasons - revised

This is an old post, modified a bit to add new thoughts, because I like its message.  Think about the circumstances around you when you consider the sustainability choices you make. Changing circumstances may affect which is the more sustainable choice.  If you are lucky enough to live where there are four distinct seasons (can you tell I like changes in weather?) or even two distinct seasons, the way you do everyday tasks can change with the season.  I’m sure you can think of lots of ideas, but here are some thoughts:

Open window shades on the sunny side of the house to let the sunshine in to help heat the house during the winter.  In summer, close windows and window shades on the sunny side to reduce the heat gain through the windows.

During spring and fall, your clothes may not dry as quickly if you hang them to air dry. You may need to damp dry them in the dryer before you hang them to finish air drying in the house so they don’t get sour.  During the winter when the air in the house is warmer and dryer, you can hang your clothes in the house to dry and save the energy used by the dryer.  In summer, if your neighborhood allows it, you can hang clothes outside to dry (and enjoy the fresh air smell when you bring them in).

Check the temperature on your thermostat.  In winter, keep the house cooler and wear cozy sweaters.  In summer, keep the house warmer and dress lightly. 

A ceiling fan can help keep the house more comfortable in both winter and summer.  However, you will need to reverse the rotation of the fan depending on the season.  In summer, the moving air helps you feel cooler and if you have air conditioning you may be able to set your thermostat to a higher temperature.  Because warm air naturally rises, in winter a gentle updraft created by a ceiling fan allows for the redistribution of warm air that tends to accumulate near the ceiling.  Here’s an article that explains how to set your ceiling fan.  https://www.saveonenergy.ca/For-Your-Home/Advice-and-Tips/Seasonal-ceiling-fan-direction

If you have boiling water in the pan after cooking potatoes or vegetables, in winter you can let the pan of water cool before pouring it out, so the heat from the water adds a bit of heat to the house.  In summer, you may want to pour the hot water down the drain right away so the heat from the water doesn’t add heat to the house.  You can also let the water cool outdoors and then use it to water plants.

Winter is the time for baking and oven meals, because the heat from the oven also helps warm the house.  Even in winter, use a toaster oven for small items or plan to cook multiple items in the oven.  In summer, plan your meals to minimize cooking so you don’t add heat to the house, or cook outside.

We usually turn on more lights in the winter.  Remember to turn them back off when you don’t need them. 

Reduce and Reuse come before Recycle for a reason....

… and that reason is that you should use recycling as a last resort.  We’ve talked about the three R’s before, but we want to expand on the first two.  Recycling actually uses more energy than making a new item in most cases (plastics especially) and often puts just as much pollution into the atmosphere.

As minimalists, we reduce first.  Minimize your consumption in the first place, and you’ll find less need to recycle.  Below are some examples:

Use reusables in the first place: Get an insulated water bottle instead of buying a Dasani while you’re out.  Replace your paper towels with real ones and wash them when you’re running low.  Bring your own bags to the grocery store.

Avoid small disposables: This is kind of a repeat of the first point, but think of tiny items.  Single use items like keurig cups, plastic straws, Clorox wipes, etc. are wasteful and bad for the environment.  You’re also buying them specifically for the convenience of throwing them away.  Imagine throwing away a dollar bill every time you throw out a Keurig cup, and see how much it hurts your feelings after a week.

Avoid packaging:  Buying in bulk helps this a lot, but you can also choose brands that use less packaging for the same product than others, or order from businesses that use eco-friendly wraps for their products.  Don’t buy things that are individually wrapped, like single serve bags of chips, cereal, or toiletries.

Buy used:  As much as you can, buy things that are already used.  Cars, furniture, clothes, blankets, and lots of things, can all be had for a fraction of the cost.  Reusing these items takes up less of the earth’s resources than making new ones, and you’ll save a lot of dollars!

Repair your things:  First of all, care for your things.  Keep them clean and organized and maintained, but if they do get broken it’s more economical to fix most things than to buy new ones.  Learn some rudimentary sewing skills.  Figure out how to work spackling and a paint scraper.

