Reusable containers

Often, products we buy come in pretty or practical containers.  With a little thought, once the product is used up, these containers can be given another purpose.  This will save money by not having to buy a new container and it reduces waste.

reusable containers

  The green container was for body butter.  Now it is in the office and holds paper clips.  If you want, you can cover the words around the lid with washi tape for a fun look.  Check out your local craft store, like Michaels, for washi tape.  There was a big sticker label on the lid, but it peeled off perfectly without using water or anything.

The container with the pink lid had cake sprinkles in it.  Now it is used for beads.  The sticker label on the front of this container did not come off so well.  I used a drop of Goo Gone to get off the sticky residue.

These containers could have been recycled in the blue box, but why throw them out when they can be used for something else?

Green Highlights:

• reusing containers
• reducing waste
• saving money

What containers have you re-purposed once the product was used up?

-TJ

Free water, free grass

Now that the warmer weather is here, the dehumidifier runs in the basement every day to keep away the dampness and keep it from smelling musty.  Why waste that water by pouring it down the drain?  I pour it on the lawn.

free water

There is a strip of grass between my driveway and the driveway beside my house.  The end by the curb goes brown and dies very easily.  A few years ago, I edged the lawn and used the grass that was cut away to fill bare spots in my lawn, including that spot.  It has come back nicely, but still goes brown if I don't keep on top of it.  So, every couple of days I water it with the water from the dehumidifier.  The grass doesn't die off and the water is free.  I'm not the only one that uses the dehumidifier water for watering outside.  I saw a neighbour doing the same thing.  She was pouring water out of the dehumidifier bucket and watering a young tree.

free grass - this spot used to be dirt

I often transplant grass that has grown where I don't want it.  There was a large patch on my front lawn that had a lot of bare spots.  I kept adding grass that I had trimmed from other areas of the yard and it has filled in and looks great - no more dirt patches.

Green Highlights:

• reducing water consumption
• reducing yard waste 

Do you use your dehumidifier water on your lawn?

-TJ

Out with the old, in with the new

My new washer and dryer

It's been almost 2 months now since my washing machine finished its useful life.  I had to educate myself on the new technology for washers and dryers because it has changed so much since I bought mine almost 30 years ago.

My old washer was a sud-saver, which meant the water could be reused.  You wash the least dirty/whites first then the water gets sucked back in the machine to use for the next load.  I saved a lot of water over the years, but that is a thing of the past.  My new washer uses 70% less water per load.  It will be interesting to see the affect it has on my water bill.  I have more freedom now that I don't have to plan my loads in order to use the sud-saver.  If I just want to do one load I can.  I also think the wash comes out cleaner.

out with the old

I chose a Samsung laundry pair and I love them.  I was surprised at how quiet and how musical they are.  They play tunes when the cycle is starting and finishing.  In London, Ontario, our hydro rates change depending on the time of day which is referred to as "time of use."  The washer has a delay end cycle that allows you to program when the cycle finishes. I have taken advantage of the low rate during the week by programming a load to finish before the end of the lowest rate.  When I get up in the morning, I throw it in the dryer for a few minutes then hang it up to dry.  I also use the delay end when I have a load that takes a lot longer to wash, like towels and blankets.  Instead of taking half the morning to get the load washed, I can program it to be done when I get up.  The downside to using delay end is that the machine panel is lit all night long, using power, but I think the benefits of using hydro when it costs less and time management out way the extra bit of power used.

in with the new

I am very pleased with my new washer and dryer and I actually look forward to doing the wash.  Technology has come a long way in improving energy efficiency since I bought my first washer and dryer.  Now that I have an updated laundry pair I am dreaming about updating the laundry room.  The wall behind the machines was not insulated before it was drywalled and my hookups are for dryer on the left and washer on the right.  The way the doors open on the new set, the dryer needs to be on the right.  This mini reno dream would include insulating the wall and reversing the hookups as well as a counter that can be used for folding.

