free hot water
Oct. 20th, 2006 11:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
miriam_eThe plumbing here doesn't work properly so I've perfected the art of washing in a one litre bowl of water. It's not as difficult as you might think. I was going to heat up some water for a wash today. Normally I heat the bowl of water in the microwave oven because the water is so laden with minerals that it cakes the kettle... but I'm not keen on using the microwave oven for that because, although it is a very efficient device, it still costs money to run, and money is scarce.
Today I got an idea. There is a nice hot sun out there, so I put a glass plate over the bowl of water. Then I put a stainless steel bowl inside a black plastic garbage bag and nestled the glass bowl of water inside that. This all went out in the sun on a black, cast iron frypan for a nice stable surface that also helped warm things.
An hour or two later I checked on it, and disappointed that the glass bowl wasn't very warm, I lifted the glass plate off the top and dipped my fingers into the water. What a surprise! The water was hot.
I got my wash... for free. :)
Today I got an idea. There is a nice hot sun out there, so I put a glass plate over the bowl of water. Then I put a stainless steel bowl inside a black plastic garbage bag and nestled the glass bowl of water inside that. This all went out in the sun on a black, cast iron frypan for a nice stable surface that also helped warm things.
An hour or two later I checked on it, and disappointed that the glass bowl wasn't very warm, I lifted the glass plate off the top and dipped my fingers into the water. What a surprise! The water was hot.
I got my wash... for free. :)
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brilliant
Date: 2006-10-20 02:05 pm (UTC)Re: brilliant
Date: 2006-10-20 03:28 pm (UTC)But it's all good. I use it as a learning experience. I'm delighted that I've developed the ability to wash in a such small amount of water. I'm sure I could reduce it to half that amount. One cupful to wash, another to rinse, but at the moment a litre or so is convenient.
It's useful knowledge, considering we are in the midst of a very bad drought. Most people and industries continue to waste water as if it was plentiful, but I've learned how to be careful... not because I'm good or smart, but simply because I've had to. It is actually a really nice feeling.