Pack your own lunch: Take a tasty lunch to work with you instead of getting fast food.  That styrofoam container and disposable cup are going straight to a landfill when you’re done.  Why not take some real, healthy food in a Tupperware instead?

Borrow: Hit the library, the tool rental booth at the home improvement store, and your friends houses.  Borrow anything you can, especially if it’s something you use infrequently.  You’ll save money, space in your house, and the environment!

There are lots of other ways you can reduce your consumption in all areas of life.  Walk to the store instead of driving, open your windows instead of using the A/C on nice days, get your old car fixed instead of buying a new one.  Get new lenses put in your old glasses frames instead of buying a whole new set every year.  Ladies, try going without makeup if you’re inclined; all those little bottles and sponges are made of plastics.  

Some caveats, though.

-Don’t ask the barista to put your coffee in a cup you brought from home.  This slows down the line, makes things awkward, and in most places is a health code violation.  Make your coffee at home and keep it in a thermos.

-Don’t keep broken things that you can’t or won’t repair.  Don’t say “someday,” set a date for its repair or get rid of it.  Having broken items around is bad for morale.  We hesitate to say it creates negative energy or anything so woo, but it kind of does.

-Don’t rent things that you use frequently, or pay someone else to do something that you could do for free.  Our big example is mowing grass.  For the cost of paying a neighbor kid $20 a week all summer, you could buy your own lawnmower and have it for ten years.  That’s like 9 years of free grass cutting.  So unless you can borrow a mower for no actual dollars and do it yourself, don’t bother.

-Don’t sacrifice quality for cost.  If you do buy used items, and you should, do make sure they aren’t defective before you take them home. 

-If you don’t know what you’re doing, don’t do it.  When it comes to repairing things, it’s best to call in a professional if you’re not sure you’re able to do the project.  You’ll save yourself headache and mess in the long run.

If you’ve got any ideas on how to reduce consumption of everyday items we welcome any suggestions.  Minimalism is a journey and we’re still on ours just like everyone else.  We’re always looking for better and more efficient ways to do things so we can focus on what’s really important to us in life (sleep).  So send any ideas our way, and in the meantime, happy weekend Tumblr!

Broke Laundry: updated 2021

For the time being, let's skip talking about how almost all of us have too many clothes.   The clothes that you have get dirty, and must be washed.  I am going to assume you have access to a modern washing machine, either at your house or a laundromat. We'll call step one sorting:

Sorting: Ain’t nobody got time for this.  This is an extra chore that is 99% not necessary.  Unless you have specialty fabrics or are particular about how white your whites are, it’s just added  stress and a waste of time.  I don't actually own any white clothes anymore, but if I did I'd run a load of whites with a cup of bleach once a month. I do not own things that can’t survive the washing machine, either.  No delicates, no dry cleaning.  I wash towels with clothes, and sheets together with bedspreads. Cleaning rags and towels have their own basket and get washed when it gets full.

Laundry Detergent: Avoid the very cheapest for the sake of your darks, but there is no need to spring for the most expensive thing on the shelf.  In fact, I make laundry detergent from one part washing soda, one part Borax, and one part soap. A double batch is enough detergent to last three months for a single person. Good recipes can be had all over the internet, so go forth and find yourself one.  If you’re washing in cold water and your tap water is very cold, such as in the winter, you may find it necessary to stir your homemade detergent into a cup of hot water before putting it into the machine. Out of detergent?  A spoonful of dish soap will do in a pinch.  Regardless of whether you’re using store bought or homemade, don’t use too much detergent; it’s bad for the machine, the environment, and your clothes.  We do not want to buy new clothes until we absolutely have to, right?  Right.

Fabric Softener: I recently saw a headline about how Millennials are killing the fabric softener industry.  The truth is, they are prioritizing groceries and lights over luxuries like Downy.  If you must have it and can afford it, go ahead.  Measure carefully but don’t dilute unless the package says so.  Fabric softener sheets are a good alternative, if you are using a dryer.  Here at Brokest Minimalist, we use a Downy ball with white vinegar in it.  The vinegar cuts soap residue, softens most fabrics, and is much cheaper.  Plus it’s versatile enough to be used for cleaning as well.  An added bonus is that it doesn’t reduce the absorbency of your towels like regular fabric softener does.

