Tuesday Tips, Just Another Great Post from Little House. I'm so humble.

This week’s Tuesday Tip, air dry your wash. I’ve been trying to sun dry my lightly used towels to reduce the amount of laundry I do, and I’ve also been much better about air drying my laundry to save energy and money.

Tip #21: Use the warm summer sun to air dry your laundry!

• Instead of using electricity to dry a load of laundry, let nature take care of it. My husband installed an inexpensive shower rod directly above the washer and dryer. Since most of his shirts are made of the quick-drying golf shirt material, I can hang them up in the laundry room to air dry. Not only does this save money by not turning on the dryer, I’m also extending the life of the shirt; electric dryers can be harsh on some materials.
• Reduce the laundry load. I’m trying to get better at air drying our bath towels instead of throwing them in the wash as soon as they get damp. The middle of summer is a perfect reason to place the towels in the sun and let them dry out naturally, instead of wasting water and electricity cleaning them after each use.

Air drying laundry is better for the environment.

• Not having to turn on a dryer in the middle of summer is also better for the environment. Saving electricity not only saves me money, it keeps the house cooler, and is better for the environment. Much of my laundry gets hung in the laundry room, so it’s not an eye-sore for the neighborhood either. My clothes last longer, reducing the need for additional resources, and I limit my electricity use.  I’m reducing on many levels!

Tuesday Tips, Just Another Great Post from Little House. I'm so humble.

This week’s Tuesday Tip, reducing your water usage! Living in Southern California with our limited amount of rainfall has made me realize that water is a precious resource. Try as I might to keep a green lawn the majority of the year, I usually lose this battle by mid-June; no rain equals brown grass. So, I’ve learned to make the best of the little rain fall we do receive. 

Tip #9: Reduce your water usage.

Reducing your water usage saves you money.

• The less household water used, the lower your water bill. My water and power bill claims I’m spending about $1.20 a day on water. However, I’m using less than the 24 HFC (hectares per cubic foot) of water in the tier 1 pricing structure. (SoCal has a tiered pricing structure for water abusers.) The past two months I’ve used 19 HFC for a total of just under $70 for two months of water. Not too shabby considering my bill from about 6 months ago was 1/3 more.

Some ways I’ve reduced my water usage:

• Only watering the lawn two days a week (and praying for one extra day of rain!)
• Limiting the flushes! In our bathroom only, we’re going with the whole, “if it’s yellow, let it mellow” mantra. That is definitely helping reduce our water usage.
• Installing low-flow aerators and shower heads.
• Limiting the shower time…take a 5 minute shower! (or shower with a partner )
• Turning off the water when brushing your teeth, washing your face or hands.
• Only washing full loads of laundry (in cold!)
• Don’t spray down your drive way!

Some ways to reduce your outdoor use (these are the ideas I’m not doing myself-yet, but would like to!):

• Install rain barrels and collect rainwater for watering the lawn in dry months.
• Install a gray water recycling system in your home.
• Plant drought-tolerant plants or plants native to your region, they usually grow with very little maintenance.
• Purchase a front-loading, low water usage washing machine
• Use the water saver feature on your dishwasher. (I do this one!)

Reducing water consumption is good for the environment.

• Our water cycle is ever changing. Whether you believe in Global Warming or not, the fact is weather patterns do change. For instance, Southern California normally receives 15 inches of rain a year. Over the past 4 years we’ve received much less rainfall than normal. Is it a pattern that will continue? Who knows. What I do know is that our world-wide population is growing and access to fresh, clean water may be more difficult in the future. Conserving water now may help reduce the negative effects of limited access to water in the future.

Do you live in a semi-arid or arid environment? What things do you do at home to reduce your water usage?

Container plants by Sunset

Though I dream of owning a home in the near future and landscaping a yard into an outdoor oasis, for now I must settle for small containers that are easy to care for and light-weight for mobility. Living in an arid region, I’m well aware of the variety of drought tolerant plants, like ornamental feather grasses, lavendar, and succulents. Usually these types of plants are very low maintenance and require little care and water. However, once you place them in a container or pot, instead of the ground, their maintenance needs increase. The amount of water needed increases since the small amount of soil in any pot can’t hold onto the water nearly as long as ground soil that has been saturated by a recent rainstorm or weekly dousing. Over the years, and through experimenting with different varieties of plants, I’ve found some great ways to extend the life of potted gardens that saves me money in the long run.

Selecting Pots and Containers Matter

Last year, I purchased two beautiful hanging baskets with coconut weaved bottoms. The coconut bottoms replace the old fashioned moss covered bottom baskets, and I thought that maybe they had finally perfected the drainage issues that had made the moss bottoms unsuccessful. I planted a gorgeous variety of perennials such as petunias and lobelia, and even lined the basket with a little bit of plastic wrap to help hold in the moisture. The coconut weave bottom has some disadvantages and advantages, but a huge disadvantage is that it doesn’t hold any water in the basket! Not unlike the old-fashioned moss bottom ones. As the days got hotter, no matter how often I watered my hanging basket plant, the water didn’t stay in the soil long enough for the plants to drink it. In the end, my poor petunias, the last remaining plant to survive, couldn’t take the heat and perished.

Selecting pots and baskets that have proper drainage is important, a few holes will do;  too few, and your soil can become mildewy, too many holes and the soil can’t hold the water in long enough for the plants to benefit.

