Green Man Does His Laundry

Just like anyone, Green Man has to wash his clothes - if he wants any friends, that is! But Green Man knows there's a green way to do everything, so today he explains and demonstrates his strategic approach to Greening the laundry, Gosh darn it, what could be more fun?

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The Ballad of Vintage Couture

The Ballad of Vintage Couture





Less than a decade ago, Vintage Couture clothing was merely old clothing, an unnamed category of inventory, unappreciated at every thrift shop in America. No resale shop would accept this type of merchandise, or passé clothing for consignment. Children of couture-clad mothers and aunts and grandmothers disdained their legacy and donated these items. Volunteers were indifferent, tagging the merchandise at low prices and tossing them on racks where they would swing month after month, snubbed by the impoverished and most foraging bargain hunters.





Few valued clothing produced and styled forty to fifty years ago. The couturiers fell into public obscurity: Jean Muir, Pauline Trigere, Rafael, Madame Gres, Donald Brooks, Gloria Scherrer, Hanae Mori, even Chanel by CoCo. There was a minuscule market, and it was a refined market. Instructors at Fashion Design Schools would forage, find, and purchase definitive items to teach their students construction, fabrics, detailing, and styling. Treasure hunters would rummage and purchase an item that triggered a girlhood memory of an aunt, their mother, a cousin, or a movie star, whose panache was evoked by this clothing. It was unlikely they wore these purchases. They were mementos, purchased in an impulsive, nostalgic recollection moment for a song. Another type of shopper was the home sewers, not seamstresses or tailors by vocation, but home sewers. They would hunt for the perfect piece to take apart and study, re-construct couture, and make and update patterns from the pieces. Thrift shops selling vintage couture become a staple of modern cities near the turn of this century. Theme parties, Halloween, cross dressers, transsexuals would bring customers to thrift shops for costumes. It was no longer the excitement of vintage clothing that was driving the traffic, but the sheer nature of mimicking an earlier time.





I was not in any of the refined markets listed above when I happened upon a severely abused, moth ridden, red and blue striped, wool jersey Chanel suit with a skirt tagged $13 in 1995. I was, instead, looking for merchandise for an as yet nascent resale shop which would specialize in used couture clothing and accessories. My shop was to be located somewhere wonderful in wonderful Chicago devoted to obtaining couture merchandise by outright purchase, not consignment. My money for inventory was very tight. I had to resort to thrift shops to obtain sufficient inventory to stock a shop whose square footage ultimately could be no more than 300 square feet. The sleeve and its clearly identifiable Chanel button caught my eye. Neither stripes, nor red, nor blue, nor suits with skirts, nor wool jerseys were in style. The jacket was unstylish, a fitted jacket; the skirt was unfashionably designed with a pleated torso.





I bought it in a moment, along with each and every other couture item I could find that day and each successive day until the 'starter' store opened on June 10, 1995. I paid hundreds of dollars to renovate, recondition, and dry clean these items. I blew my budget and resorted to consignment for current couture clothing and accessories to bulk up to 450 pieces. I arranged the Shop by couture label, interspersing current with passé. I sold to encourage


women to try on styles from 40-50 years ago, reminding women of couturier names from the past, drawing up similarities between then and now styling and associating obscure couturiers as muses of present couturier houses. Many customers called it “Old crap.” I had no response.





And to this day, 13 years of operation later and in another shop four times larger than the starter shop from ten years ago, I cannot tell you exactly why I did this. What I can tell you is that I had to, was compelled to, because the clothing and accessories were simply wonderful. Now, this merchandise is called Vintage Couture. It's very difficult to find at reasonable prices for it's very popular. I find it here and there at somewhat reasonable prices and stock it in the Shop, where it proudly hangs amongst its younger cousins.





You might ask about the red and blue striped wool jersey Chanel suit with a skirt which began the epiphany. I renovated it, reconditioned it, had every moth hole repaired, replaced the lining, shortened the skirt and wore it for a publicity shoot at the kickoff of the starter store. I can' tell you why I choose it. Turning fey, I can pretend it called to me from my closet, "I'll be a good luck talisman during the heady first year of operation roller coaster all new merchants are required to ride." Maybe; maybe not. The roller


coaster has smoothed out to a highway where I drive The DAISY Shop car, steering it this way and that and loving the merchant qualities I've learned to acquire.





