Comments on: MOM: Conservation is Key

By: Katera

Katera — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:18:00 +0000

I do use less laundry detergent and help set stains or baby mess out of a load by spot cleaning before it gets tossed in the washer. I also use less dishwasher detergent by giving those pesky stuck ons a quick scrub!

By: FrugalMegan

FrugalMegan — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:47:44 +0000

Also, using 1/4 cup vinegar in the last rinse of the wash will help keep your laundry soft. I use this for towels. You can add a few drops of essential oils to the rinse if you’d like, too.

By: FrugalMegan

FrugalMegan — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:45:43 +0000

Well, I have those dryer “balls” you get in a 2 pack that bounce around in there to reduce static. I honestly think those don’t work very well, but they do work some. That combined with my homemade laundry detergent, I just don’t have too much of a problem with static. Dryer sheets and fabric softener irritate my husband’s skin and are bad for my cloth diapers, so it’s better for me to rub down a piece or two of clothing with 1/2 a dryer sheet then to use them on a whole load.

By: amanda anderson

amanda anderson — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:37:20 +0000

What are you using in place of dryer sheets? It would be great to not buy those anymore!!

By: angelina

angelina — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:52:29 +0000

Hi Meg! We use way less of lots of things here- but probably the number one winner in our house is ENERGY…I have made “rules” about not only lights, but alarm clocks, radios, tvs, charging phones etc. When these things are plugged in and turned off they still use energy. So we have adapted to REAL power surge protectors on most outlets that are busy- like where the tv and dvd are, becasue they cut off the power flow, rather than cutting it off for the “on ” part. SOmething else- we have been replacing our alarm clocks with “smart” ones- they auto set, so we unplug them most of the time. we only use them during the week, and we dont need 6 going off! another thing is charging cell phones and other electronics- we have car chargers and the kids like to use those, because then we dont forget to unplug things if we leave. Most things have a fully charged indicator light, so you can unplug. We dont like batteries much either- i shop for cameras and things with a rechargeable one- less to throw away.

By: Jeff9

Jeff9 — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 18:30:58 +0000

I know a way to save more on toilet paper than any coupon or special. This covers all the bases = saves you money, helps the environment, helps your health, makes you feel better, it’s so easy to do and it costs less than $50.00; Save money and the Earth and be clean at the same time! Add Bathroom Bidet Sprayers to all your bathrooms. I think Dr. Oz on Oprah said it best: “if you had pee or poop on your hand, you wouldn’t wipe it off with paper, would you? You’d wash it off” Available at http://www.bathroomsprayers.com with these you won’t even need toilet paper any more, just a towel to dry off! Don’t worry, you can still leave some out for guests and can even make it the soft stuff without feeling guilty. It’s cheap and can be installed without a plumber; and runs off the same water line to your toilet. You’ll probably pay for it in a few months of toilet paper savings. As for water use a drought is always a concern and must be dealt with prudently but remember the water use of industrial users far exceeds the water use of household users and in the case of toilet paper manufacture it is huge. The pollution and significant power use from that manufacturing process also contributes to global warming so switching to a hand bidet sprayer and lowering your toilet paper use is very green in multiple ways.