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Thanks to technology, pretty much every aspect of our lives has changed immensely – and quickly – within a single lifetime. A person who is in their eighties or nineties today could never have dreamed what the world would look like between their childhood and the their old age.
Cleaning advice has changed, too – and if you’re curious just how much, check out these 16 pieces of advice that used to be standard practice.
16. Sometimes you have to clean the thing that cleans you to keep everything clean.
“Pour some white distilled vinegar in a plastic bag and place it around the showerhead so the head is completely submerged. Tie the bag around the pipe and leave it overnight.
You’ll find the showerhead will spray like new again in the morning.”
15. Mint grows like a weed, so you’ll have plenty.
“If you grow mint, cut a fresh sprig and place it in the garbage can every day. It keeps the can smelling fresh all season long.”
14. A toothbrush, hot water, and dishwasher detergent will get your can opener running like new.
“After cleaning, lubricate the opener with vegetable oil and set it aside for a while. Wipe off the excess oil and it will work like new.”
13. Ok, but what is a muslin bag?
“Make your own mothballs by mixing oil of cloves and oil of cinnamon, then soaking cotton balls in this mixture.
Place the cotton balls in muslin bags and hang them in your closets.”
12. Got scratches in your wood?
“Rub them with a pecan nut. The oil of the nut will ‘re-stain’ the wood.”
11. Nix filthy vent covers.
“I run all my metal heat and air conditioning vent covers through the dishwasher every spring and fall.
It saves lots of time and does a better job than doing it by hand.”
10. If you’ve got kids, you’ve got glue residue.
“When you must remove a spot of glue, use vinegar. It’s a good glue thinner or remover.”
9. If you have a wood-burning stove, you can turn it into a humidifier.
“Fill an old coffee can two-thirds full of water. Add cinnamon sticks, cloves, and orange peel and place it on the stove.
When the water gets hot, it gives off a pleasant scent and gives the home extra moisture.”
8. My stainless steel could use a face lift.
“Place your flatware in a pan with bubbly carbonated water, soda water, club soda, or seltzer. Let set until the fizz has fizzled. Your stainless will shine like new!”
7. Keep your cookbook (your real one) free from food splatter.
“Once you’ve turned to the page you want, slip the book inside a large plastic food storage bag to protect the pages.”
6. A brilliant hack to banish dirt.
“Just spray your favorite furniture polish onto an inexpensive paintbrush. It makes getting to the hard-to-reach spots easier and takes a lot less time.”
5. Glass cleaner is easy to DIY.
“Mix 2 ounces rubbing alcohol, 2 ounces of ammonia and 12 ounces of water. Add a drop of blue food coloring and mark it clearly to distinguish it from other cleaners.
Pour into a spray bottle and use as you would a store-bought cleaner.”
4. When your kiddos art takes over the walls (or floor or cabinet).
“Rubbing alcohol easily removes ink from clothing and crayon marks from woodwork and wallpaper.”
3. This stuff does everything.
“Remove sticky price tags from glass by spraying with WD-40. It works well.”
2. Don’t freak out about wandering gum.
Rub creamy peanut butter or vegetable oil into the gum.
Wait a few minutes. The gum will come right off.
Then wash your hands or hair as normal.”
1. If you have real silverware…
“Place silver in an aluminum pan or in your kitchen sink lined with aluminum foil. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of baking soda and cover with boiling water.
Let stand for 10 to 12 minutes.”
Honestly, I feel like some of these should maybe come back into vogue.
Are you going to be employing any of these in your home? If so, we’d really like to hear how it turns out!