Water:  Set your washer on Tap Cold. Yes, really.  Unless your clothes are very greasy, almost anything can be washed in cold water and will get just as clean.  It isn’t so much the temperature of the water or even the detergent that does the washing, as much as it is the action of the clothes rubbing against each other inside the machine.  Anything that’s machine washable can be washed in cold water, period.

Settings: On our machine at home, clothes go on “casual” and sheets/bedspreads on “heavy duty”. Don’t stress too much about this.  Choose a water level that is appropriate to how full the machine is, add your stuff, and go ahead.

Drying:  Here at Brokest Minimalist, we don’t dry anything in the dryer.  Why?  Because air dries stuff for free, that’s why.  Clothes dryers are one of the most frivolous uses of electricity in the modern world.  They are also one of the number one causes of fire in the United States, after candles and cooking fires.  Unless you are in a huge hurry, hang your clothes to dry. Outdoors if possible, as sun dried clothing smells much better than any fabric softener does.  You don’t even have to spend all afternoon pinning stuff to a clothesline like your great-grandma did, either! Our system is beautiful in its simplicity.  We take our clothes out of the washing machine, hang them on clothes hangers, and then hang the hangers on the clothesline.  If you have a smooth line, tie knots in it or use clothespins to keep stuff from sliding back and forth in the breeze.  If you don’t have a line, put one up or buy a portable or retractable one. In summer your clothes will be dry within an hour in direct sunlight, which is a comparable time to many dryers.  If it’s raining, you can hang them indoors over curtain rods, from your mantel, or on your shower curtain rod.  Even if it’s freezing outside, in direct sunlight your clothes will dry within a few hours. For free.  No kidding.  And UV light is a great sanitizer if you’re worried about germs! Here we hang our and towels and unmentionables on racks purchased from Amazon, such as this and this.  Another tidbit we have figured out, is that there is no need to wait until daylight to hang your clothes. In the old days it was nigh unheard of, but there’s no harm.  The morning dew won’t make your wet clothes wetter.   Do you work nights?  Do a load of laundry after you get home from work and hang it out to dry, even if it’s midnight.  It will be dry by lunchtime tomorrow.   This saves wear and tear on your clothes, it saves electricity, it won’t create extra static like the dryer, and hanging stuff is kind of a nice, meditative way to spend a few minutes. Take some deep breaths of fresh air, reflect on your day, let go of some anxiety.

Does all of this sound too complicated? Written down it’s a lot, but let us take you through a load of laundry we just did.  For the record, it is currently one o'clock in the morning.  It’s 31 degrees outside.

1) Put clothes in washer.  Not sorted, just all the clothes in the hamper or off your floordrobe, dumped into the washing machine.

2) It’s cold out, so put a tablespoon of detergent into a cup of hot water and stir.  Pour in washer. Put white vinegar in Downy ball, toss in washer.

3) Push start button and go do something else.  Read, take a nap, cook, clean bathroom. Write a long-winded Tumblr post.  Whatever.

4) When load is done, hang everything on hangers/racks still wet.  This is the longest part, and it takes 5-7 minutes, max. You can do it while watching tv or listening to music.

5) Carry your hung up clothes outdoors to the clothesline and hang them up, or to whatever indoor location you have deemed fit if it is raining.

These will be dry in a few hours except for very heavy things like thing hoodies or jeans, those may take longer.  Yes, even if it’s cool outside.  As long as there is direct sunlight, they will dry.  When you’re ready, bring them in. All the clothes are already on hangers, so just stick them in your closet.

Once upon a time we had a lot of drama about laundry.  We had fights over whose turn it was, how much Tide to put in, and who was going to clean the lint trap.  When the dryer broke, I absolutely agonized over the three hundred dollars it would take to buy a new one.  That three hundred dollars meant going without cable for two months, it meant scrimping for groceries and paying a late fee on the phone bill.  It was more than an entire paycheck, just to dry clothes!

