‘Washing’ denim in your freezer??

Dec 26, 2011 by blackbook

When I read that Levi Strauss & Company are now asking customers to freeze their jeans I thought it was for menopausal women, not to actually clean them to as the company believes save more water. A quick search of the internet reveals a lot of people who have tried this (and not being locked away by their other halves for insanity reason) haven’t really found it to be that effective at actually cleaning their jeans.

After all it won’t get stains out of it or muck and dirt but apparently does kill germs and removes smell. However some scientists dispute the claim that freezing jeans kill germs. Some people have frozen their fancy jeans, such as ones which have expensive effects and detailing which would be lost/ruined if washed in a washing machine and they report varying results.

Either way I think I will be laying off freezing my jeans for now, at the moment if I feel they need freshening up a bit then all I need to do is hang them outside for a couple of hours. Plus I don’t really like the thought of having jeans in my freezer nor do I think I have room.

Anyway the main reason for Levis stance on jean washing is because of concern that future water shortage threatens the company’s existence itself, by depleting the world’s cotton supply. So they will be sowing this message into all their clothing!

Apparently according to a New York Times report, on the advisory, it’s claimed that a typical pair of jeans takes about ’919 gallons of water’ to clean during its life cycle.

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Tips on home energy efficiency

Nov 7, 2011 by blackbook

Following on from my previous post on switching energy suppliers I thought it would be worth while giving you guys some tips on energy efficiency. I have recently made some changes to my home to make it more energy efficient in the hope I can save some money on my heating bills.

Last weekend I embarked on tank and pipe insulation, to reduce the amount of heat lost from my tank and pipes and keep my water hotter for longer. This was certainly a DIY job I was easily able to undertake even though I am somewhat of a DIY novice.

I visited my local DIY store to purchase a British Standard ‘jacket’ to go around my tank, for best insulation you ‘jacket’ need to be at least 75mm thick so even if your tank has one make sure its thick enough. By doing this you can cut heat loss by over 75%. My jacket was fairly inexpensive at £15, considering the money I could save with it and the insulation for my pipes was also cheap costing about £10.

Luckily for me most of the pipes were easily accessible however if you find yours aren’t don’t worry you can get professional help to insulate your pipes. I still have to look at my loft insulation situation and decide if I need more, plus I will also be looking into wall insulation. Because I live in an older house I have a feeling that I will have cavity walls which means I should be able to have them filled to help insulate my home.

Insulating your walls can be more expensive and not all homes can have them or need them so getting a professional opinion like I will be is your best option.

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