Image provided by: The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs; Warm Springs, OR
About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 6, 1987)
November 6, 1987 Warm Springs OSU Extension Service Page 3 Home energy savings ow DO you reduce laundry costs? 1. Do you buy and only use. usage-and your utility bills. those appliances that are neces sary to your personal situation? Remember, every additional ap pliance you use increases energy T ( Q ixiTJutaaxi ni:u sT.vriiMi . ) 2. Do you read the instruction booklet thoroughly before using an appliance? Follow directions for normal use and care and keep the reference handy. If you do not understand how to use the appliance, ask your dealer or utility company for a trained representative to help you. 3. Do you minimize hot water use whenever possible? The ma jor cost in clothes washing can be reduced by setting more loads for cold and warm cycles. 4. Do you run only full loads in washers, dryers and dishwas-' hers? On the other hand, avoid overloading as the jobs may have to be repeated, using more energy and water. 5. Are you sure that refrigera tor, freezer and freezing com partment doors have tight seals? Check the gaskets by placing a dollar bill between the gasket and cabinet; there should be a slight drag as you pull the bill straight out. 6. Do you keep appliances in good repair? The age and con dition of an appliance affect its operation. The main energy cost in a clothes washer lies in the hot water it uses. If you have a large load of laundry, set the water control for maximum fill. If you have a smaller load, set if for proportionately less. In most mo dels with a large tub capacity, the difference between the max imum and minimum fill is from 20 to 30 gallons. For best econ omy, note that washing a few large loads is more advantage ous than washing the same amount of clothes in many small loads. Water-temperature selection provides another opportunity to save on energy. It makes sense to use as little hot water as pos sible. If you have a load of unusually dirty clothes, use a hot wash (if the clothes can take it). Otherwise, a warm or cold wash may do the job. Always use a cold rinse: Warm water doesn't rinse any better and it may increase wrinkling of per manent press fabrics. There may be a hidden energy with some saving with some washing machines if you machine dry your laundry. A washer that spins the water out well will yield loads that shorten the run ning time of a dryer and reduce operating cost. As with a clothes washer, the larger the load to be dried, the more efficient the energy use. Try waiting until you have enough laundry to fill the washer and dryer close to capacity, but not beyond. Overloading can pre vent adequate washing in the washer and air circulation in the dryer. The longer a dryer runs after the laundry is dry, the more energy it wastes. Over drying wastes energy, yields harsh-feeling laundry, and may result in damage to some fabrics. To save energy, set a dryer's automatic control for as low a dryness setting as will provide proper drying. Another way to cut energy costs: Use a clothes line or drying rack. Check furniture closely before buying Never buy furniture without looking to see how it is put together. That means you are going to have to pick up furni ture, look behind and beneath it, or maybe even get down on your hands and knees to inspect. Look at corners where two pieces of wood make a right angle. How are they held toget her? Right angles that are merely nailed or glued together are weak. Look for blocks or wedges of wood screwed and glued in place to strengthen corners. And legs should be firmly at tached by means of some obvious reinforcing. A leg joined only by a center screw or bolt is weak. Doors should move without rubbing and should stay closed. You should not feel doors mov ing vertically as they are closed. Beware if the salesperson tells you that the door will be adjusted before delivery. Such problems can be almost impossible to fix. Look at the lines of shelves, skelton of any upholstered piece. You might not be able to see much of it but you can learn by its weight and stability. A heavy, substantial frame shows thick hardwoods have been used. Check the upholstery for pad ding at the points where it's most likely to wear. You should not be able to feel hard frame edges through the fabric. If you can, there is poor padding and the fabric will wear out quickly. Look at the hangtab and find out what material is used for padding. Utrhane foam padding is the most common. Sit on the chair or sofa with the cushions removed. You should not bottom out. If you do, the springs are weak to start with. Sit on the couch for as long as you can; after all, com fort is important. Seat depth measured from the front of the seat to the back support should be between six teen and twenty inches. And the back should extend at least thir teen inches above the seat. Fur niture that varies a lot from these norms can be uncomfortable for the long sit. Inspect the tailoring of the upholstery just as you would a good suit or dress. Look for straight seams. Puckering and loose threads are signs of cost cutting. Lock for careful matching in the fabric between the seat cush ions and the body. This is espe cially important if fabric pat terns have to match. The main difference in two couches can be purely one of tailoring; and that difference can be worth hundreds of dollars. Custom orders for upholstered goods take from four weeks to sixmonthsoreven more. This is not poor service, it is the indus try standard. Be prepared for a long wait. ... 