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!

Carpet and Upholstery

Housekeeping Hints by Duraclean...137 ways to make housecleaning a b-r-e-e-z-e, copyright 1964.

During our house tour, the book was featured as one of my curious books. Today I thought I'd staring sharing bits and pieces. I'll post only those hints which are unknown to me.

It will be interesting to see how/if we've changed our housecleaning techniques.

Wear Saving Tips...
"When you buy stair carpet, get an extra foot in length and fold it under against the top risers. Before wear appears at edges of treads, shift carpet an inch or so downward."

"Remember that pile direction of carpet should be with or against the line of traffic - never across. Tests prove that you can extend the life of carpet 25-50% by heeding this precaution."

Cleaning Tips...
"Don't ever use ammonia on your rugs or furnishings - it can damage colors and fibers and often 'sets' stains."

How to Keep...
"When rugs and furnishings are new, or when they have just been cleaned, you can KEEP them that way longer with DURASHIELD, our amazing soil retardant. It is a sprayed-on invisible shield that fills the crevices in fibers to 'lock-out' dirt, keep furnishings from soiling quickly. Amazingly enough, you can't see it, feel it or smell it. Yet light reflectance tests show that Durashield has a significant effect in retarding soiling for up to a year and longer!"