This story originally appeared at Do You Remember by Aliya Hall.
Experience speaks for itself and our grandmothers did not have the convenience of technology and cleaning tools that we do today. Despite that, they managed to not let even a single speck of dust hover in their homes. How did they keep their houses so clean? Turns out, they used a lot of common sense back then. Get inspired by these easy and effective methods which grandmas kept their homes neat and clean. This is our roundup of the 10 best housekeeping tips passed along through the generations.
1. Try the old products your grandma used
Steal some of your grandma’s old cleaning products, because they are clearly super-effective. With a volley of cleaning products available today, it’s hard to spot the ones from your grandma’s times. But some of them still exist in the markets. Like Old English and Milsek which are lemon oils that will give the perfect shine to your furniture. With pots and pans and some other stainless steel products you can try Bon Ami, the scrubbing powder. Or, just go for the grandma-tested method of putting some baking soda on a damp rag to fight those stubborn stains.
2. Get thrifty with the rags
One of the most important things out grandmas taught us was to be as economical with house products as possible. This applies to every piece and scrap of clothing in your house. Let’s say you have outgrown your green t-shirt, or the red one has been worn out. Instead of throwing these away, just stack them in a rag closet and use them for cleaning purposes. Economizing was certainly one of the talents grandmothers possessed.
3. Replace paper towels with tea towels
The reason for this is that tea towels are cotton, so you can clean glasses without bothering about the lint. Also, they wash well and dry quickly. What’s more – instead of the all-white paper towels, you can use the colorful, beautifully designed tea towels for making cleaning creative.
4. DIY Glass Cleaner
You can put those tea towels to use with a homemade window/glass cleaner. All you need is 1.5 cups of water, 1.5 tbs each of rubbing alcohol and white vinegar. Mix them in a spray bottle and give your glasses the gleam they deserve.