Summers are filled withthe endless chore of hanging clothes

Tag : Fabric Wash


When you're poor and live in the country, summers are filled withthe endless chore of hanging clothes with clothespins on the lineoutside and retrieving them hours later. The monotony of such atask was broken only by the occasional protest my brother and Istaged when our basket contained our little sister's panties.However, we usually lost as evidenced by the previously mentionedpersonal items of our little sister being hung by as little fabricas possible. Handling such clothing items would have surely givenus cooties even a hundred unwanted baths couldn't have washed away.

Now, in my revisionist history, I tell others that my family waseco-friendly cool before it was cool. My mom and dad had theforesight to see what an energy-saving idea it was to dry yourclothes on the clothesline outdoors in the summer.

Revisiting such traditions from my childhood isn't a fond thought,but it isn't the end of the world. In fact, it's one small stepthat just might keep us from getting to the end of the world as weknow it (and I feel fine).

In her book Easy Green Living: The Ultimate Guide to Simple, Eco-FriendlyChoices for You and Your Home , Renee Loux makes sure readers are equipped to make hassle-freechanges to their lives, including ways to have fresher,eco-brilliant laundry. Here are her tips on laundry: Wash full loads to get the most out of water and energy use. Rinse laundry with cold water. Eighty-five to 90 percent of theenergy used to wash clothes goes to heat the water.