nothing but footprints

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The value of timers

Recently I used an electrical meter to measure how much electricity various devices use. The big surprise for me was a laptop charger that pulls current even when the battery is fully charged. Since normal behaviour is to plug in something to charge, then return when you need it next or when you remember, there might be a day or more when something like this is plugged in and pulling small but unnecessary watts of power. I've tried to lessen this by using a digital electrical timer that includes a countdown function. I know roughly how many hours it takes to charge the battery, and I set the countdown for a little bit longer than this. If I don't get a chance to unplug the charger the moment the device is charged, it's ok - the timer shuts off the power for me.

Seeing the light? No, the light sees me!

The kitchen and bathroom at my house now have a very useful feature: when someone walks into the room, a small light senses the movement and switches on automatically for two minutes - longer if the movement continues. That's heaps of time to wash your hands, pick up a forgotten item, get a glass of water, or drop off a plate. These lights plug into a power outlet, and will come on only when it's dark and a movement is detected. The convenience is wonderful, of course - but what's better is that we need to turn on the larger overhead lights much less often, saving energy. And those smaller lights switch themselves off, too - no need to remember to do this manually! If you want to look at getting some, try your local hardware store. Amazon also have them (search "motion night light").

Paper towels > Fabric towels

Inspired by this post on The Simple Dollar: http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2009/09/20/thoughts-on-abandoning-the-paper-towel/ I've converted a ripped single bedsheet into an impressive array of covers and rags, by cutting to size and overcasting the edges with the sewing machine. A few big ones which are used for mopping up kitchen floods or for sitting on whilst cleaning the low kitchen cupboards; and then a good-sized pile of smaller ones that are now our kitchen supply of "paper towels". They sit in a decorative bowl in the kitchen, get dampened and used to clean up the kitchen bench, stove and floor, and then sit in a little pile on the edge of the sink until they get thrown in with the laundry. The amount of effort it takes to deal with them is not even noticeable. I bet my grandparents could have told me this idea would work!

Worm farm success

Just over a year ago, I bought myself an ordinary 60L plastic bin and two plant pots (a small one upside down, a big one right side up). In it I put a bit of soil, a bit of newspaper, and 500 composting worms. Since then all of our fruit and vegetable scraps, including the mysterious items at the back of the crisper drawer that get forgotten and rediscovered, have gone into that plant pot, and been silently and cleanly converted into a fantastic liquid fertiliser by the worker worms within. I wish I had done this sooner; it's wonderful how much less is going to waste via our kitchen bin. We empty the bin less often without issue, because it no longer smells or attracts fruit flies even in the height of summer. The fertiliser the worms produce is more than enough to cover the regular fertilisation needs of my pot-based garden - there's enough to give away bottles to keen gardener friends too.

Hanging clothes to dry on a chain

I've worked out a fantastic way to hang my clothes on hangers to dry. In winter on or on rainy days you can't let them sit too close together because the air can't get between them. I know you can use a peg to clip the hangers to an ordinary clothes line; I know you can buy special devices to prevent sliding; but this is much simpler! It's also a good idea if you're tall and constantly running into low-hanging clothes lines strung around the garage or deck. What I did was take a piece of lightweight metal chain, the kind used to hang decorative lights and such, and hook it over two nails so it sits right up at ceiling height. Then I thread the thin metal hook of the clothes hangers through the chain's loops. Cheap, easy, effective. :)

Balcony gardening

Turns out that in this moderate weather at least, it is possible to grow a garden in pots on a small balcony. I'm watering it only with water saved with a bucket in the shower while the water is heating, and saving more than I can use at the moment! So hopefully I won't have to go shopping for lettuce, tomatoes, capsicum or various herbs anymore; and that if they all work out, I'll add more plants to the collection. (By the way, the pots I'm using are either old ones that are in re-use despite looking worse for wear, or new pots that are recyclable.)