Clothesline drawing via Facebook photo archives
This week has been a week of illness in our home, so today I'm doing lots of laundry, cleaning and airing out. I chose a long time ago that one way I honor the earth is through the methods I use for laundry. For over 10 years I never had a dryer, and instead dried all clothing on racks. I've spoken about my laundry habits before, but I figured this was a good opportunity to bring them up again since I'll be doing so much of it today. I have used a Wonder Wash in the past, which is a manual, hand crank washer. I have been thinking about purchasing another one when funds are a little more fluid, because it really was a great way to wash clothes. Nowadays, I either wash clothes in the tub, or in our regular washing machine.
Today, I will be using the washing machine, especially since I am trying to deal with illness germs and large items like blankets. I'll hang them out in the sunshine and let the sun finish disinfecting them. I think that finding a balance between living gently on the earth and sometimes using modern conveniences is a method that resonates with me. It is nice to know, however, that if I had to, I certainly could (and do!) wash the big items in the tub or in another large container like a storage tote.
I use mostly organic laundry soap (or soap nuts at times) and vinegar as the "fabric softener". It helps me feel better about what is going into our septic system and into the planet when I do laundry.
I am getting my kids involved by having them help to clean the house. They've certainly seen me washing clothes in the tub, and I love that it is simply a part of their lives they accept. I love that by leading by example, I'm showing my kids how to live a bit more gently upon the earth.
No comments:
Post a Comment