Going back to the olden days when our grandparents would have us for the summer holidays. Those trips were amazing as there were so many activities.

 

Activities like helping on the farm or helping grandma with the household duties, which entails cooking delicious country meals and cleaning the house.

 

 

WERE THE GOLDEN DAYS BETTER?

 

Hmm, that’s a question yet to be answered. Then, there was no cleaning shortcut with grandma around, you just simply had to do it the long and hard way.

 

The products and tools used then were much different from those of today. One must say, looking back on how her house was clean and most of all healthy.

 

 

Products in those days were natural and non-toxic, Vintage homes rich, or poor were orderly, and smell amazing. I would certainly like to see my home looking that way, and I am sure you would too.

 

If that is to happen we may have to go back to the vintage way to get things done. Well, not all the way but even half the way.

 

We could save a lot of cash by doing some of these FANTASTIC household cleaning tricks. Here are 16 vintage cleaning hacks that left me speechless and they will do the same to you too.

 

 

1. WASH PAN

 

 

You may be wondering what’s a washing pan. well, a wash pan is an aluminum pan used to wash clothes by hand. Washers were not popular in those days so this was a common way of getting your clothes washed. All that was needed was to fill the pan with water.

 

Add some laundry detergent, then toss your clothes in and wash with your hands. When you are done, toss the soapy water out, then fill the pan with fresh water, and rinse.

 

This way of washing, up to this very day is an excellent way to do your laundry and save on the utility bills too. ALTERNATE WASHING MACHINE

 

 

2. WAX YOUR FLOOR

 

Wax or otherwise called ” FLOOR POLISH” was used to clean wooden floors. These were shiny and spotless floors. This was only used on wooden floors as if used on tiles would be very difficult to remove.

 

 

To get your wooden floor to glow, hands, knees, and a rag was the main tool. You would have to get down on your knees to wax the floor and to shine it too. ALTERNATIVE FLOOR WAXING

 

Recommended E-Book...The Secret Art Of House Cleaning

 

 

3. COCONUT FLOOR BRUSH

 

The floor brush was a brush used to shine the floor. When the wax was dried, the floor brush would be used by hands to make the floor glow.

 

This brush was made from dried coconut shells. The coconut was cut into two halves. The edible part was taken out and the oaks were used as a brush. If a coconut was not available, then an old towel would do the job. ALTERNATE VARNISH

 

4. RETRO STONE CLOTHES BRUSH

 

This is awesome. To remove tough dirt from the clothes that were worn on the farms, a brush wouldn’t be needed to get this done for this, a stone would come into play. The clothes were spread on a large table or large stone and then a small pumice stone was used to scrub away the dirt.

 

For a more vigorous wash, the ladies would repeatedly strike the clothing on the large stones until there was no more visible dirt. ALTERNATE BRISTLE BRUSH.

 

5. FLOUR SINK CLEANER

 

Who would have ever thought that a thing as All-Purpose flour could be used to make your sink sparkle? You may be saying that’s not possible well, yes it is.

 

One of the retro ways of cleaning a sink was to use flour to do so. Simply sprinkle a dash of flour in the sink then use a dry cloth to dust and TADA! your sink will be spotless and grease-free. THE FLOUR SHOULD REMAIN DRY.

 

6. GROUND COFFEE FOR POTS AND PANS

 

In the olden days, I prefer to call them the golden days because of their treasured lessons. Pots were a treasured household item by any housewife. To have glowing pots showed that she was excellent at keeping her home in order.

 

 

If the pots were stained then she would be considered to be a failure at her duties. To keep the pots in excellent order ground coffee would be used to scrub the pots. Leaving them without a sign of usage.

 

7. BABY OIL FURNITURE POLISH

 

The vintage days had only wooden furniture. There was no plastic or glass furniture as we have now. The proper care of this wooden furniture was very important.

 

 

They were just as important as these very expensive pieces of our time. To keep these free from termites and looking great, baby oil was used to polish every single piece every day.

 

 

8. LEMONS

 

This highly beneficial fruit is not only for the fruit basket but it was used to make homes smell amazing and clean. It gets special attention due to its acidity.

 

This fruit was not only used for thirst-quenching lemonade but was used in the kitchen to score the burnt-on foods from pots and baking pans.

 

 

It was also used to remove rust from knives and any other rusty thing hanging around. This is also a source of bleach. Combine a mixture of lemon juice with salt and cover the stain.