The suit has transmuted into my uniform. I wear it to speaking engagements, where I sit nervously through the MC's introduction and zone out concentrating on the rippling stripes until I hear the polite smatter of applause. Then, I stand up, feel well turned out, as I proceed to the podium, and do my best to give back to the entrepreneurial community. I wear it to preview parties, where I mingle and munch with other merchants from Chicago's wonderful Oak Street and feel well turned out and a part of the merchant community. I wear it to business meetings, where I listen or am listened to and feel well turned out. The fact is I never tire of wearing it.





I don't know who purchased this suit originally from Chanel, but I wish I did. I know she was a small-framed, lean person, for the suit is small, and only thin women are willing to wear horizontal stripes. I imagine she was fair-haired, for red and blue look well on fair-haired women. I know she had a relatively large disposable income, for Chanel was always pricey. Frankly, it's a rather jazzy outfit, and I'd like to think she was a jazzy lady, not quite quietly elegant, sometimes outré and other times conservative. I'd rather not think it was a fashion mistake that she put in the back of her closet, never wore, but couldn't bear to donate for the high price she had paid. I think she went to the Chez Paree in Chicago on Saturday night dates with her husband and smoked cigarettes there from long cigarette holders. I think she did volunteer work some where worthwhile and had a long and happy life with her large family around her. I think she would enjoy knowing her suit is still valuable and doing its job of making its wearer feel well turned out.





I think CoCo would be pleased, too.

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Wholesale Clothes and Sports Apparel - Score High Profits With Wholesale Sportswear

Our society today is more health conscious and aware and of the importance of exercise for a healthy lifestyle. More and more people are taking up a sport or going to the gym. This means that there is a growing demand for sportswear. In fact, studies show that the sports apparel industry grows 5% every year. By selling wholesale sportswear, you will be able to get a share of this profitable market segment of the clothing industry.
If you have a garage, you could keep your outdoor gear organized in your garage. Your basement would also be a good place. This does not mean that you should just dump them in there. Use some strong hooks and pegs for hanging bags with your camp gear. Allot a place in the back for keeping your bicycle. You could also make use of organizers made of plastic that usually contain hooks, racks, etc. that would suit your camping and other gear. They will take less space and would make your garage look very orderly. If you want to protect your gear against inclement weather, use heavy duty plastic or resin storage boxes or cabinets to hold them. Your equipment will be well protected.
Sportswear must fit well and provide freedom of movement during competition. The material used must be comfortable and sweat absorbent. Ideally, the material should not hold sweat but should wick it away from the body. It should dry quickly and must be light and cool especially in summer. Needless to say, sportswear must be durable and of good quality. It should be built to last.
If you do not have the space to spare in your garage, you could keep your outdoor gear in a spare closet inside your home. An advantage is that you do not need a separate organizer or heavy-duty plastic box, since your closet would protect your equipment. Just an out of the way space in your walk-in closet would be enough. If you do not have the closet space, you could also buy a storage compartment and keep your equipment there. They will be out of the way, yet would be easily available when you need them.
Sportswear includes shorts, jerseys, t-shirts, sweatshirts, jogging pants, hoodies and track suits. When you sell sports apparel, you must also have shoes, socks, gym bags, headbands and sweatbands available. Aside from regular sizes, you must also have plus sizes for people who go into sports in order to lose excess weight.
Look for wholesale suppliers who can provide quality sportswear at discounted prices. Wholesale sportswear can be obtained at prices 70% lower than the retail price. You can use Salehoo to find suppliers of sportswear for you to sell at wholesale prices. SaleHoo's online directory will easily lead you to reliable suppliers of cheap wholesale sportswear that are in great demand today.

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Maintain your Home Appliances

Appliances make our lives easier, but they need proper care and maintenance for their long life. Proper maintenance can help you in gaining high performance from your home appliances. Not only this, it will also help in reducing your electricity bills.

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Bringing Back The Clothes Line: No Dryer Needed!

