natural living

Being green isn’t always easy, but it has benefits. It’s good for you, good for the Earth, and good for your wallet.

Most green laundry ideas you’ve heard of already.

make your own detergent a la Trent (liquid) or Matt (powder)
wash on cold (note: exception goes to sheets, wash these on warm or hot to kill dust mites)
hang your clothes out to dry (note: don’t try this if you have allergies!)
buy an energy efficient machine like this one: Whirlpool WFW9500TC 4.0 Cu. Ft Front Load Washer (Tuscan)
only wash full loads
use less detergent
avoid buying clothes that are dry clean only

The one key that is missing though is the clothes themselves. I often hear mom friend’s complain about having to tackle a mountain of laundry. I do this sometimes myself, but only after we’ve been on vacation (note: not when I’m at my Mom’s house since she washes everything for us!), or after we’ve been sick.

We have more laundry than most people, since we’re a family of 6. I could easily do 2 loads a day/5 days a week. That’s a LOT of laundry. this of course doesn’t include accidents, vomit, or other gross things that need to be washed. I usually add about 2-3 loads a week for this. That’s 12-13 loads.

The main way I keep my laundry room green, and more green in my wallet is by keeping a limited number of clothing items for each person. Adam, and his family, are the masters of this right now.

The only exception I have is a nice outfits and shoes. I don’t get out much, so I have a few classic pieces that I will hold onto for forever. Likewise the hubby has a suit and ties, and the kids each have something nice-ish.

I usually go through my clothes seasonally. Since it’s almost fall/back-to-school time, it’s the perfect time to go through your summer wardrobe and purge. Anything you haven’t worn in a year should go.

How many clothing items do you have? Do you feel like you could cut back?

Kelly

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One of the main lessons I try to teach the kids is to care. For the Earth, for each other, for themselves, and their belongings. They have really taken the idea to heart of late and have been asking me to keep items I would otherwise recycle.

I’m considering adding a bin to their art area for “found’ or recyclable objects.

Audrey, age 4, aspiring artist, made a mess of tissues the other day while I was in the kitchen. She was planning a “party” and used the tissues as confetti.

I explained that the tissues were something we use when we are sick or need to blow out nose, and that we spend money on, so it’s best if we use them for their intended purpose. We started collecting the tissues to throw them away, and she came upon the idea of making the tissues into art. She salvaged a few and made a few different things. Above is a picture of a ghost. (excuse the wet marks, my hand were damp when I picked it up)

Audrey made a similar one for her sister who wasn’t feeling well, and informed Emma that it could be used as a tissue when she was done admiring it!
Recycling at it’s finest. Tissue to art, art to tissue.

One of my favorite ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle is by selling or giving away things we no longer need. I’ve also been able to find things simply by asking friends, family, or members of our local Freecycle group. Sometimes I will pay $5-10 for something that would have cost me $20 elsewhere. Sometimes I get something free that would have cost $100+ elsewhere. It’s always a win-win.

Next time you really need something see if you can find it for free or used first. Chances are likely someone else has that same whatchamagadget and doesn’t need it anymore.

How do you reduce, reuse or recycle? Have you ever given away something of value, or received something of value for free?

Kelly