Well maybe crochet can't save the entire planet, but there are a lot of little household items i'm being inspired to replace the disposable versions of with crocheted washable versions that won't ever have to see a landfill. The latest book from BookSwim i've been reading is Organic Housekeeping by Ellen Sandbeck. This so far has been an awesome and straight forward read with lots of fantastic ideas to get anyone cleaning less with some easy preventative cleaning things and detailed walkthoughs on germs/bacteria and how/where they live. Who knew that even biodegradable sponges are perfect breeding grounds for bacteria.In the book Sandbeck discusses using dish cloths instead of sponges when washing dishes, when done letting them dry and then putting them in the "to be washed" pile. The next load of dishes, move on to a new Dish Washer. Reading about the evil-ness of the sponge and it's bacteria farm type personality i thought about crochet, and how those little bits of left over cotton yarn could be put to a good use as Dish Washers!
So out came the Granny Squares Now book for inspiration and some basic patterns. I finished two Dish Washers this evening based on patterns: a) Five-Petal Flower (In Green/Yellow) and the b) Eight-Petal Flower. If i am going to switch over i figure i'll need at least one a day for seven to 10 days so that i don't have to run the laundry just to get a clean Dish Washer. Here are a couple of things the new dish washers will save me:
* money (no more buying sponges)
* time (no more going to the store to buy sponges)
* no waster (once not longer usable all 100% cotton items can be composted and saved from the landfills)
More to come on my new favorite book/reference manual
5 comments:
I love the IDEA of using dish cloths instead of sponges, and I have even knit a few! My only issue is that I miss the scrubby side of the sponge. I've seen some people actually knit/crochet net tulle into their rags for scrubby rags. Anyway, what are your thoughts on this?
That's awesome! I just made "yarn" from plastic grocery bags and am making a shopping bag from it. We'll see how it turns out. :)
Inder - I switched to no scrubby sided sponges awhile ago when i moved to biodegradable sponges. I don't miss the scrubby anymore, but the first couple of weeks were definitely an adjustment period. I've learned to fill things with water and a dash of soap for pre-soaking and for large cooking bowls/dishes I was things "over" them so they collect all of the fantastic soapyness to help break down their pain spots before i get to them.
Mona - Awesome! I keep reading about them but haven't seen any in person. Please post pictures when you're done :)
I love this idea. I just need a crochet coach to teach me how to do it. I have always been reluctant to think too deeply about the sponge, but reading this makes me start to think about it all again.
Let me know if you want to meet up for some crochet time : ) I'm not an expert, but i've got some good books we can muddle through together.
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