When I was little, my best friend's family never dried their clothes in their dryer but on a clothes line or indoor rack next to the radiators. In my house, we did use a dryer. I never understood their reasoning until now. Why use all that electricity or gas when you can just hang your clothes out in the sun (or partial sun in my case)? This is how it's been done for thousands of years before the industrial revolution, so why change? According to the US Dept of Energy an electric dryer can use between 1800-5000 watts of power. That's a lot of electricity! Even if you supplement your dryer usage by hanging stuff out half the time, you'd be saving a bunch of money and resources. So that's what we've decided to do. It's even catching on among our fellow eco-villagers - every time I walk by the line, it's got someone else's clothes on it! Thanks to Rhett and Amy at Greentime for the inspiration! PS Check out Project Laundry List for more info on communities coming together to end laundry line bans. Isn't that nutty? Drying clothes on a line is illegal in a lot of places!

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Cast In Style Clothes Airers UK

www.EcoWashingLines.co.uk Ph 0800 280 2236 Cast In Style Clothes Airers UK for home use. Cast In Style are clothes airers made in the UK. Visit our website or call for clothes airer specials

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Honey-Can-Do Commercial Clothes Drying Rack, Chrome

You Can Check Best Price at www.amazon.com

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Total Hanger Plus 3-Part Clothing Rack System

For More Info or to Buy Now: www.hsn.com Total Hanger Plus 3-Part Clothing Rack SystemRunning out of space in your closet or laundry room? This cleverly designed clothing rack system gives you plenty of extra space to dry your delicates,... Prices shown on the previously recorded video may not represent the current price. View hsn.com to view the current selling price. HSN Item #967062

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WindowDry rack demo

The WindowDry rack is an amazing, one of a kind, new product for an old idea. Join the laundry revolution and unplug your dryer. Have you ever wonder how to air dry your laundry? This is the answer- the WindowDry rack are dries your clothes year round, rain or shine, it save energy and money. Other benefits to air drying includes your clothing will last longer, you can save hundreds of dollars per year, and help reduce your carbon emissions by up to one ton per year. That is 2000 pounds of carbon kept out of our air, all while saving money.

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Baby Clothes Home Display

To add a touch of heritage to a child's room, why not display some of their own baby clothing. These little memories of made of cloth look great on a display hanging rack made for a tabletop or dresser. As the child grows older they will love to use their own clothes for their dolls to play dress up. To make your own display rack, these are the things you will need:

o 2 porch spindles

o scrap wood

o hanging rod (for a closet; a wooden dowel will also serve)

o screws

o drill with screw bit

o scrap fabric

o spray adhesive

o 2 rosettes (used for closet bars)

o wood glue

o 2 decorative knobs

o paint (color is your choice; you can also use a wood stain if the wood is nude)

Take the porch spindles that you might have purchased at Home Depot or somewhere similar and paint them whatever color you wish, keeping in mind the colors of your child's room or furniture. Then, cut two pieces of wood for the base of the rack and the top. The size depends on the size of rack you wish to build. To hold three or for garments, the base should probably be about 18x8 inches. Set aside the top piece for now. Fasten the spindles to the base using screws through the bottom of the base. To make sure that the base will not scratch your furniture, attach a piece of fabric to the bottom with adhesive. Sit the rack upright and screw on the rosettes. Now place the bar on the rosettes as you wood in a normal closet. Take the top piece of wood and fasten it to the spindles with screws. Lastly, you can glue the knobs on top of the rack as decoration. Of course you can be creative and pick any decorative items you wish.

Now you have made a fun new display rack for your children's clothes. Place your kid's clothes on the rod using baby clothes hangers, and the project is complete (wooden hangers may be the most decorative). Perhaps you will keep it in their room or perhaps you want it for your own. It quite possibly will become a family relic that will go on for generations.

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Madison Mills Wooden Drying Rack for Clothes

Special Offer Available: www.amazon.com -- Easily slips out of frame 16 dowels: 36 x 9/16" Frame size: 7/8 x 3/4" Stands 36-3/4" high Clothing rack to dry off and airate clothing

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Yoda Monkey

My kitten, Yoda, performing acrobatics on the clothes-drying rack.