Today that same dryer is sitting in our laundry room in disuse.  We have it, for emergencies.  A drink spilled on a work shirt, perhaps, that needs to be worn in 30 minutes.  It’s good for fluffing up pillows, on the no-heat setting. It wasn’t worth the stress or the tears or the three hundred dollars we put into it all those years ago.  It’s basically a glorified shelf for our detergent now:

So today, I challenge you, broke person.  Don’t wear those grungy jeans for one more day.   Do a load of laundry, as frugally as you can.  Measure your detergent carefully, hang your clothes to dry.  Your clothes will last longer, your utility bill will be lower, and you will have a few minutes of peace and quiet outside.  It’s less wear and tear, less electricity, and less stress, and that’s a minimalist win.

If you do choose to dry your clothes in a dryer, beware of over-drying as that can cause static and extra wear and tear on your clothes.  Clean out your lint trap, it will make your clothes dry faster and reduce the risk of fire.  If you are too broke to have dryer sheets, wool dryer balls are pretty cheap and effective for fabric softening and reducing static.  We have also heard that you could use tennis balls or a couple balls of wadded up aluminum foil for this purpose.

Happy washing!

Some links: homemade detergent at TSD, and Mr. Electricity’s opinion on dryers.

Sunday Checklist

You guys know the drill. This is our weekly list, make your own and follow it to minimize stress during your week.

Clean the bathroom and make sure it is organized/stocked for the week. Refill any prescriptions you are going to run out of before next Sunday.

If you work, make sure you have breakfast/coffee/lunch supplies for the week. Lay out all your work clothes and shoes.

Wash all your dishes and put them away.

Water your house plants, if you have any.

Take out the trash and put new trash bags in all cans.

Look over your calendar for meetings/appointments coming up.

Wash your sheets, make your bed, and fluff up your pillows in the dryer. The no-heat setting is fine.

Make sure your Landing Pad is all set up with things you’ll need.

If you have kids, make sure they have plenty of clean clothes for the week and that their backpack is ready. Ask them if they need supplies for any upcoming projects.

If you have pets, make sure you have plenty of food and any meds they may need for the week.

Make sure there is gas in your car and get all the trash out of it.

Check the weather and inform your family/roomies if that changes anything that is going on this week.

Log in and check your bank account just to make sure that you have what you think you have. Reconcile your budget and check what bills you need to pay this week.

Spend 20 minutes on yourself.  Read, meditate, take a bubble bath, give yourself a foot massage. Find a way to recharge yourself for the coming week so you can be fresh and on top of everything.

It’s not just the income to consider when choosing a job. Look for the benefits and negotiate them.

Read the article here> https://www.phroogal.com/employee-benefits/

Sunday Checklist

You guys know the drill. This is our weekly list, make your own and follow it to minimize stress during your week.

Clean the bathroom and make sure it is organized/stocked for the week. Refill any prescriptions you are going to run out of before next Sunday.

If you work, make sure you have breakfast/coffee/lunch supplies for the week. Lay out all your work clothes and shoes.

Wash all your dishes and put them away.

Water your house plants, if you have any.

Take out the trash and put new trash bags in all cans.

Look over your calendar for meetings/appointments coming up.

Wash your sheets, make your bed, and fluff up your pillows in the dryer. The no-heat setting is fine.

Make sure your Landing Pad is all set up with things you’ll need.

If you have kids, make sure they have plenty of clean clothes for the week and that their backpack is ready. Ask them if they need supplies for any upcoming projects.

If you have pets, make sure you have plenty of food and any meds they may need for the week.

Make sure there is gas in your car and get all the trash out of it.

Check the weather and inform your family/roomies if that changes anything that is going on this week.

Log in and check your bank account just to make sure that you have what you think you have. Reconcile your budget and check what bills you need to pay this week.

Spend 20 minutes on yourself.  Read, meditate, take a bubble bath, give yourself a foot massage. Find a way to recharge yourself for the coming week so you can be fresh and on top of everything.

