05 July 2010

a dragonfly and a shower curtain tip

Check out this guy. I was tying up my tomato plants and he landed on the bamboo pole right next to me. It struck me as very odd, as insects usually don't land in places near humans, at least not intentionally. But there was something about that bamboo pole that he found irresistible. He stayed there for 15 minutes. Gave me time to go inside, get the camera, come back, and have a little photo shoot. He even let me take macros--I got so close on one picture that I bumped him, he flew away for a second, and flew right back to the pole. It was quite surreal.

I absolutely fell in love with the intricate lacework of his wings.

Now for the practical portion of this post:
Did you know you can wash your shower curtain liner 
in the washing machine?
You totally can. 
I can't believe I used to buy new liners when mine would get mildewy and gross.
What a waste.

So here's the scoop:
  • Take your mildewy old vinyl (or other plastic derivative) shower curtain liner off the rings.
  • Toss it in your washing machine.
  • If you use a front loader, add an old towel. (My friend tells me the towel is not necessary in a top loader. In the front loader, the towel is used to help scrub the liner.)
  • Fill up your bleach reservoir with bleach.
  • Fill up your detergent reservoir with detergent. (Enough for a medium load.)
  • Wash on hot
  • Add extra wash time (usually called "stain cycle") if you have the option.
  • Cold rinse is fine.
When the washing machine finishes its job, your shower curtain liner should be shiny and clean, like new. Oh, and a bonus--if you have a front loader, the hot water + bleach can help clean the gunk out of the drum. Not the most environmentally friendly, I'll admit, but it works.

This might just be my favorite tip ever.