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Tips on Washing Bras

IT can get expensive adding bras and lingerie to your regular wardrobe. Proper washing of bras adds to its life span. Your unmentionables will last a lot longer if you follow these instructions.

It's important to know what your bra is made of. Which can deteriorate due to heat. Bras with elastic parts must not be dried at high temperatures -- avoid the dryer and even direct sunlight. Lace, cotton, or satin are some other fabrics that your bra may be made of. You should wash lace bras by hand.

Choose a cleaning method. It is only appropriate to wash bras by hand or by putting them in the gentle cycle in the wash. Hand-washing will lead to greater durability, but may not get the items as clean as machine washing. Although the possibilities may be endless, go with the method that makes the most sense to you.

If you are washing in a machine, set it on the gentle cycle. (See the sixth step if you want to know about washing by hand) Put in washing soap depending how many clothes are put into the washing machine.

Use the mesh lingerie bay for your bra. Placing your bras in a lingerie bag before putting them in the washing machine will help protect them and increase their lifespan. Double check that the items going in are suitable for the gentle cycle and be sure to not to overfill the machine.

Wash your clothes with the machine on the gentle setting. Then skip to step 9. To hand wash a bra, first soak it in warm. It's important to drink lots of water on a daily basis. (cool) It's important to drink lots of water on a daily basis. Add a tablespoon of gentle detergent made for intimate apparel to a sink full of water.

Blend the detergent and water by hand, then leave the bra in for five to ten minutes, depending on how soiled it is. For best results, pre-treat any stains by rubbing them with a small amount of detergent.

Rinse the bra with cool It's important to drink lots of water on a daily basis. Don't leave any traces of laundry detergent in your clothing.

Be sure to air dry the bra. Air-dry your bras and do not use heat as this will make them deteriorate at a faster rate. Place it flat on a drying rack instead of hanging by the straps. This will prevent the straps from distorting and over-stretching.

Taking proper care of a bra will ensure that it lasts as long as it should. If you want your bra investment to last you must take good care to wash it in cold water with a soft detergent.

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Green Revolution

Save energy to save money. Set your thermostat a few degrees lower in the winter and a few degrees higher in the summer to save on heating and cooling costs. Install compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) when your older incandescent bulbs burn out. Unplug appliances when you're not using them. Or, use a "smart" power strip that senses when appliances are off and cuts "phantom" or "vampire" energy use. Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible. As much as 85 percent of the energy used to machine-wash clothes goes to heating the water. Use a drying rack or clothesline to save the energy otherwise used during machine drying. Save water to save money. Take shorter showers to reduce water use. This will lower your water and heating bills too. Install a low-flow showerhead. They don't cost much, and the water and energy savings can quickly pay back your investment. Make sure you have a faucet aerator on each faucet. These inexpensive appliances conserve heat and water, while keeping water pressure high. Plant drought-tolerant native plants in your garden. Many plants need minimal watering. Find out which occur naturally in your area. Less gas = more money (and better health!). Walk or bike to work. This saves on gas and parking costs while improving your cardiovascular health and reducing your risk of obesity. Consider telecommuting if you live far from your work. Or move closer. Even if this means paying more rent, it could save you money in the long term. Lobby your local ...

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Laundry Room Organization for Small Laundry Rooms

Laundry areas, in general, easily end up a place where items are stored, stashed, and procrastinated -- to do later. With small laundry rooms this becomes a big mess fast; however, even the largest laundry rooms can easily become a disorganized mess if the proper tools and systems are not in place. Therefore, prioritizing storage needs and determining what can realistically be accomplished is especially vital for small laundry rooms.

Small laundry rooms lack space to fold and hang clothing, a place to put dirty laundry, shelf space for detergents and such, and an area for long term drying for delicates, making it extremely difficult to stay organized. Even though an organized system to do laundry is important no matter the size of the laundry area, the first step for a small laundry area is to ensure that the tools are in place to enable the room to be organized and to save space.

In general, these are the items necessary for proper laundry organizing:
A trash bin

Storage containers

Shelves

A drying rack and hangers

Hampers and laundry baskets

An ironing board / folding area.

However, some of these items do not have to be in the laundry room; some can be made to take up a lot less space, and some can be used more efficiently.

