It is a beautiful spring day in Nebraska, so what am I doing? More spring cleaning, of course. I was reminded as I was working on chores that I do some things in a very green way, and thought I'd share them here.
I don't want to pick on paper towels. They are great for messes that you just want to pick up and throw away, the things with a high "ewwwwww" factor. But for general cleaning, I use rags recycled from other sources. What can you turn into rags? Well, try old t-shirts that have seen better days. Old sheets that are too worn for service anymore can either be rags or torn into strips for attaching plants in the garden to cages or trellises. Dress shirts that are no longer in style can also be turned into rags (or quilt blocks), as well as children's clothing that have stains or too much wear, etc. The wonderful thing about using rags is you have the option of throwing them in the laundry so they can be reused or just throwing them away if they are too dirty guilt-free, because they've already been recycled. They are also great for using in the garage, to clean up bikes, motercycles, lawn mowers, just about anything greasy, just don't let dirty rags in the garage sit for any length of time (they can spontaniously combust under certain conditions).
This is also the time of year when people used to drag their rugs outside, hang them on the clothesline and beat them until there was no more dust. Even today with vacuming them, there is usually still dust deep in the fibers, and giving them a good beating will help extend the life of the rug. Wait, you don't have a clothesline? Why not? With warmer weather, it's an excellent time to forgo the dryer for the clothesline, and there's nothing more luxurious than climbing between sheets that have been kissed by the sun all afternoon (assuming you don't have allergies). The only energy you'll use on a clothesline is the energy you expend carrying the basket out to the line, and that's pretty easy on the wallet. My mother used to have a clothespin hanger made out of a regular clothes hanger and a couple pieces of scrap material, sewn together to create a large pocket and slit about 1/3 of the way down the front to allow for easy access to the pins.
This is also the time of year that I empty my wicker baskets and give them a good rinse, just to banish the dust that gathers on them. If they have cloth liners, the liners do a turn in the laundry. It's ok to rinse wicker, as long as you don't let the baskets sit in water and allow about 24 hours to let them dry. The first couple of times you do it you may notice some of the stain running off of them--which is ok, that adds to the aged or patinaed appearance. You can do the same with wicker furnature, but those are best taken outside and rinsed off with a garden hose, again giving them about 24 hours to dry. You can also redo baskets if they color isn't right for your new decorating scheme with a can of spray paint in your new colors. Baskets used to be handed down through the generations, and with good care, a basket can last a very long time.
Ok, my break time is over, so it's back to work for me. Enjoy the day! :)
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