Welcome to the forums Linda. You've hit on an issue that is often overlooked. Keeping clean is important for many reasons. I think you've made a good start. I'm sure others will be along with more suggestions.
Travlin
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Household Cleaning Equiptment & Cleaners
Thu, Mar 24, 2011 - 3:46pm
#3
Rumen Buffer...
Hi Linda my love!
and to others...
Rumen Buffer.... know what that is?
It's the same as baking soda... and ALOT cheaper.
you can get a whole 50# bag at your local farm store...
There are many uses for this simple product that
is "Sodium Bicarbonate"
Cooking, Medical uses, Personal Hygiene, Cleaning, Cattle Feed Supplement,
fire extinguisher...
Sodium Loading for endurance athletes (not recommended)...
wow...
from wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_bicarbonate
AND my friend Andree Bella did a special Yankee Frugality show on the local
indi radio station WERU.. (we are you!). This is where I first heard of
Rumen Buffer... and other frugal tips on saving money and living well.
Some might enjoy the archived audio of that show:
http://archives.weru.org/specials/special-yankee-frugality-73009
-Bob O
Fri, Mar 25, 2011 - 1:51am
#4
about that chlorine bleach....
I read somewhere that chlorine bleach only had a shelf life of 6-12 months. Can anyone verify that? Thanks, Aloha, Steve.
Sun, Mar 27, 2011 - 2:03am
#5
hand washer
I'm planning to purchase this mobile washer from Emergency essentials ... use in a bucket or tub to wash clothes. Would love to hear from anyone who has tried it:
http://beprepared.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_MC%20W050_A_name_E_Mobile%20Washer%20(Hand%20Operated%20Washing%20Machine)
hmmm, just saw this one ... never noticed it before:
http://beprepared.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_MC%20W100_A_name_E_Wonder+Washer
~ s
Sun, Mar 27, 2011 - 11:22am
#6
Hand Powered Washing Machine or Plunger
Hi Saffron-
Thet both look like great alternative laundry washing units. Thanks for the links.
Mon, Mar 28, 2011 - 11:54am
#7
hand washer
Saffron-
I've had time to look more closely at both of these. I noticed the hand crank Wonder Washer's process requires hot/warm water for its vacuum cleaning process. As I only use cold water, I guess it would still be benificial to beable to use the agitation and detergent in cold waster. The other "plunger looking" device would be great for hardy fabrics, and heavily soiled wash, too. I think it would be hard on other fabric over time.
Here is another site I found for laundry: http://www.laundry-alternative.com/washing.htm
I have a cherished full size glass insert scrub/wash board I have used since I was in my teens. It wa my main washing tool for a 2 year period, and continues to be my handy hand wash, and tough stains tool.
Mon, Mar 28, 2011 - 11:59am
#8
Chlorine Bleach - Shelf life
Thatchmo-
To my knowledge chlorine bleach does not have a shelf life. and the 2 bottles I bought for extreme emergency (its a known toxin to the environment and all living things), only have a production date; no expiration dates on them.
Mon, Mar 28, 2011 - 1:32pm
#9
More on bleach
Thatchmo-
To my knowledge chlorine bleach does not have a shelf life. and the 2 bottles I bought for extreme emergency (its a known toxin to the environment and all living things), only have a production date; no expiration dates on them.
Linda
Check out the link below. They present a good case that the disinfectant properties of bleach break down in a few months. They suggest an inexpensive alternative too.
http://www.survivaltopics.com/survival/better-than-bleach-use-calcium-hy...
Travlin
Mon, Mar 28, 2011 - 3:42pm
#10
I have hopes to get this
I have hopes to get this washer
Although when I was over at the Amish this morning Lena was running her ringer washer with gas . This has got to get expensive ! I noticed that she had built this neat little dryer . It was a bicycle tire rim . Hung with chain and an S hook . little lengths of chain hung down attached with metal shower hooks . On the bottom of the chains she had plastic clothes pins . So She hangs her socks and undies on them and carries them out to the clothes line pole . Or she can just hang it inside over the wood stove .
FM
Tue, Mar 29, 2011 - 5:13am
#11
Since we're discussing
Since we're discussing cleaning clothes among other things here, which special items are you planning on buying that you think are indispensable?
Tue, Mar 29, 2011 - 12:25pm
#12
Chlorine Bleach; Shelf Life; c/c Calcium-hypochlorite
Travlin-
I appreciate the info on chlorine bleach's short shelf life; visited the link for calcium-hypochlorite,
then Wiki'd it, and found it too has shelf life issues(see paste below). Is there a safe way to store
calcium-hypochlorite?
From Wiki:
Calcium-hypochlorite
Safety
Calcium hypochlorite is best kept in a cool dry place away from any organic material. It is known to undergo self heating and rapid decomposition accompanied by the release of toxic chlorine gas.
