I've been thinking a bunch lately about technological increases in productive efficiency, and about some of the different ways that the capitalist pigs scheme to retain control over newfound profits through their manipulation of the means of production.
For example, I remember reading years ago that because of the increase in productivity associated with the modernization of washing machines, modern laundry detergent products are actually way more effective than they need to be (and that their marketing implies). When the bottle tells you to fill up the cap to the marked line, that's actually way more detergent than you need to use for a regular ass load of laundry. Like you literally need somewhere like a third or half of the "recommended" amount of detergent that it says on the bottle lol.
This is because the detergent producers’ profits are tailored to the status quo of their production; if consumption was suddenly halved, the company would have a crisis of overproduction that would eat into their profit margin. obviously this didn't simply happen all at once - but the small increases in efficiency created by the technological boom was not met with an appropriate rise in wages.
I want to start trying to investigate more examples of these situations and products that have been bent to the bourgeoisies' benefit rather than the proles'. I think that trying to become aware of these things is the first step to agitating around concrete ways that people can reclaim value created by these ‘hidden efficiencies,’ as I’ve currently taken to calling them. I'm also very open to suggestions for names that are more clear lol.
What are some hidden efficiencies you’ve noticed in your area of study, profession, or interest?
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Neat, I didn't know water hardness was a major factor!
I wonder what the energy / efficiency trade-offs are with using more detergent vs. softening one's water.
Depending on how "clean" you feel your clothes need to be when washing with hard well water. I typically use less than the detergent instructions state and my clothes typically come out fine.
Initial installation is pretty pricey. Some softening systems require (or its recommended) that a pre-treatment system is also in place to keep the softening system working like it should. So all sorts of maintenance costs to try to budget for.
Biggest thing that I've come across when looking at well water softening systems is the amount of salt water that you need to find a place to dispose of without creating a tiny toxic waste pit of salt. Salt isn't the only system its just one that seems to be in general use as it pops up first or is mentioned first when doing research. They seem to be a more basic option that doesn't have pre-treatment systems as a requirement to keep the softening system working properly.
This is all very interesting, thank you for taking the time to answer. Does a system like this usually require electricity or is it all chemical/physical?
Most of the diagrams I've seen for the softening systems show some electrical components.
I was skimming some stuff last night after making that first comment that showed a system that didn't soften the water but make the impurities in the water change in a way that makes it less likely that the impurities will crystalized and leave the residue/hard water scale stuff. From the few minutes of looking at the website, it was didn't have any electrical components.
I haven't looked very closely at reverse osmosis systems but I think they would not need extra electrical components.
Damn this explains why I need so much skin sensitive detergent to get the stank off my undies.
It is insane how hard it is to wash soap off your hands with soft water.