Living Like Ed (4 page)

Also, don’t use the Heated Dry feature. Instead, allow the dishes to air-dry inside the dishwasher. If you’re worried about spotting, you can always use a rinse agent.

If you’re like most people, you probably still rinse your dishes before you put them in the dishwasher. Rinsing dishes can waste up to 20 gallons of water per load. With most newer model dishwashers, this is no longer necessary. A grinder in the exhaust drain will cut up any residual food particles to prevent clogs, and today’s detergents are designed to do all that cleaning. Even if your dishes are going to sit in the machine overnight because you don’t have a full load, you’re better off using the dishwasher’s Rinse feature. It uses far less water than hand rinsing each plate individually

Energy-Efficient Washing Machines

Refrigerators and dishwashers certainly aren’t the only appliances that have gotten more energy efficient over time.

Full-size energy-efficient washing machines are superior to standard models on many levels. They use just 18 to 25 gallons of water per load, compared with the 40 gallons used by a non-Energy Star machine, and they extract more water from clothes during the Spin cycle, which reduces the amount of time your clothes need to spend in the dryer. This also saves wear and tear on your clothing.

Again, even if you’re not ready to buy a new washing machine, you can reduce energy use—and water use—with your current model. (When you do get a new machine, these steps will further reduce your energy use, too.) The first step is to avoid doing partial loads. Don’t run the washing machine until you’ve got enough dirty clothes to fill it.

We dry our clothes on racks both outdoors and indoors—no energy required.

Also, wash your clothes in cold water. Most detergents now work very well in cold water. Even if you use warm water, you’re going to be saving some energy, compared with washing clothes in hot water.

The Energy Star people haven’t qualified any clothes dryers just yet, since pretty much all the dryers being sold today require the same amount of energy to operate. But there are still ways to cut down on energy use when drying your clothes. The most obvious way is not to use a machine at all. We use drying racks in our house, but you can also hang your clothes outside on a clothesline.

If you have to use a dryer, then it’s best to use one that has a moisture sensor, rather than simply choosing a timed drying cycle. This way, the machine shuts off the moment your clothes are dry, rather than continuing to tumble—and heat—your clothing. This too eliminates wear and tear on your clothes, prolonging their lives and saving on wardrobe expenses, as well as your utility bills.

Lastly, clean the dryer’s lint filter before every load. A clogged lint a year. Compared with a model manufactured before 1994, an Energy Star-qualified clothes

Water Heaters

Besides washing your clothes in cold water, there are other ways to save on your water heating bill. Your water heater has a thermostat inside. That’s why a hot water heater works. The natural gas comes on when the temperature drops below a certain point. I find on my hot water heater tank, I can adjust the thermostat. I have set mine to medium, on the center position, and I get water that is 110 or 115 degrees Fahrenheit.

By switching from the hottest to the medium setting, you get water that’s plenty hot enough for a shower or to do dishes, and you’re still saving energy. As an added safety benefit to lowering the temperature of your hot water, you remove the possibility of scalds from too-hot water in the bath or shower, or when you run water in the sink.

Another way you can save here is by putting a blanket around your water heater, if you have an older model that doesn’t have thick, thick insulation like the newer heaters. A hot water heater blanket costs only $5, and many municipalities give them away for free. Check with your water provider by phone or online. A blanket keeps the hot water hotter longer, so your heater doesn’t have to work so hard. (You’ll find more info on water heater technology in Chapter 4, “Energy.”)

Earth-Friendly Cleaning Supplies

                  Most cleaning supplies are highly toxic. How many times have you gone into a bathroom that was recently cleaned and thought, “I’ve got to get out of here. I’m breathing toxic fumes”?

Everyone wants to protect their kids and their animals and themselves from exposure to those kinds of chemicals, so nontoxic cleaning products really make sense. Until recently, though, they just didn’t work very well. I had tried them in the past and felt like they weren’t good enough to satisfy me. I was always struggling with Ed over this, saying, “We need scouring powder and bleach in the house.” Sometimes I bought “real” cleaning products on the sly and made my housekeepers swear not to tell.

But then, a couple years ago, a product came to us in unmarked bottles. We started using it, and—lo and behold!—it worked really well on any kind of stain, on carpets, on all kinds of surfaces. We said, “We’ve got to have this tested. It’s got to use some kind of funky chemicals.” But we had it tested, and found out it really
was
nontoxic. That cleaner became the first product we marketed under the Begley’s Best name. We were so happy with it, we started a business around it.

It really is nontoxic. I use it all the time without wearing gloves, and it’s never even hurt my manicure, which is really important to me. You spend some money on a manicure, and you don’t want it to peel off, especially on the same day.

Ed has gone so far as to drink the stuff, which I would NOT advise. I guess Ed will do anything to make a sale!

While I definitely don’t recommend that people drink my cleaner, or any other cleaning product, no matter how pure it claims to be, Begley’s Best is made from environmentally responsible, natural ingredients that will not harm you, your family,
or
the environment, and you
can
drink to that!

Seventh Generation makes a nice laundry detergent, and Begley’s Best cleaning concentrate works great as a laundry soap, too; just use a quarter cup per load. We sell it in a 64-ounce jug, so you’ll get forty-eight loads out of each container.