Tue, Mar 29, 2011 - 12:34pm
#13
Manual Wringer Washer
Full Moon,
I followed the link and looked at the wringer washer attached to a sink http://www.lehmans.com/store/Home_Goods___Laundry___Washing___Lehman_s__Laundry_Hand_Washer___32823315?Args
My frugality has me wondering if a good mop bucket with a wringer might do as well and take up less space?
Tue, Mar 29, 2011 - 12:39pm
#14
That's good to know
Calcium hypochlorite is best kept in a cool dry place away from any organic material. It is known to undergo self heating and rapid decomposition accompanied by the release of toxic chlorine gas.
Linda
That is very interesting. I had just bookmarked the info I sent you to study later, so I appreciate your post. Since it is widely used for swimming pools I think there is probably a form that is fairly stable, but it bears further study.
Travlin
Tue, Mar 29, 2011 - 2:05pm
#15
Calcium-hypochlorite storage
Calcium hypochlorite is best kept in a cool dry place away from any organic material. It is known to undergo self heating and rapid decomposition accompanied by the release of toxic chlorine gas.
It would be good to hear from the chemists among us, but I think the main thing is to keep it dry. I typically have some of this around for pool use and have not had any problem in more than 10 years. Can be bought in plastic bags containing 1 pound for about $5 or less. The chlorine has to come from somewhere... I suspect this is probably one of the more safe forms to store.
- Jim
Mon, Apr 11, 2011 - 1:32pm
#16
Gray Water Systems/ Retrofitting Exisitng Plumbing?
I would like some info on using gray water to lessen the use of fresh water for household plumbing. I'm on a well, and the septic has an uphill pump out (which needs electricity to do its job). I beleive the less water going into the holding tank will leave more room if pump is not operating; and require less frquent need to have the holding tank emptied?
Mon, Apr 11, 2011 - 3:29pm
#17
rigging your bathwater to flush the toilet
if you have a 2 storey with a tub/shower upstairs, you can use that grey water to flush your downstairs toilet quite easily, though I could warn you of some of the pitfalls if you should try this. the nice thing is that I find usage rates kind of balance each other, unlike rain, which falls when it wants to fall.
Tue, Apr 12, 2011 - 12:08pm
#18
Hi Linda, welcome
I googled
Hi Linda, welcome
I googled plants as detergents and found this:
Wed, Apr 13, 2011 - 10:14pm
#19
rigging your bathwater to flush the toilet
Yoshhash,
Please say more about some of the "pitfalls"......
Wed, Apr 13, 2011 - 10:34pm
#20
Detergent from plants.....will take some learning
Ericg-
very interesting but definitely labor intense http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorogalum; if need be I could learn; in the meanwhile: I've stowed 3 years worth of bath soap in baggies (this will keep it from loosing moisture), 2-3 years of laundry detergent 9both powdered and liquid), and I'm building my supply of dish detergent; Note: these are all enviromental biodegradable products that are interchangeable if need be.
Wed, Dec 28, 2011 - 3:40pm
#21
Cleaning the home
Well, you will have to identify what sort of materials you'll be working with. Your carpets, for instance, can range in what they need for cleaning based on their material, density, and other factors. You should check out carpet tips online to see what works best for you. Another trick I know is that adding some white vinegar to a load of towels will help in the cleaning process.
Wed, Dec 28, 2011 - 7:35pm
#22
Manual Washer? Don't Need It
Linda,
This post is a bit late but I hope it is still useful.
I decided to go lo-tech with laundry a few weeks ago. I put the wash in the bath tub, add soap or detergent, and agitate with a mop from which I removed the sponge. (You can make your own detergent -- there was a recipe on this site a whiel back, but I have not doe that so far)
OK to wring out small items by hand, but check out Dyna Jet Products and their manual crank wringers -- the one with a stand is great in the tub.
Finally, I spread out the clean wash on an indoor drying rack, which, in the Northeast winter and with the wood stove drying out the air inside, works great. For summer months, I will put up a laundry line outside.
With this method, I can wash and spread to dry a load with a queen sheet set, 4 towels, and some odds and ends in under 45 minutes. Not like "stick in the machime and walk away" but not bad either. As with all of the steps to resiliency, doing it this way added a kind of joy to doing the laundry, actually.
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Looking to share some post-reliable/affordable energy home cleaning preparations I've been doing, and to gleen more ideas from others! First for me is how to keep the house clean without electricity? To this beginign I've acquired the following:
2 Dust Mops w/ washable heads & 2 replacement heads
2 Carpet Sweepers (manual)
3 Foaming Handsoap dispensers (manual pump; uses 75% less soap)
4 gallons White Cider Vinegar (as cleaning agent)
10 Lbs Baking Soda (as cleaning agent; can be used w/ vinergar, too)
1 Scrubbing Board
4 jugs Environmentally Safe Laundry detergent (will clean 360 loads of laundry)
3 Gallons Chlorine Bleach (NOTE: I hope never to need to use this; have it as a last resort)
This is where I've begun. What are you doing?
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