 

Now you know why clothes in the golden days were much more radiant than now. For stains on countertops, the vintage way was, to leave a cut lemon on the stain overnight. The next morning, simply wipe it away and the stain will be gone.

 

 

9. DON’T THROW AWAY THE ASH

 

In the good old days, every home had a fireplace. In these fireplaces, only natural wood was used to warm the houses. When the wood was burnt out the ash was stored. This was then used for scoring purposes. Vintage women used the ash to score utensils and pots.

 

 

Simply add water to the ash to make a paste. Then rub it onto the item. Keep rubbing for 5 minutes then rinse. YOU CAN ALSO USE THE ASH FROM YOUR CHARCOAL GRILL.

 

10. CARPET GREASE REMOVER

 

Getting grease on your carpet is no doubt unavoidable because most modern floors are fully carpeted. The cost of carpet cleaning can cost you your bank account. The best way to go about removing grease from your carpet is to find your own solution.

 

 

Vintage homes did not have a lot of carpets as they took pride in their wooden floors. Those that did, would keep their carpet grease-free by doing this amazing trick.

 

Simply sprinkle a dab of BABY POWDER on the grease stain. Allow it to absorb the grease, then wipe with a damp cloth.

 

11. SHOE POLISH

 

Vintage furniture was made from solid wood. In modern days we now call them antiques. Have you ever wondered why their furniture seems to last a longer time than ours does?

 

Well, they used different cleaners and polishes on theirs. One of the most common cleaners was  WAX SHOE POLISH.

 

 

Simply apply the polish on the piece using a soft dry lint-free rag. Allow drying for 10 minutes then rub with another clean dry rag. This is called shining. Continue until you have achieved the shine you are satisfied with.

 

12. REMOVING LIMESCALE FROM TEAPOTS/KETTLE

 

If you entered a vintage home the first aroma to hit your nose was the scent of tea or coffee brewing. There was always a kettle on the stove. Have you ever wondered how they cleaned their overused teapots?

 

 

They have this simple trick that they would do every other night before going to bed. They would pour VINEGAR into the teapot/ kettle.

 

In the morning bright and early, they would pour out the loose residues. The pot was then washed and placed back on the stove for further tea making.

 

13. VINTAGE AIR FRESHENER

 

Can you tell me if 80 years ago there were luxurious air fresheners?? I really don’t think that in those days they had these types of luxury.

 

Even though they had none of these, homes smelled amazing just the same. In vintage years before there were AC UNITS, the vintage folks would open their windows every morning.

 

 

This would allow the old air out and fresh air in. This simple action made their homes refresh at all times as no foul odour was trapped inside.

 

Maybe you could try this when the season is right and see for yourself the changes in the way your home smells.

 

 

14. NATURAL CLOTHES DRYER

 

 

The only way to dry your clothes in the olden days was by using a clothesline. The women would wash in a pan then proceed to the clothesline that was in the backyard.

 

Laundry was done early in the mornings to allow time for the midday sun to dry the clothes or before it rains.

 

 

A sturdy wire was used to make the clothesline and clothespins to hold the clothes on the line. This was to ensure the freshly washed clothes did not fall to the ground.

 

Doing this, made their clothes wrinkle and damage-free. A new way of thinking!!

 

 

15. CANDLE WAX FOR SHINNING WOODEN FLOORS

 

I told you about using a coconut brush to shine the floor. Well, if you want to enhance the shine, I mean really enhance it.

 

Here is what to do. Use the candle to heat the brush and then brush the floor. Continue to do this until you are done. The wax from the candle will add a glow to the floor making it so shine you can use it as a mirror, isn’t that amazing.

 

16. IRON ON THE STOVE

 

I love any stylish brand-name clothes iron, but as you can see this was not so in vintage days. This iron is made from real iron and weighed approximately 2 pounds.

 

 

This was placed on a stove or activated charcoal and used when fully heated to iron any type of clothing.  Don’t underestimate this method of ironing, it’s still the best method until this very day.

 

As you can see, back in the days’ things were done more naturally with lots of love, time, and effort. I must say they did not have the fast-going luxury as we do in modern days but they still kept their homes clean, so as you can clearly see the answer is yes.

 

 

THE GOLDEN DAYS WERE BETTER WHEN IT COMES TO GOOD HOUSEKEEPING. Thanks for stopping by.