I was listening to the radio this week, randomly flipping through stations, when I stopped on some random conservative talk show.  I should say that I don't instantly think that "conservative" is a dirty word.  I would say that some of my politics are conservative.  I support small government and its limited involvement in our daily lives.  Isn't that the basic premise of conservatism?  It's amazing to me that so many Republicans call themselves conservative, but then talk about wanting the government to say who can and can't get married, or whether or not women can terminate their pregnancies.  If you're really conservative, shouldn't you believe that the government shouldn't be telling us what to do?

So I listened to the show for a little while, and the host began to complain about a movement that he thinks will ruin America.  The movement?  People washing their clothes less often to conserve water and energy.  I listened to him rant about hygiene for a while, and then shut him off in disgust.  

Wouldn't it be great it people took small steps like this to be more green?  We wash both our clothes and our bodies so much more than is necessary.  I know I've written a lot in my diary about showering less often, but I'm not sure I've ever written about clothes washing.  

I wash family cloths and mama cloths as often as necessary.  Those need to always been clean.  That really is an issue of hygiene and I take that seriously. My general philosophy is that socks and underwear can generally be worn twice without washing.  I read once that for women to wear underwear for a second day, we should turn it inside out, so the other side of the cotton is facing the vagina, and I've practiced that rule for a long time.  I taught it to my daughter and she does the same.  With boys, I guess it matters less.

I don't wear bras, but it's my understanding they can be worn five to ten times before then need to be washed.  That's how I taught my daughter, and I'm sure it's at least ten times before she actually washes hers.  Shirts and pants are the real issue.  So many people wear them once and wash them.  My general rule is a shirt can be worn at least three times before washing, unless it is obviously dirty.  Pants, even less often.  I wash my pants on average after I've worn them 10 to 15 times. Obviously I'm not actually counting it out, but I think that's correct.  Suffice it to say that my pants get washed very rarely.  I have pants that I've owned for years that have only been washed once or twice.  

Is that so bad?