What makes a Home Energy Efficient? [Visual]

→ http://ecogreenlove.com/?p=14566

Energy-efficient homes are designed to reduce energy consumption and waste. If the thought of upgrading your home sounds stressful for expensive, know that it absolutely doesn’t have to be! Here are 5 easy changes you can make to get started.

Keep reading

A new law in Maine will shift the cost of recycling from cities and towns and place the onus on the corporations that use certain packaging materials in shipping and packaging of their products.

The law, LD 1541, called “An Act To Support and Improve Municipal Recycling Programs and Save Taxpayer Money,” forces companies that use less-than-eco-friendly packaging materials, such as plastics, to pay for each ton of those materials that they send into the state. That money then gets passed along to cities and towns to pay to recycle those materials.

Prior to the law, cities and towns would have to charge taxpayers more for the cost of recycling.

“It’s really designed to tackle our waste crisis, get us to finally reach our goal of recycling 50 percent of our waste which we set back in 1989 and have never reached,” said Sarah Nichols, Sustainable Maine Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. “Now with this law there’s going to be more clarity, more incentives to have more clear labeling on a package to help consumers put things in the right bin. In some communities it’ll be the difference between having a recycling program and not.”

A new Stewardship Organization will be formed to administer the program, track progress toward goals, and report back to the State.  Producers pay annual fees to the SO that are based on the amount and type of packaging they sell into Maine. Then the SO reimburses municipalities annually for the costs they have incurred because of that packaging.

Municipalities that participate will have to collect a set list of materials to participate.

“We’ll finally have some uniformity around the state with what’s recyclable and what’s not,” said Nichols. “People are confused and when people are confused they put something in the bin that isn’t recyclable that they think is and then that brings down the value of all the recycling. It’s a disaster.”

Nichols said the majority of small businesses are exempt. The law says that if the producer creates less than one ton of waste per year, or makes under $2 million in gross revenue per year, they would be exempt.

Allagash Brewing Company, which is part of a brewers recycling co-op, collects those hard-to-recycle materials from the public and other breweries, and either sends them through their commercial recycling program or reuses the items themselves.

Read More

Sunday Checklist

You guys know the drill. This is our weekly list, make your own and follow it to minimize stress during your week.

Clean the bathroom and make sure it is organized/stocked for the week. Refill any prescriptions you are going to run out of before next Sunday.

If you work, make sure you have breakfast/coffee/lunch supplies for the week. Lay out all your work clothes and shoes.

Wash all your dishes and put them away.

Water your house plants, if you have any.

Take out the trash and put new trash bags in all cans.

Look over your calendar for meetings/appointments coming up.

Wash your sheets, make your bed, and fluff up your pillows in the dryer. The no-heat setting is fine.

Make sure your Landing Pad is all set up with things you’ll need.

If you have kids, make sure they have plenty of clean clothes for the week and that their backpack is ready. Ask them if they need supplies for any upcoming projects.

If you have pets, make sure you have plenty of food and any meds they may need for the week.

Make sure there is gas in your car and get all the trash out of it.

Check the weather and inform your family/roomies if that changes anything that is going on this week.

Log in and check your bank account just to make sure that you have what you think you have. Reconcile your budget and check what bills you need to pay this week.

Spend 20 minutes on yourself.  Read, meditate, take a bubble bath, give yourself a foot massage. Find a way to recharge yourself for the coming week so you can be fresh and on top of everything.

What can you unplug?

Electric utilities report that an increasingly significant amount of electricity is used by electronic devices and chargers that are not actively in use. Not every electric appliance, light, or device uses energy even when turned off, but an increasing number of these items do use energy even when turned off. If you want to know if an item is using electricity when it’s turned off, see if your local electric utility or library has a consumer power meter that you can borrow. When you plug the power meter into an outlet and then plug a device into the power meter, it will tell you how much power the device is using. Many devices and chargers are warm when they are using power, so feeling the device is an easy low-tech way to identify some of these items. Another thing to consider is that these unused items that are warm are adding heat to your home, which adds to the air conditioning load in the summer.

