Line Drying Clothes and other energy savers..

I used to do this 3 or so years ago before I moved to my current location. But for whatever reason I stopped when we moved out here. Well with the price of everything going up I need to do what I can to help save money. Right now I don't have traditional lines up. I have 2 set up that are easy to take down if the landlord complains.

Other things I am trying to do:

Home made cleaning products. I have home made window and multipurpose cleaner (1 c water, 1 cup white vinegar, 1 tbsp rubbing alcohol) I have found this works pretty well. Also read white vinegar makes a good clothes softener. I am trying this now (1/4 in load) I will let you know how it works. Anyone know any of home made cleaners ideas.

I try to cook outside as much as possible. I use charcoal and wood in the grill (oak and pecan) and my father told me about a charcoal chimney. So instead of buying that I looked up how to make one. And it works great and it means I no longer have to lighter fluid for the grill. I still make the sides inside but every bit helps.

I turn lights out when not is use. I need to remember to turn the hot water heater off at night. But this has been a hard one for me to remember.

Not running the AC as much as possible or setting the temp up higher so it comes on less often. I also try to open windows when possible or run a fan.

We are slowly switching the lights to the cork screw floursent lights.

In the car...Well I try to drive as much as possible. But when I do go out I no longer use the car AC. I open 2 windows driver about 1/2 way or a little higher and back passenger about the same. I noticed this gives me a good cross wind and I don't have to run the AC. And I do noticed the gas mileage is at least a little better.

Does anyone else have any ideas.

Well, lets see....

Make some rain barrels to collect water for your garden instead of using tap water.
Water your lawn for a longer period of time, but less frequently
Plant a garden with plants that need less water
Turn the water off while brushing your teeth
Close your blinds in your house on a hot day to help keep your house cool
Install ceiling fans to help move air around
Use cruise control more often in your car
Start and stop more gently
Only go the speed limit not faster (as much as possible anyways)

I was just looking online for homemade mopping solutions. I came across this rescipe. So I think I might give this one a try:

1/4 cup Dish soap (this I will use a big bottle of the cheap stuff.)
2 cups Vinegar
1 cup Lemon juice
1 to 2 cups Water

I also line dry all of our clothes - they just come out so much fresher too! We use white vinegar at work as a fabric softener, but I don't do it at home because it's a bit of a strong smell in such a small apartment - we can't open the windows either because of the cats. So it's safer not to.

I wash at 30C - unless it's something really stubborn.
We line dry.
Everything is switched off at night at the socket. Leaving things like TVs and DVD players on standby eats electricity too.
We do share a shower from time to time, but you didn't really need to know that, I guess!!
We dont' use the car very often - we can cycle everywhere within the city.
All paper, glass and plastic can be recycled. So we do
We save plastic bags so that we don't have to keep getting more. We just take a bunch shopping with us. Besides, you have to PAY for them out here!

If you have a room in your house that you don't use often, shut off the vents and close the door.

Computers and TVs are huge energy hogs. Turn them off when you are not using them.

Get a water saving shower head.

Ceiling fans can allow you to keep your air conditioning off more often. We only run our AC when it is over 95 or if is raining and sticky in the summer. Other times our windows are wide open. The ceiling fans keep the air circulating and the rooms cooler and use a lot less energy than AC. In the winter you reverse the air flow and it keeps the warm air circulating better so you don't use your furnace as much.

High energy appliances if you can afford them, or if you have to replace what you have. Front loading washing machines use a lot less water than top loaders. The new dishwashers use significantly less water than the older models.

Good window shades to block out the heat of the day through your windows in the summer, and left open to absorb heat in the winter. I can control the temp in my living room by about 10 degrees this way.

If you plant a garden, chose plants that are native to the area you live. They will be more tolerant of the natural rain supply in your area and you can probably stop watering your garden if done right. (I rarely water my gardens)

If you have a lawn, use drought tolerant grass seed. We never water our lawn.

We hang dry a lot of things too (especially pricey Victoria's Secret underwear haha), when it's raining, the hangers get hung on the pipes in the ceiling of the basement

I also save the water from fish/frog tank changes to water the plants with - it actually contains a lot of nutrients that are good for the plants

Unfortunately, I can't unplug my tv at night because I can't fall asleep without it, but I do use the sleep timer But I put my stereo on "econo-mode" this turns off the clock and fancy unnecessary lights that usually stay on when the stereo isn't in use

Another recent "green" topic has been brought up in the "ladies only/diva cup" thread lol - won't say more than that here

And since getting plastic bags is almost inevitable right now, you can take the store type ones back to wegmans and they recycle them, but we also use them (as well as any plastic bags we come across: bread, newspaper, produce) for kitty and pooch poopie clean up

Um that's all I can think of right now lol

I have been using my "solar dryer" aka clothes line from April thru October here in WI otherwise I have a coat rack that I bought yrs ago at target(??) to dry items. If you had a small load you can drap stuff on lots of hangers!!. I have the foam things I put behind the electrical outlets for insulation. In the summer I have the blinds shut to keep the house cooler and fans going. (we don't have A/C).

I unplug the coffee maker/toaster when done and the TV in the kitchen too.

The CFL bulbs are a must as they are becoming available in more styles and wattage's.

I just took a class on making your own cleaning products you can pm me for more recipes .
We have a fire pit we use vs the gas grill as the food tastes better.

Do some menu planning and watch the grocery store specials and plan your grocery list accordingly. If there is an item you use alot and its on sale stock up.

We live 15-20 miles away from the two cities near us so I always make a list of places to go to and do it all in one visit vs many small trips.