Let's go down the list again:

A trash bin for lint removal can be a very small receptacle. It shouldn't be a floor standing unit, but instead a small receptacle that can sit on a shelf.

Storage containers are used to keep similar items together on a shelf. Only two or three containers are needed for items lost in the dryer or washer like loose change, buttons, and so on.

Adding a shelf can be extremely simple with an Over-the-Washer Shelf. This shelf attaches over a washer without tools to add a shelf for detergents and other laundry supplies.

Drying racks are useful to dry delicates that otherwise can be damaged in a dryer. The Telegant 100 Drying Rack is a space saving solution that can be placed on the wall above the dryer.

Hampers and laundry baskets should stay in the bedrooms until laundry is being done. A smaller triple sorter hamper would be ideal to keep from over loading and to keep items separated.

For small areas, the ironing board needs to be space saving and convenient. The Iron N' Fold is the perfect space saving ironing and folding station solution that only needs about four inches of space between the washer and dryer.

With the tools in place to organize a laundry area, the next step is to make sure that a proper system is in place to ensure that the area doesn't become a place where items are stored, stashed, and procrastinated.

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Various Tips For Refilling Ink Cartridges

The ink cartridges are to be replaced either when the ink of the printer dries up or after the regular usage, when the printer's ink runs out. Every one wants that refilling the ink cartridge should be easy, quick and fun. Therefore many people prefer the high quality cartridges such as HP ink cartridges, Epson inkjet cartridges, brother ink cartridges etc...

Here are some of the tips that can help you in easing up the task of refilling ink cartridges.

Avoiding the mess

Always keep a newspaper below the printer before refilling the ink cartridge or it is better if you use old piece of cloth or a rag. The cloth soaks up the ink rapidly, without letting it spread across and thus, it will be easier to clean later. This problem can be faced when you fill the cartridge in the starting, but later or after few regular filling, you will be able to avoid the mess.

How to clean the mess for the first time?

While refilling an ink cartridge for the first time, the ink is likely to get on to your hands. And in order to remove the excess of oil from your hands, you have to wash them regularly with soap. You might to use a solution of mild bleach and water. Wash the hands again with soap to remove the bleach.

But if the cartridge dries out

The people out of laziness wait for too long to refill them. This result in drying of cartridges and the holes of your printer head will be clogged. So it is recommended not to waste or take too long time to refill the ink. Once it gets dried, it leads to the number of problems. The first to face is that the ink does not come out. So to avoid such problems, always have two cartridges, one in the printer and other in hand so that it could be changed as early as possible.

Points to be remembered

Some points to be remembered during the use of ink refill cartridges are-

o Metal plate should not be touched while the cartridge is being removed.

o Printers should not be used after the warning of low ink.

o A piece of wet clothes should be used while removing the cartridge and putting it in a plastic container.

Apart from it, the ink to be filled must meet the specifications of the original printer. It is must to know the serial number and model number of the cartridge. There are various factors on which the numbers of times a cartridge can be refilled depend.

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Clothes Airers - An Idea Whose Time Has Come

As governments fights to reduce carbon emissions there are 101 ways we can act personally.

Whilst it may not be realistic to ride a horse to work we can switch to fuel efficient methods.

Around the home the insulation and double-glazing story is obvious. Cutting the temperature and wearing a sweater is equally so.

New fangled gadgets help switch off our stand by power, solar chargers recharge our mobile phones. We learn to use reduced heat to boil an egg, we buy a set of steamer pans for low cost vegetable cooking. The clothes drying rack is the least talked about humble solution. Favoured by our Grannies in days of gone they are making a great comeback.

Thinking families realise that the tumble dryer is a greedy machine. Using high amounts of electricity with no way of knowing when an item is dry.

In a large family the energy bills grow and so does our carbon footprint.

The clothes drying rack solves the problem. It gives us a central space for drying. It can be placed in each and every room. It can be folded away out of sight. You can use it to make your own airing cupboard. You can spread your sweaters out on it, you can install them double-decker fashion and have shirts above and smalls below. You can install them side-by-side, you can install in permanent unused space. They create inner space by expanding with the room. They can provide a washing line. At last they give you privacy from all the underwear previously drying on radiators for all to see.