· Chargers use energy whenever they are plugged into an electric outlet even when a device (cell phone, electric toothbrush, electric razor) is fully charged or when there is no device attached for charging. Unplug chargers for portable electronic devices when you are not actively charging a device.

· Electronic devices (TVs, computer printers, computers) that plug directly into an electrical outlet in your home nearly always use a little energy even when turned off, so that the device is instantly ready for use when it’s turned on. If you have a device such as a DVD player that you seldom use, keep it unplugged between uses. For the devices you use frequently, consider plugging them into a power strip/surge protector that you can turn off when you will be away from your home so that the devices are not using energy while you are gone.

· Unplug devices such as a bedside clock in a guest room and look at other seldom-used areas for devices that can be unplugged until you are ready to use them again.

· Before you travel, look around for devices that can be unplugged until you return. Some items, such as the refrigerator, need to stay plugged in but many others can be unplugged until you return home.

Broke Laundry: updated 2021

For the time being, let's skip talking about how almost all of us have too many clothes.   The clothes that you have get dirty, and must be washed.  I am going to assume you have access to a modern washing machine, either at your house or a laundromat. We'll call step one sorting:

Sorting: Ain’t nobody got time for this.  This is an extra chore that is 99% not necessary.  Unless you have specialty fabrics or are particular about how white your whites are, it’s just added  stress and a waste of time.  I don't actually own any white clothes anymore, but if I did I'd run a load of whites with a cup of bleach once a month. I do not own things that can’t survive the washing machine, either.  No delicates, no dry cleaning.  I wash towels with clothes, and sheets together with bedspreads. Cleaning rags and towels have their own basket and get washed when it gets full.

Laundry Detergent: Avoid the very cheapest for the sake of your darks, but there is no need to spring for the most expensive thing on the shelf.  In fact, I make laundry detergent from one part washing soda, one part Borax, and one part soap. A double batch is enough detergent to last three months for a single person. Good recipes can be had all over the internet, so go forth and find yourself one.  If you’re washing in cold water and your tap water is very cold, such as in the winter, you may find it necessary to stir your homemade detergent into a cup of hot water before putting it into the machine. Out of detergent?  A spoonful of dish soap will do in a pinch.  Regardless of whether you’re using store bought or homemade, don’t use too much detergent; it’s bad for the machine, the environment, and your clothes.  We do not want to buy new clothes until we absolutely have to, right?  Right.

Fabric Softener: I recently saw a headline about how Millennials are killing the fabric softener industry.  The truth is, they are prioritizing groceries and lights over luxuries like Downy.  If you must have it and can afford it, go ahead.  Measure carefully but don’t dilute unless the package says so.  Fabric softener sheets are a good alternative, if you are using a dryer.  Here at Brokest Minimalist, we use a Downy ball with white vinegar in it.  The vinegar cuts soap residue, softens most fabrics, and is much cheaper.  Plus it’s versatile enough to be used for cleaning as well.  An added bonus is that it doesn’t reduce the absorbency of your towels like regular fabric softener does.

Water:  Set your washer on Tap Cold. Yes, really.  Unless your clothes are very greasy, almost anything can be washed in cold water and will get just as clean.  It isn’t so much the temperature of the water or even the detergent that does the washing, as much as it is the action of the clothes rubbing against each other inside the machine.  Anything that’s machine washable can be washed in cold water, period.

Settings: On our machine at home, clothes go on “casual” and sheets/bedspreads on “heavy duty”. Don’t stress too much about this.  Choose a water level that is appropriate to how full the machine is, add your stuff, and go ahead.

