Your grandma had more chores and fewer modern cleaning tools than you do, yet she kept a sparkling house with just a few products, elbow grease, and a hefty dose of common sense. Get your household cleaning tasks done like grandma did with these time-tested ways to keep your home clean and tidy:
Keep up, don’t catch up
Grandma kept after messes every day, and you should, too. “It’s easier than saving all your chores for one big cleaning session,” says Donna Smallin Kuper, certified housecleaning technician and author of Clear the Clutter, Find Happiness. Get into a daily routine, and your house will always look neat as a pin: Make the bed, do the dishes after every meal, and sweep the kitchen floor daily.
Stockpile tea towels
Instead of using paper towels, invest in flour-sack tea towels. “They’re 100 percent cotton, so you can dry glasses lint-free, wipe down the stove, or let dishes drip-dry on them,” says Becky Rapinchuk, blogger at Cleanmama.net and author of The Organically Clean Home. “They launder well and dry fast.” Grandma-approved bonus: They come in pretty patterns, colors, and embroidered motifs to add vintage charm to your kitchen.
Use DIY window cleaner
Your grandma didn’t have fancy window and mirror cleaning sprays; you don’t need them either. Mix up this streak-free recipe, courtesy of Rapinchuk:
*1 1/2 c. water
*1 1/2 T. white vinegar
*1 1/2 T. rubbing alcohol
*3 drops peppermint essential oil
Mix in a spray bottle, spray liberally on windows and mirrors, and wipe with a lint-free cloth.
Renew stained linens
Need help getting rid of stains on napkins, tablecloths, or doilies? Grandma wouldn’t toss them; she’d tea-stain them. Add four or five black tea bags to a bucket of hot water and let them steep for 10 minutes or so. Remove tea bags, add the cloth (swish it around so it absorbs the water), and let it sit until you reach the desired shade. “You’ll get a lovely antique creamy brown,” says Rapinchuk. Let dry to set, then wash in cold water.
Old
Your Old English or Milsek lemon oils can dust the furniture and add shine to cabinets. Scrubbing powders such as Bon Ami can be used on pots and saucepans. Baking soda can be a mild abrasive to remove scuffs from floors or sinks by dabbing it on a damp cloth.
Deep-cleaning with the seasons
Rapinchuk says that cleaning according to the calendar is a good idea. It would help if you cleaned your windows at least every year. Also, you should change your furnace filter, vacuum, and flip your bed, and It’s not a good idea to keep clothes you don’t wear or like. Grandma would be horrified!
Less is More
There’s no need to stock up on many specialty cleaning products. Borax has been used for centuries and is highly versatile, says Liz Trotter of Clean Business Builders and American Maid Cleaning. To clean porcelain sinks or tiles:
Use a little borax on a sponge dampened with water. You can use it to clean greasy kitchen cabinets.
Use it to boost your detergent, especially for odor-free laundry.
Use it as a presoak to remove tough stains.
Preventive measures are essential
Kuper says cleaning as you go will prevent small messes from becoming more prominent. After every shower:
Squeegee the surface.
After brushing your teeth, wipe the sink to avoid blobs of toothpaste from drying.
Throw rugs can be placed inside and outside doors to stop dirt from being tracked in.
Vacuuming your traffic patterns regularly will prevent grit from settling into carpet fibers.
Air purifiers are a natural way to freshen up the air.
Use 100 percent vanilla extract for deodorizing. Trotter says it gives off a fresh, clean scent rather than a chemical one. Douse cotton balls in vanilla to make your room smell good, and place them inside plants or over a light bulb. When the bulb warms up, it will Pour odorous microwaves, place two tablespoons vanilla in a glass bowl, heat it for 30 seconds, and then leave the bowl inside the microwave for several hours. To eliminate lingering smells from cooking, boil a few teaspoons of lemon in a saucepan.
Use vinegar to descale
Pour straight white vinegar into a plastic bag to degunk the shower head. Rubber bands can secure the bag around the showerhead for several hours. Vin 10050.g.3160[src Data
Stock a rag bin
Grandma was thrifty, so she never threw out a scrap of fabric. Clothes that were too worn became cleaning clothes. Use cotton diapers, or tear old flannel sheets and T-shirts into square cleaning rags. They’ll last forever.
Make a natural whitener
For yellowed white laundry or linens, make a natural lemon whitener. Squeeze the juice of one lemon into a gallon of hot water in a laundry bucket. Let the item soak for one to two hours. Run through a rinse cycle or rinse by hand, then set out in the sun to dry, says Rapinchuk.