They do not rust, they are maintenance, energy and carbon free. They work without complaining while you put your feet up and have a latte.

They are one of the best-kept secrets in the laundry room. Why - because dirty laundry is not a topic of after dinner conversations.

So only a few enlightened people know clothes drying racks are truly an idea whose time has come.

Become enlightened - buy a clothes drying rack today.

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Dual Rod Collapsible Garment Rack on Wheels at Stacks and Stacks

This heavy duty garment hanging rack provides the ultimate solution for clothes storage, drying and display in your home or elsewhere! High quality steel construction. The folding clothing rack's dual hanging rods each feature extensions that add 10" of space on each end! It rolls about easily, and folds down in seconds for the easiest portability available! 120 pound weight limit. Purchase here: www.stacksandstacks.com

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Reduce Financial Stress by Reducing Carbon Waste in Your Home

The first step you need to take in your quest to reduce your carbon waste is to check what you do in your home - so go around and check what you are using.  Then have a family talk and get "stuff" turned off.  Entertainment and game machines are real power gobblers and often left on 24/7 when they are actually used for 2-3 hours! 

Here is a list of areas you can save:

o    When you buy new appliances go for the ones with good energy ratings
o    Check your refrigerator seals.
o    How many fridges does one family need?  Can you turn the beer fridge in the shed off except for parties and keep some beer in the kitchen fridge?
o    Why use hot water for washing.
o    Air dry the clothes unless it is very wet.  Even small apartments have somewhere to put a drying rack.
o    Temperature is an interesting one.  For some reason people prefer the temperature in their homes to be warmer in winder that they can "possibly tolerate" in summer!
o    We seem to have forgotten how to wear winder clothes in winter.
o    Light is a very important part of our life and some people get depressed in low light environments so our energy saving need to be more creative than turning off lights!  Gloomy is used for both the environment and the mood for a very good reason. But this is the easy one with a range of new lighting options.
o    It is more energy efficient to use a small electric appliance like a "frypan" to cook a roast than to use the oven - check which heats the kitchen most.
o    Share the car.
o    Road rage uses much more fuel than calmer driving habits.

Some quick tips to help you and your family go save carbon emissions and money are:

o    Be informed.  Read on the latest reports about energy saving and be proactive.
o    Educate young children on the effects of wasting energy and goods and be an example that they can follow.
o    Think green.  Make planting a part of your family's activities.  Join organizations that have programs to plant trees.  This is also a good way of involving and educating children.
o    Be careful of how much green matter you send to landfill - it breaks down to release more methane to the atmosphere.

Think Green, reduce waste, and go for a "grumpy" walk every day before leaving home and going to bed.  Turn off everything that is not essential.

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Cleaning Women Live in Berlin 2/3

12.2.2003 Berlin, Germany, (Enthuziasm-screening) www.cleaningwomen.com www.myspace.com CAUTION! CLEANING IN PROGRESS! Its a joke, right? Three guys in drag, clinking away like monkeys in heat at their home-made instruments made out of clotheshorses and pickle jars, hollering vaguely nonsensical slogans about the importance of cleaning Thats not exactly asking for the music to be taken too seriously, right? Wrong. Granted, you may be excused to have entertained such heretic notions, if you have not been lucky enough to have witnessed any of the Cleaning Womens hundreds of packed club or art-house performances, where your jaw would most likely have dropped at the sight of their supreme skill and prowess. Despite the apparent flimsiness of their self-customized drying racks, their sound and teamwork are tight and sturdy in a punkjazz kinda way, and despite the undisputably avantgardian approach, the actual songs are danceable and easy to relate to, with enough nuances to transcend most genre boundaries. Intergalactic industrial disco rock, somebody came up with, ambient afro-techno riff crunch, tried another one, really NEAT music, most people realize all of which are proven to be mere understatements by the ambiguously-named debut album Pulsator. The powder trio consists of cleaning robots (on a cleaning mission from the planet Clinus 1) codenamed CW04 (Tero Vänttinen), CW03 (Timo Kinnunen), and CW01 (Risto Puurunen), the latter of whom made the original discovery that ...

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