So at the beginning of the year I decided to change a lot of things in my life. Or make some changes I’ve been working on permanent.
Now here it is, almost the end of the year.
I haven’t bought any laundry detergent this year. I’m still working on the jug I bought sometime last fall. Looks like I still have about 1/3 left. It’s the 2.3L Sun Free & Clear Double concentrated. Label says you can get 50 loads. So, that means I’ve probably done around 33 loads. Unfortunately, I don’t keep track of this data, but I’d say that is about right. I probably do about 2 loads a month. Maybe 3. Which goes with 33/12= 2.7. Everything sounds about right. I do my laundry when my hamper is overflowing and I’m low on clean underwear and socks. Then I stuff that thing full and set it go. I will never do a load that isn’t completely full as it is front loading and I can’t control the water level. Does that make me a conservative?
I’m pretty curious as to how fast everyone else goes through laundry detergent. I’ve read that most people use way too much – thinking that more is better. When really, with the way our machines are designed, they can’t rinse out all that extra soap. It builds up in the machine, and gets left on your clothes. So, I always try to use less than I think I need, and less than the cap tells me to. And now that I’ve actually gotten the cap out and looked at it under the light, I could probably use a little less. Why do they make those things near impossible to read? (so we go through it faster, duh..)
Also, my laundry has been filling up faster after my boyfriend and I got serious. Guys clothes take up so much space! It is quite amazing as he’s just a normal-sized guy, a bit on the lean side, but 6 foot-ish. His clothes literally are twice as big as mine. Where as on my drying rack I can fit at least 2 of my shirts on one rung, I can only fit one of his. Which is quite annoying since my ex-roommate ran off with my second drying rack.
For any one but the most devoted, this would be a HUGE temptation to just throw it in the dryer. Same goes with the sheets. Since sometime last fall (definitely since the beginning of the year), I have not used the dryer (any form of electrical dryer for that matter). Not using an electrical dryer was one of my new year’s resolutions. I have succeeded, and only by pissing my boyfriend off on a few occasions (like when I bought new sheets and he begged me to throw them in the dryer so we could sleep on them THAT NIGHT…I’m teaching that boy patience). If I wasn’t so stubborn and strong-willed and stuck to my principles (the few I have), I most definitely would have succumbed that night. And a few other nights when his clothes rule my hamper.
Giving in JUST ONE TIME makes you weak on all the other occasions. To break a bad habit, you can allow NO exceptions. And I haven’t. And I am so proud of myself.. it feels so good. I would have given in unto him that night for the sheets, but I knew then I wouldn’t be able to say “I haven’t used my dryer all year”, I would have to add “well, except for that one time…” and I didn’t want to do that. Instead, I have gone beyond my duty. Friends have scoffed at me for washing my boyfriend’s clothes. THEY would not do that, he can wash his own clothes. BUT, if I send everything back to his house to be washed, it would all be done the wrong way, and I can’t be responsible for that. So, I wash what is at my house in the most eco-conscious way, and then hang it up to dry.
And I can be proud of him to say, that he hung up some rope outside under their porch for a clothesline. As I know, he has only hung up one load out there, but that is a start and I’m still proud of him for it. And even more so for suggesting it to his roommate.
It takes time for a change in your actions to become your new habit. And even longer to rub off on other people. But, I think the only way to get other people to change is for them to trust you, and for you to set an example. And, over time, for it to become meaningful to them.
You can’t just tell them. My roommates came to me in September for advice on how to cut our energy bill. I suggested many things, one of them being to air dry their clothes. I even offered the use of my clothes rack when I wasn’t using it. However, they still continue to throw everything into the dryer. I haven’t seen anything air-dried in this house that isn’t mine. Which is a shame. Interestingly enough, they are avid about unplugging everything when not in use and turning off the lights. I find this to be a harder habit to pick up, but they seemed to have no problem picking it up. Which is awesome. Except that in terms of saving electricity, it is almost the least you can do. If they really wanted to make a big impact, they would air-dry their clothes. Give or take, the energy cost of one dryer load (~4400 watts) is equivalent that of your refrigerator running all day (~3840 on the high end). So cutting out the dryer saves a lot. Courtney and I had a minuscule power bill. What I payed in the first month with my new roommates was almost as much as what I had paid Courtney over the past 9 months. Unfortunately, the power bill is going down because it is fall and they don’t need the A/C, so they can’t fully comprehend their energy savings. They have false attribution. I am really curious to see their winter power use.
But what I’m really curious to see is how much power I personally use. I cannot wait for the day I have my own place. Or the day I am that bored with that much time on my hands to do all the calculations (if that is even possible). Either way, one day we will see. I hope I am as low as I think I am, but you can always go lower. Some future project of mine will be to live off the grid. Some day.
hugging you GOODBYE 