It's check in day for Chile's Challenge already, it really doesn't seem like a week has gone by already, does it? And, here I am at the end of another week with mixed results to report.
Air conditioning use? Only 1 day for a few hours to take the humidity out of the house, you just can't breathe when it's 88 degrees and humid. The lower part of the entire state of Michigan feels a lot like we went to bed one night and woke up in the Everglades. Humid, rainy and weeds growing everywhere. I consider this week a success on this front, having a dehumidifier running constantly makes a big difference, but it can only do so much!
Rack drying my laundry? 65/35. And, here I am again, whining about the humidity! I had so much camp laundry to get caught up on, that my rack couldn't keep up and the rain and humidity kept me from drying outside. But, here's how I got crafty.
It's just about breaking another habit and routine. I realized (duh!) I can throw a few things into the dryer and NOT turn it on while it waits for the next load. So, I sorted through the laundry, chose the really heavy items that take forever to dry and hung them on a rack. Then I tossed the socks, boxers, light t-shirts etc. into the dryer, cracked the door a bit, to keep it from getting all yucky in there and patiently waited for the next load. I repeated this process a second and third time and then started the dryer which only needed to run for about 40 minutes. Imagine only 40 minutes to dry three loads worth? I had six loads, so I ran the dryer twice so I ended up with 80 minutes of drying time for 6 loads. In the old days? That would have been 240 minutes. I still figure I am coming out ahead - hence the 65/35.
My boys all have clean socks and underwear today (which they desperately needed!) and I have a couple of racks of towels, heavy clothing and rags that are now drying outdoors in the breezy sunshine that managed to creep its way into the weather forecast today.
Now, I am going outdoors to enjoy some 82 degree, humidity-free sunshine! See ya!
3 months ago
10 comments:
Very creative on the dryer use! I have to admit that I am spoiled by living in an arid climate. The couple of summers I spent in New York and the year we spent in Oregon really opened my eyes to the humidity issues. Mold, mildew, stinky dampness. Ick!
Chile - yes, you are a spoiled, spoiled rotten pepper. You with the solar techy oven and your lovely climate. The humidity here has been unbearable and so has the rain. The bathroom is damp non-stop and the basement is scary. And the weird rainstorms come out of no where, so you can't leave a rack of clothes out on the patio or forget and leave an umbrella open. When you come home you are picking umbrella shards out of your neighbors landscaping and your kitchen towels and your undies off their deck! I really don't want them to know THAT much about us!
EBM, that's exactly how I do laundry in the winter, when I'm drying indoors: socks and underwear in the dryer, everything else hung up on the rack or the shower rod. I even did this when there were 8 of us living here (the 6 of us plus two foster kids), and we were using cloth diapers. It's hard in a situation like you had, with lots of laundry at once, but I tried to do a load or two first thing every morning, and then I could stay ahead.
Did you find all the socks? Did you have clothes you'd never seen before, obviously someone else's? Camp, the Great Apparel Exchange!
Joyce - Darn it! And I forgot yesterday your comment about the shower rod. I was wandering all over the basement looking for places to hang things and forgot your simple rule. I won't forget next time!
No, I haven't found all of the socks. I am betting they ended up on a pool deck, by the lake or outside the tent and they are gone, gone, gone.
All the other green bloggers talk about how easy it is NOT to buy anything new. Sheesh, I need to give them my boys for awhile. Socks, underwear and school supplies alone will break the bank! I have no idea how you managed with 8!!!
Joyce - oh, and no, I didn't end up with other boy's apparel, but I am missing a couple of tshirts too, so I am betting someone else got the better end of the swap!
Re lost clothing, have you considered glue? Or staples?
Oh, EBM, it was only 4 kids of my own, plus the 2 ringers. That was plenty!!
We just moved from Phoenix to Florida. In Phoenix, you literally put your clothes on the rack for 30 minutes and instantly dry. Florida, not so much. I have dedicated my downstairs bathroom as the "drying room", since I still refuse to waste energy drying heavy blankets, jeans, etc. It is a strange system, but works. Guess you found your system too!
Brilliant!! I've been thinking about putting a clothes line in our basement. We run a dehumidifier down there anyway... I just wasn't looking forward to going up and down two flights of stairs, but this might make it workable.
Ah! Thanks for the dryer idea (humid in DC too) -- it will get me moving in the right direction on that front.
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