I’ve been updating our Changes to Lifestyle post and have been focusing on the laundry side of things which has many options available for making some wiser, greener changes. So much so I thought a post of its own would be worthwhile.
- Wooden Pegs : we’ve had a mix of pegs in our peg basket for years. Plastic pegs, wooden pegs and other odd ones. The wooden pegs have actually outlasted the plastic pegs because of their ability to withstand degradation from UV light. The other benefit is that when they fall apart, as they eventually do, they just get put in the compost or buried into the garden soil. Easy. There are some fancy set-ups in the marketplace for hanging clothes up to dry, but wooden pegs do the job.
- Clothes Horse : Following on from wooden pegs, we also use two clothes horses to simply hang washing on under our deck. It doesn’t require pegs and is handy to place indoors or out. We are holding off from a clothesline until the paving is done to find a suitable location. If it is required.
- Laundry Balls : also in the laundry – we use good quality Laundry Balls containing small ceramic balls that soften the water in the washing machine to allow the clothes fibres to open and release dirt. Does many hundreds of washes and reduces the need for laundry powders or liquids.
- Soap Nuts: These are a classic substitute for soap if the wash is remarkably dirty and needs a little something extra. Soap nuts have natural soapanin and leave a very delicate fragrance to the clothes. They also do a really good job on little boy clothes.
- Wash times: This has mainly applied to living with the solar pv system. We now wash clothes during peak sunlight times, using the timer on the machine if we know it will be a sunny day. This way we are using electricity we are generating. Sometimes we will run the electric dryer during this time too.
- Greywater: It is satisfying to know that the laundry water goes out into the garden and continues the water cycle on our block. This is not really a change as such, but an improvement with the introduction of the greywater system.
Petit Paradis 
When I lived in town, my neighbor actually complained that I dried my laundry on the line. I immediately learned that drying laundry on the line is only illegal if it is visible from the public roads or sidewalks adjacent to but outside of the property. If my neighbor could see it from his property, he should just mind his own business. (He cut down the trees that would have obscured his view without permits.)
LikeLike
Some people just don’t get it. And there is a level of consideration I believe. Thankfully, the clothes horses sit just under the level of the verandah balustrade, so they are not viewed from the front of the house.
LikeLiked by 1 person