Wednesday, February 7, 2007

Little household work savers

"And as you enter the house, give it your greeting." Matt. 10:25

Housekeeping is not on my list of top 10 favorite activities. However, there is a certain peace which accompanies a clean home. Wouldn't you agree? Last night we were expecting guests. As I looked around the house, I noted laundry had been put away, dirty dishes had been moved from the counter to the dishwasher, floors had been swept, and little piles of paper had been sorted through. Our house was in order. I was prepared to enjoy our company and give them my full attention. I was excitedly anticipating a fun, laughter-filled evening.

Let me share a few more helpful hints from 1964 (first installment).

"Rid rooms of stale tobacco smoke or sweeten air in closets like this: mix 2 T ammonia with a cup of water in a shallow bowl and let it stand in the room overnight."

"Banish white marks from mahogany furniture this way: spread a thick coat of petroleum jelly over the spots, let it stand 48 hours, polish off."

"If a dripping faucet is robbing you of your sleep, tie a string to it, long enough to reach the drain. Water will run down the string noiselessly until you have time to fix the faucet."

"To stiffen flower stems for table arrangements, put a couple of pennies in the water and soak them a couple of hours in water almost as high as the blooms. Wonderful for tulips!"

"To clean a tea kettle, fill it with water and 2 T ammonia. Let water come to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes, empty and wash thoroughly."

Let me know if you decide to try any of these tips!

3 comments:

photowannabe said...

The one with the penny in the flower water sounds like an interestining one to try. Can't wait for our house to be back in order after all the renovation is finished.

Sharon said...

All good ideas. A home that is ready for company is a wonderful home to visit.........Hope you had a wonderful visit.

Anna said...

Housework isn't even in my TOP 20...but agree with you...my life and the life of those who are living here goes much smoother when it is clean and "together"...

It makes my mind work better to...my dad always used to say to me that a cluttered house is a cluttered mind. I am not sure if that is true fro everyone but it is for me! :)