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50 Nifty Tricks for Big DIY Savings
Today’s feature is from This Old House with 50 Nifty Tricks for Big DIY Savings:
Remember when the tightfistedness of relatives raised during the Depression was amusing? Our grandparents’ certificates of deposit and plastic couch protectors seemed downright quaint when our own home-equity and retirement portfolios were ballooning.
Suddenly, though, the pot-roast-and-potatoes ethic doesn’t seem quite so kooky. We’d even say it’s worthy of a salute. So tip your cap to all your penny-pinching kin and read on for the best why-didn’t-I-think-of-that ideas for shrinking your household expenses, from getting free trees from your town’s public works department to installing an under-sink filter to cut costs on pricey bottled water.
A few examples of the tips given:
- Shorten your dryer-vent hose: Your clothes will dry about 20 percent faster & you’ll save money on power.
- Close closet doors to lower the square footage you’re heating (and cooling): Shuttering closets along exterior walls helps to insulate the house & save money on energy bills.
- Make your own cleaning solutions: You’ll save money by not buying commercial cleaners. Find recipes for homemade cleaners here.
- Use your microwave instead of your range: It consumes half the power and you’ll save money on electricity of gas.
- Plug in a SmartStrip: Three-quarters of the energy that electronics burn is consumed when the equipment is turned off. Rather than unplug items after every use, hook them up to a SmartStrip surge protector, which automatically kills power to electronics when you turn them off and returns it when you switch them back on. Save as much as $240 per year in energy costs.
Please visit the site above for all the tips, you’ll find plenty of new & fresh ideas. Good stuff!
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The BEST laundry cleaner in the world for greasy spots is *GOOP*. It’s about $1 in the automotive section of WalMart. Bright orange lid on a round container.
Just smear some over the grease, let it sit for 5 to 20 minutes and throw in the wash. Leaves no residue, no ring. Pretty much for grease only.
Here’s even a better idea for energy saving – don’t use your dryer at all! During the summer months and days over at least 50 degrees (F), hang your clothes out on a line. The cooler the ambient temperature, the earlier in the day you have to hang clothes out. I remember women saying (when I was a small child) that you had to hang your clothes at least before noon to make sure they will dry properly. Of course, in summer months, do not put even dampish clothes away as they might mildew in the drawers. Do not hang clothes outside if you have allergy problems. However, you can hang clothes inside on your bathroom shower curtain rod all year around. Even in humid weather you will be surprized to find that your clothes dry overnight (when no one is using the shower anyway. A regular bath shower rod holds about a large load of clothes. a plus is that clothes don’t overdry,stains don’t set from heat, there is less fading and destruction of elastics and lycra and fleece that can come from dryer use, so your clothes last longer, and your clothes dry flat cutting down on ironing.
This only works in places with a reasonable humidity level. I live in North Carolina and I always hand items like bras and bathing suits to dry. However, as the summer rolls in the humidity is so high that I have actually had clothes mildew because they didn’t dry thoroughly. They were on a sunroom/screened-in porch. Luckily, in NC there are very few days that it’s too cold to dry clothes out-of-doors, so I guess it evens out.
I live in southern CA. Put your clothes in dryer for only 5 minutes or less. Have clothes hangers ready. Take out of dryer (This softens clothes gets out wringles) hang on hangers in patio or bathroom rod to finish drying. I use a large chain link line in patio to put hangers in links. Wind will not blow them off. Clothes smell fresh and stay wrinkle free. No need to iron.
I like Barb’s comment and wish to add to it. If you hang your clothes on hangers you have more room on the shower rod for clothing.
If you do have allergies and wish to hang your clothes outside, simply put your dried clothes in the dryer for about 10 minutes and you get rid of the pollen.
Also, my Mom use to tell me to bring my clothes in before 4 pm so they don’t get damp from the night air setting in.
I have been known to hang clothes out after dark and leave them until around noon. This cuts down on washing time during the day when everyone else is using electricity.
I have closetmaid shelving around the walls in my laundry room, I hang all the lightweight clothes like my sons sports clothes on hangers they are only damp when they come out of the washer. saves money not using the dryer. they air dry just fine in no time.