CasaSugar

Casa Quickie: Throwing In the Towels

CasaSugar — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 06:15:35 -0700

Lucky enough to score some fluffy new towels for your bathing routine? Make sure to take extra care when washing them. After buying new towels, make sure to wash them separately. This is because most towels will run when first washed. After the first wash, they're usually fine, though, so separate by color and wash as normal.

How Much Laundry Do You Wash Each Week?

CasaSugar — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 07:00:25 -0700

If you have a partner or children, your laundry tends to pile up quickly! Efficiency experts recommend that families with lots of laundry get in the habit of doing two loads of laundry each day; one load can be popped in before work in the morning, and another in the evening. While I'm glad I don't have to do that much laundry, I estimate that we run five loads a week. What about you? Source

How-To: Eco-Proofing Your Laundry Routine

CasaSugar — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 09:15:33 -0700

If you're concerned about your or your family's laundry habits, take a look at this list of tips for eco-proofing your laundry routine. Whether you're curious about laundry detergents, water temperatures, or green choices for washing machines, I've got you covered.

Wash your laundry in cold water. Pretreat stains to ensure that your clothes will get clean in one cycle.
Hydrogen peroxide is effective on blood stains, while rubbing alcohol is good for ink, and Vaseline will aid in removing lipstick stains.
Washing clothing in cold water has many benefits, including helping to reduce wear and tear on the fabric.
Most of the energy used to wash clothes is taken up in heating the water - yet another reason to run your load on cold.
If you can afford it, invest in an energy-efficient washer. If it says Energy Star on the label, it's guaranteed to save water, power, and money.

To get your full laundry load of tips, read more.

Get rid of the chlorine bleach. Instead, use a bleach alternative to get your whites white.
You can make your own laundry detergent that's guaranteed to go easy on the water supply and the planet.
If that's too much work, here's a good natural detergent. I'd also recommend detergents such as the ones from Method or this one from Seventh Generation.
Only wash clothes when you have a full load. It takes the same amount of energy to run smaller loads as it does a large load, and running large loads reduces your water use as well.
Switching from your dryer to line drying can save about $100 a year.
However, if you do use your dryer, always make sure that the lint trap is clean. This will help to save energy and will get your clothes dry faster.
If you use dryer sheets, you can actually reuse them.
Better yet, make your own dryer sheets!

How do you eco-proof your laundry routine?
Source

Casa Quickie: Save Money and Energy

CasaSugar — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 14:00:30 -0700

We've all gotten better about ditching plastic bags and using CFLs, but there are plenty of other simple ways to be "green" and save money that we often overlook. One of these is to make a habit of only running full loads of dishes in your dishwasher and full loads of laundry in your washer and dryer. This is particularly true for your dishwasher, because most dishwashers don't have a "small" option. It'll save water, money, and energy, not to mention detergent. Stay tuned for more energy saving tips!
Source

Casa Quickie: Save Money by Ditching Your Dryer

CasaSugar — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 05:34:56 -0700

Did you know that you can reduce your energy bill by an average of $75 to $100 a year by switching to line drying? That's right: Electric clothes dryers are huge energy users, and you can save money as well as energy and reduce your carbon profile by hanging clothes on the line to dry. And now that it's Spring, your clothes will smell superfresh as well.

Source

Weird Furniture: When Appliances Mate

CasaSugar — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:38:05 -0700

I'm all for eco-living, but I can just see something disastrous happening with this toilet/washing machine combination. I have a hard enough time keeping loose socks off of the floor when I put the laundry in the hamper after washing. Can you imagine what would happen if I tried to empty The Washup? This design is still in the concept stage, and it does have a lot of cool ideas going for it. The design is based on the premise that there's absolutely no reason to put fresh, potable water in the toilet, so why not recycle wash water as toilet water? This water-saving idea is great, but I don't see any reason why the washing machine itself can't be moved a bit further away from the toilet bowl. Maybe we'll see that re-design in the Washup 2.0.

Kenmore's High-Efficiency Washer

CasaSugar — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 10:47:43 -0700

The washer at our house has been on the fritz for a while. It's an obscure, European brand, and while it has some awesome features (requires hardly any detergent, frontloading, highly water- and energy-efficient), the fact that there's only one repair company in the entire San Francisco Bay Area that will service it, and that the repair company routinely charges $150 every time we have it fixed, is making me consider changing machines.

I was further tempted when I read about the Barolo Kenmore washer. This 4.0 cu. ft. front-load washer uses SteamCare technology, which pretty much eliminates the need for pre-treating. The washer is also Energy Star-qualified, using 77% less energy & 73% less water than other machines. On average, it only uses 151 Kilowatt hours per year, as compared to the 420 kilowatt hours/year used by the top-loading Kenmore Elite Oasis machine.

This machine isn't cheap-it's several hundred dollars more expensive than most other washing machines, though it's $100.00 off through October 4th, selling for $1599.99.

But you know what's most cool of all? Dr. Jane Goodall is endorsing them.

Do You Have a Washing Machine and Dryer?

CasaSugar — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 05:00:46 -0700

When I lived in San Francisco, I schlepped my dirty clothes down three flights of stairs and across two busy intersections to get them squeaky clean. Now that I have a washer and dryer in my home, I feel very, very spoiled. How about you? Are you spoiled with in-home laundry facilities?

How-To: Get the Red Out

CasaSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 07:00:36 -0800

As we get closer to the holiday season, you can virtually guarantee that all of the festivities and merry making will lead to a red wine stain or two. But don't worry, you can usually combat that stain, especially if you act fast. Learn how to get the red out when you read more.

First, make sure to blot (not rub or scrub) the stain with paper towels. However, if the fabric is "dry clean only," skip this step and get it to the cleaners posthaste.
Position a dry washcloth between the layers of the fabric (such as the front and back of a blouse) to prevent staining on the back of the material.
Mix one teaspoon of laundry soap or dish soap and one cup hydrogen peroxide in a small bowl. Dip a sponge in the bowl, and gently blot the stain.
Review and follow any special washing directions for the type of fabric.
If the fabric is machine washable, wash in cool water and air dry.
If not, wash by hand with a mild detergent.

Link Time!

CasaSugar — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:00:16 -0700

Sew a table runner. - Craft
A DIY washing machine ottoman?! - Re-Nest
Create a yoga nook in your home. - ShelterPop
Would you buy a tattooed coffee table? - Shelterrific
Give your bedroom a budget makeover. - The Nest
Four household uses for lavender. - AT:SF