Green Highlights:

• use less water
• use less hydro
• can take advantage of time of use

-TJ       

Space mission continued

Well, it's been just over a month now since TJ's Series of Unfortunate Events began.  We have started putting the house back in order, but that is going to take some time.  My daughter has committed to helping me with the purge until she heads back to university in September, but the job looks huge at the moment.  I know that bit by bit we will get there and our Space Mission has been kicked into full gear now that we had to empty the office which is our main focus for purging.

office before

All the stuff from the office is in the living room because we had to get it out of the basement so the carpets could be steam cleaned after our water heater let go.  Instead of returning the boxes of stuff back to the office, we are going through them all first.  Some boxes have been emptied already, so we will use them to sort the other boxes while they are still in the living room.  We will have a keep box and a donate box that we will put each item in.  The keep box will go down to the office and the items will be put away right then.  The donate box will be labeled with who it will be donated to and be ready to go.  We've changed the layout of the office and I like it much better now. 

office now

Meanwhile, I am still working at getting life back to normal and I'm looking forward to being able to post regularly.

Green Highlights:

• donating to charity groups like a women's shelter, church garage sale, Bibles for Missions

What do you do with the things you no longer want or need?

-TJ

What to do with old appliances

Back on April 17th, my washing machine gave out on me.  It was making a funny noise and when I went down to check on it, the laundry room was full of smoke.  I knew this day would come eventually.  You see, my washer and dryer set are almost 30 years old.  they have served me faithfully all those years and I will let them go gracefully.

I will be selling the dryer on Kijiji.  I've never had a problem with it and it would be perfect for someone that doesn't want to spend a lot of money to buy a dryer.

When I was driving to work this morning, I saw a dishwasher by the side of the road.  I often see appliances discarded at the side of the road or put out for garbage day pickup.  There are people you can call that will pick them up for free.  Then, they recycle them by selling them for scrap metal and they do all the heavy work for you.  You can look on Kijiji to find someone in your area.  I did a Kijiji search for "dryer" in the"buy and sell" category and found several ads where they will pick up appliances for free.  Some will even pick up your old barbeques and batteries.

I don't see any point in trying to repair the washer because of it's age, so I called Henry.  Henry will come to your home and pick up your unwanted appliances, then sell them for scrap metal.  If you live in my neck of the woods (London, Ontario) you can call Henry to take away your old appliances.  His number is 519-697-2410.

Green Highlights:

• appliances do not go to the landfill
• appliances are given away then sold for scrap metal
• selling appliances you no longer need on Kijiji

Will you call someone to take away your unwanted appliances to be sold for scrap metal?

-TJ

TJ's "Series of unfortunte events"

I've have my hands full the last couple of weeks.  Two Saturdays ago, the washing machine was making a strange noise and when I went down to check on it, the laundry room was full of smoke.  Time to buy a new washer.  I spent the next week researching laundry pairs and updating myself on the new technology.

Last Friday night, just as we were getting ready to go to bed, the water heater gave way and the basement was flooded.  We were up until 2 in the morning cleaning up and Saturday was spent doing damage control.  Sunday, Bentley tried to escape out the front door.  As he flew past me, I lost my balance and hit the large window beside the front door.  Of course, it shattered.

My original plan for the weekend was to go to my Mom's Saturday morning to do the wash, then head out and buy a new washer and dryer.  That plan had to be revised and plan B was to finish the wash on Sunday and go buy a washer and dryer.  That didn't happen either.  I like Sundays to be a day of rest, but there are times when you have to bend a little.

I still haven't been able to go shopping because there have been tradesmen here after work every day to take care of the stuff that needs to be done.   That included the phone guy because our phone went dead and a chimney guy because our chimney was no longer up to code. My whole house has been turned upside down and I have to get out to buy the washer and dryer.

Once things have settled down around here, I'll be back to regular posting and I'll fill you in with the details.  So, stay tuned for the green side of these adventures...

-TJ