Elegant Survival

This isn't "roughing it". I once lived without running water for over a year, with just wood-stoves for cooking and heating. I took sauna (pronounced "sow-nah", not "sawna") regularly, though. Then there was the time I lived in a tee-pee for two weeks in 25* weather. I am used to building my own fires for cooking and heat, making my own bread the old-fashioned way, washing clothes by hand and hanging them on the line to dry. Those things are muscle-building, and who needs a fancy "health-club" when saving electricity and doing things yourself keep a gal in shape? I don't watch television; we cut the cable last year, as described in Household Hints. No problem--as a radio-nut,  I have a lot of them, all operable with batteries, including a short-wave.

One of my favorite themes here and on the E.S. News blog is getting by without electricity. For now, I use a computer, and someday, when the power-grids fail because of ridiculous energy-restrictions, I am going to adapt to the new situation with my usual vigor.

Wash-Water Additives, Laundry Boosters

Borax

Vinegar

Salt

Baking Soda

Hydrogen Peroxide (for white items with stubborn stains)

Sometimes I use a combination of the above additives, depending upon the stains at hand.

For wringing clothes, I sometimes use The Absorber, available at auto-supply stores.

When it is raining, I use a wooden laundry-rack instead of hanging clothes outside. If you live in an apartment, plastic hangers on an extra shower-rod, placed in the middle of the area above the tub, works well, too, with adequate ventilation.