This Is The Modern World.
While the best solution would be not to have any energy consuming kitchen appliances at all modern life would indeed be rubbish if we still had to rely on the old methods, hanging out your clothes to dry on the line in the garden after washing them on a board and running them through the mangle is simply unimaginable these days. While I don’t own a tumbledryer myself I can see how the convenience of things like cheap washer driers would be very tempting. Getting your clothes washed and dry in a couple of hours in the depths of the British winter must be a real boon if you’re short of time but the alternative just takes forward planning. Washing your clothes (at low temperatures of course, new detergents make this easier than ever) while you still have a couple of clean shirts in the wardrobe means that you won’t have a laundry emergency. In the winter you can dry them over the radiator in a few hours, in summer they’re dry in a couple of hours more left out in the sun.
I must admit that I do own a dishwasher, however when it comes to volume of water used they are more economic as I can do multiple sinks-worth of crocks in about a sinkfull of water. I live in a shared house so The Magic Washing Up Cupboard saves many arguments and tension over washing up. If you’ve ever lived with sloppy housemates you’ll know what I mean! Also dishwashers are good for your health; they wash so hot, much hotter than you could by hand that they mean that it’s near impossible for many but the most tenacious of germs to survive.
When I was a kid it used to drive my mum to conniptions when I’d stand in front of the fridge trying to decide which of the two varieties of yoghurt I would opt for. Not only is it a waste of electricity it made the ice compartment ice up in no time which then had to be defrosted once it got it’s icy fingers into the bits that were stored there. The current fashion is for objects of desire like American fridge freezers but what happened to the old fashioned chest freezers? OK so they were extremely dangerous with people falling in and not being able to get out but their design made them far more efficient as they would create a ‘cold sink’ where the cold air was trapped in and would keep itself cold for hours if the door wasn’t closed properly. Do that to an upright and you’ll get a wet floor and soggy food.
I guess our love of convenience has made us short sighted and power hungry but just a few adjustments would cut our carbon footprint and bills if only we’d plan ahead instead of doing every thing on a whim.
Written by EcoGirl on February 23rd, 2011 with no comments.
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