Selecting the Right Plants

Depending on where you live, your local nursery should carry plants that grow well in your region. However, every so often they will also carry plants that require much more care than your region can support. Be sure to check the tag of the plant before purchasing, make sure you also follow the directions of that tag. Many indoor plants don’t do well outside, even if it is only sitting out on a patio, and many outdoor plants won’t do very well inside. Luckily, by planting in containers, you can move your plants around where they will best benefit.

Going that Extra Mile

Container plants don’t have the benefit of leaching minerals from the surrounding soil, like in-ground plants do. Some plants need nutrients added to their soil every few months. Here are a few tips to extend the life of your potted plant:

• Add Miracle Grow or mulch to your potted plants every so often, especially if the plant is looking a little yellow-ish or droopy even after watering.
• Trim off dead leaves and flowers to help promote new growth.
  
• Soak your plant with water every few months in addition to its weekly watering needs. Just be sure that the soil isn’t continually drenched.
  
• Transplant your potted plant into a larger pot once the plant begins to out grow its original container.

For more ideas on what to plant and how to cluster your container plants, check out Sunset Magazine’s slide show.

Rain Barrel Harvesting (Photo by Sunset Magazine)

I’ve been researching some ways to “green” up an existing home, in case we end up purchasing a “fixer-upper”. Some of these ideas are less inexpensive, like losing the lawn and planting drought-tolerant plants in a semi-arid region, others are more expensive like installing solar panels and running a portion of your household energy off of it, then reselling the excess to your utility company (a sweet deal!). But an idea I researched a while back, and the recent rain storm made me recall this idea, is rain collection in arid and semi-arid areas. Indulging my continued curiosity, I further investigated this idea through Sunset Magazine, I love the photos in this mag. They had some inspiring, and unusual, ideas for collecting rain. However, before I begin describing some methods, let me explain a few laws about rain water collection that I didn’t know existed:

• Colorado: If you live in Colorado, the rain that falls from the sky is not yours to keep! Did you know that? Because many of their streams feed into rivers that deliver water to other states, all rain water is supposed to end up in the streams. So rain water harvesting (I like this word) in this state is out for now. (source: Wikipedia)
• Utah and Washington: You may harvest rain water only if you own the rights to your ground water. So if you are using well water, you may then collect your rain water. I’ve read on other sites that this law is not enforced, so you could probably get away with collecting it on the down low. (source: Wikipedia)
• New Mexico: In contrast to neighboring Colorado, some areas require rain water collection on new dwellings. What a terrific idea! Most likely, this is due to their desert-like region. (source: Wikipedia)
• Arizona: Due to their desert topography, homeowners can receive a tax credit for capturing and recycling rainwater. (source: Sunset Magazine)

Other states and regions may have laws regulating stagnant water and collection techniques, so if you’re unsure, you may want to check with your city.

Now on to some rain water collection methods (all require containment or lids to avoid open, stagnant water):

• Rain (whiskey) barrel collection: With a little work, and a gutter system, you position your rain or whiskey barrel at a point where your gutters drain, usually at a corner of your house or structure. Affixing a hose or pipe from your gutter to the rain barrel, the rain collects into the barrel. They can hold about 50-60 gallons. A spiget towards the bottom of the barrel makes it easy to use the rain water.
• Rain Chain: This is a beautiful way to collect rain. The rain drips down from small bowl to small bowl, then eventually ends up in a catchment of some kind. It can fall into a creek or rock covered area of your lawn. Beneath the rock area would be a tank that holds the water until you need to use it.
• Cistern: Using a gutter system, cisterns can hold hundreds to thousands of gallons of rain water. It’s a more complex system, but if you have a huge yard or garden, this might be a feasible option.

Here are a few links I came across that describe in detail how to build a rain water harvesting system (and sell the supplies you would need to start this process!):

• A beautiful way to catch rain water.
• A huge assortment of whiskey barrels.
• How to collect rain water. Treehugger also has additional links at the bottom of this article on how to store it as well.

How many of you reuse your rain water? How do you collect it? Have you thought about installing a system recently? What if you live in an apartment, can you find a way to use rain water to water your house plants?

I’ve been looking forward to the rain, really I have. I’m tired of looking at brown mountains and dried out lawns. The much needed rain will green everything up for a bit. However, since we are a town that barely receives our annual 15 inches, this week will be a trying week. Meteorologists are predicting up to 8 inches in a week, that’s more than half our annual rain fall amount.

Most cities across the nation handle much more harrowing weather, like snow, sleet, and ice. There are plenty of people who drive in much worse conditions than just a steady rain fall. Yet our normally arid city slowly comes to a halt with a few inches of that wet matter. For instance, yesterday while driving around town running some errands, every other major stop light was out. At one intersection, our trusty LA Fire Department was putting out a small fire a top a telephone pole….not so nice. Many major roads and intersections were flooded, not because we’ve received our full 8 inches, but because our run-off drains are clogged with leaves and, unfortunately, trash.

Considering our city is one of the most car-dependent, you’d think that our tax dollars could be spent filling pot holes. Not the case, with water filling in the holes, many go undetected, causing havoc to an unsuspecting driver’s automobile. So, with the promise of lots of rain this week which may help us get out of our drought, comes a commuting head ache for many on the road. Drive safely LA!