1 : . 'v-- ; ' ... x N ' ' k i v J KC ' ; A -. - . . ". . v ' - -4 - ' ' - I .. . . " ... , - .'" " J '' v S" Making gifts by hand are Inexpensive ways to show your love. It also provides a way In which you or your children can express creativity. Select new carpeting with care Z. SSlIteS "Fabric should betf lame-proof to the eye avoid the piece. If the back of a cabinet is made of solid, thick wood chances are good you have a quality piece of furniture. Most shoppers will never notice until many years when it pops out. Pull out a drawer and exam ine how easily it moves back and forth. Does it fit evenly and not rub or bind as it moves? The construction of the drawers will indicate the quality of the entire piece of furniture. Wood screws are much better fasteners than nails. But in high quality furniture the screws are , usually hidden. If you see nail heads inside drawers or on the back of cabinets it could be a sign of cost cutting. The term "overstuffed" is some times to describe unholstered furniture in which the entire frame is covered. ' : A high price doesn't guaran tee high quality or a long lasting fabric. Many of the highest priced fabrics are quite delicate. The frame is the supportive Considering the purchase of upholstered furniture? Color, style, and fabric type are undoubtedly part of your con siderations. Add one more factor safety. Much of the furniture manu factured today has significantly greater resistance to ignition by cigarettes than upholstered fur niture manufactured ten to 15 years ago. Such upholstered fur niture may be identified by the gold colored tag on the furni ture item. The legend on the front of the tag in red letters states "Important consumer Sa fety Information from UFAC." In addition to upholstered fur niture, your home contains many other items which will ignite and burn. As a back-up to the use of fire resistant materials, install smoke detectors on each level of your home and ensure that they are maintained in ope rating condition. These will pro vide an early warning if a fire does occur. Which freezer is best? With freezers, the type you buy has some effect on perfor mance and energy efficiency. Tests suggest that chest freez ers (models with a lid on top) have an edge over uprights (models that open at the front). Chests are generally cheaper to buy, too. The design of the chests helps explain why they tend to have slightly lower energy costs. When you open the lid of a chest freezer, cold air tends to stay put. But when you open the door of an upright, the colder air at the bottom spills out and warmer air moves in to take its place. As with refrigerators, the in ternal temperature of a freezer may change with the seasons. Your aim undoubtedly is to select a carpet or rug that looks good and will wear well. Here is some information on fibers and construction and some guide lines forjudging quality. Fibers. Good wear begins with the fiber, which may be natural like wool or man-made like nylon, acrylic, olefin and polyester. The chart below can help you become familiar with these. You will find that no one fiber is superior to all others in every way; each has its own set of strengths and weaknesses. e. Labeling Information. If a label reads "100 percent acrylic pile," for example, it is referring spe cifically to the fibers in the pile. The backing is made of some thing else. The manufacturer's name of the Federal Trade Com mission's registration number and the country of origin must also be included. There may be additional labels describing any special warranties. Look for them. The carpet's backing is also impor tant. The backing material is usually either jute or polypropy lene. Some carpets are offered with an attached cushion made from latex foam or urethane. Note on flammabillty. All carpets and rugs must pass a flammability test, in order to ensure that they will not con tribute to the spread of fire from a small source of ignition. Construction. Factors that affects quality are density, the amount of face yarn in a carpet; twist, the winding of the yarn around itself; and in cutpile car pet, heat-setting, the setting of twisted yarns by heat or steam. Are coupons worth the effort? Density. The denser the bet ter. To check the density, bend the carpet sample and note how close the tufts are to each other. Ideally, the backing should hard ly be seen. Twist. To judge that twist level of cut-pile carpets, look at the cut ends. They should not blossom open! Heat-setting. This process will hold the yarns' twist through wear and cleaning. Check the wear and cleaning. Check the labels on the cut-pile carpet samples to see if the yarn has been heat-set. The most durable combines the best fiber with the greatest density