Drying:  Here at Brokest Minimalist, we don’t dry anything in the dryer.  Why?  Because air dries stuff for free, that’s why.  Clothes dryers are one of the most frivolous uses of electricity in the modern world.  They are also one of the number one causes of fire in the United States, after candles and cooking fires.  Unless you are in a huge hurry, hang your clothes to dry. Outdoors if possible, as sun dried clothing smells much better than any fabric softener does.  You don’t even have to spend all afternoon pinning stuff to a clothesline like your great-grandma did, either! Our system is beautiful in its simplicity.  We take our clothes out of the washing machine, hang them on clothes hangers, and then hang the hangers on the clothesline.  If you have a smooth line, tie knots in it or use clothespins to keep stuff from sliding back and forth in the breeze.  If you don’t have a line, put one up or buy a portable or retractable one. In summer your clothes will be dry within an hour in direct sunlight, which is a comparable time to many dryers.  If it’s raining, you can hang them indoors over curtain rods, from your mantel, or on your shower curtain rod.  Even if it’s freezing outside, in direct sunlight your clothes will dry within a few hours. For free.  No kidding.  And UV light is a great sanitizer if you’re worried about germs! Here we hang our and towels and unmentionables on racks purchased from Amazon, such as this and this.  Another tidbit we have figured out, is that there is no need to wait until daylight to hang your clothes. In the old days it was nigh unheard of, but there’s no harm.  The morning dew won’t make your wet clothes wetter.   Do you work nights?  Do a load of laundry after you get home from work and hang it out to dry, even if it’s midnight.  It will be dry by lunchtime tomorrow.   This saves wear and tear on your clothes, it saves electricity, it won’t create extra static like the dryer, and hanging stuff is kind of a nice, meditative way to spend a few minutes. Take some deep breaths of fresh air, reflect on your day, let go of some anxiety.

Does all of this sound too complicated? Written down it’s a lot, but let us take you through a load of laundry we just did.  For the record, it is currently one o'clock in the morning.  It’s 31 degrees outside.

1) Put clothes in washer.  Not sorted, just all the clothes in the hamper or off your floordrobe, dumped into the washing machine.

2) It’s cold out, so put a tablespoon of detergent into a cup of hot water and stir.  Pour in washer. Put white vinegar in Downy ball, toss in washer.

3) Push start button and go do something else.  Read, take a nap, cook, clean bathroom. Write a long-winded Tumblr post.  Whatever.

4) When load is done, hang everything on hangers/racks still wet.  This is the longest part, and it takes 5-7 minutes, max. You can do it while watching tv or listening to music.

5) Carry your hung up clothes outdoors to the clothesline and hang them up, or to whatever indoor location you have deemed fit if it is raining.

These will be dry in a few hours except for very heavy things like thing hoodies or jeans, those may take longer.  Yes, even if it’s cool outside.  As long as there is direct sunlight, they will dry.  When you’re ready, bring them in. All the clothes are already on hangers, so just stick them in your closet.

Once upon a time we had a lot of drama about laundry.  We had fights over whose turn it was, how much Tide to put in, and who was going to clean the lint trap.  When the dryer broke, I absolutely agonized over the three hundred dollars it would take to buy a new one.  That three hundred dollars meant going without cable for two months, it meant scrimping for groceries and paying a late fee on the phone bill.  It was more than an entire paycheck, just to dry clothes!

Today that same dryer is sitting in our laundry room in disuse.  We have it, for emergencies.  A drink spilled on a work shirt, perhaps, that needs to be worn in 30 minutes.  It’s good for fluffing up pillows, on the no-heat setting. It wasn’t worth the stress or the tears or the three hundred dollars we put into it all those years ago.  It’s basically a glorified shelf for our detergent now:

So today, I challenge you, broke person.  Don’t wear those grungy jeans for one more day.   Do a load of laundry, as frugally as you can.  Measure your detergent carefully, hang your clothes to dry.  Your clothes will last longer, your utility bill will be lower, and you will have a few minutes of peace and quiet outside.  It’s less wear and tear, less electricity, and less stress, and that’s a minimalist win.

If you do choose to dry your clothes in a dryer, beware of over-drying as that can cause static and extra wear and tear on your clothes.  Clean out your lint trap, it will make your clothes dry faster and reduce the risk of fire.  If you are too broke to have dryer sheets, wool dryer balls are pretty cheap and effective for fabric softening and reducing static.  We have also heard that you could use tennis balls or a couple balls of wadded up aluminum foil for this purpose.

Happy washing!

Some links: homemade detergent at TSD, and Mr. Electricity’s opinion on dryers.