and tightest twist. For heavy traffic areas buy the best you can afford; middle and eco nomy grades will probably per form satisfactorily in bedrooms and dining rooms. Compare a carpet only with those made of the same fibers. Some manu factures produce several price grades of carpet with identical texture and color, so you can. get a coordinated look through out your home, if desired, at a saving. Textures. Carpet textures fall into two general categories loop piles and cut piles. In loop pile carpets the yarns on the carpet's face form loops, both ends of which are anchored to the backing. Uncut loops may be of equal height, producing a level surface, or if an unequal height, creating a variety of pat terns that are referred to a "sculp tured" or "carved." A single level is recommended for high traffic areas. A cut pile is so called because each loop is cut, result ing in two individual tufts of yarn. Padding. Separate padding which generally is not included in the price of the carpet pro longs its life by protecting it from impact damage and helps to increase walking comfort by acting as a shock absorber. It also contributes somewhat to sound control and insulation and gives a feeling of extra depth, softness and luxury. There are several different types of padding felt, foam and rubber the pri ces of which vary with the quality. More Shopping Guidance. To get a better idea of a carpet's appearance, have it removed from the hanging rack so you can examine it on the floor. If it looks promising, ask to borrow a sample overnight so you can see how it will look at home. The same carpet can vary in price considerably from one dealer to the next; discounts are common. Price differences stem in part from the amount of markup, installation costs and variations in the padding. Find out what the price includes all parts of the installations? The measur ing, stairs and padding? Ask for a breakdown of costs? Installation should probably be done by professionals, for a poor job can ruin the appear ance of even expensive carpet. (It costs as much to install a cheap carpet as a costly one!) Get a guarantee to cover a call back, in case you're dissatisfied with the job. Find out if the installers will take your old carpet and dispose of it and if there is a cost for this. And be sure to ask for any "left-overs"; they could come in very handy. Another smart idea: be home when it's delivered so you can be sure it's the color and quality you ordered. Children learn how to save money by mastering a cooking skill. They also learn how to be self-reliant and how to try something new. Cooking also offers taste-testing. With over 60,000 name brand items available in this country, food manufacturers are anxious for people to try their products. One way of starting a buying habit is to offer a cents-off cou pon to consumers as an incen tive. Coupons can help you save money IF you: Use coupons with common sense. Getting a few pennies off an overpriced item isn't much of a bargan. Before you buy, check the price of the generic or store brand of a similar product. Use coupons to buy those items you use regularly. Avoid clipping coupons forthingsyou don't need or regularly use. Make food cost cuts carefully If you feel you must cut some food from your grocery list, make sure you cut the frills and not the necessities. Nutrients are the necessities. It is important to get all the nutrients your body needs to function from the food you eat. The easiest way to make sure you are getting all these nut rients is to select from a variety of foods, including milk, meats, fruits, vegetables and grain pro ducts. Cut costs by avoiding extras like cake, candy, soft drinks and low-nutrient snacks which provide little more than calories. Sort your coupons into cate gories so they are easy to find when you need them. Take the coupons you need with you when you go shop ping. Try clipping them to your shopping list or placing them in your wallet. They won't save you any money sitting at home. "Saving money is not punishment, but a planned way of reaching goals and ambitions. " Impulse buying proves costly Impulse buys are more com mon than you may realize. They make up 70 percent of consu mer pruchases. Consider the impact of this incident: "Josie, come and look at this terrific book on horses I got today!" Dad yells triumphantly. "I thought you went to get the car washed," says his ten year old daughter suspiciously. "I did, but there was a book store nearby with this in the window and I just couldn't resist. I could have spent hours there, and a lot of money, too," sighs dad, self-indulgently. "You did, didn't you? And I'll bet you forgot to pick up the stuff from the cleaners," says Josie smugly. "Oh yeah, well, tomorrow, torn morrow..." Dad mumbles. If this is the pattern in Josie's house, she probably thinks Dad has a lot of money to throw around. She's also left with the impression that even those who drew up the family budget don't Hunk it matters much whether or not they stick to it. She may even conclude that it's all right to satisfy your whims before doing the things otneis, cacci of you. Impulsive buying can be a learned behavior. SB