13 Housekeeping Secrets from our Great-Grandmothers

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Hi there, homemaker! Do you ever feel like all of our modern conveniences aren’t as helpful as they seem to be? Perhaps you look at experienced homemakers and wonder how they ever manage to get everything done, when you can barely keep up with the laundry and cooking. (And let’s not talk about cleaning!)

Now, dishwashers and vacuum cleaners have their place, and I sure love my washer and dryer after living without them for a year! I don’t mean to reject all labor-saving devices, but sometimes a simple solution is just… simpler.

And sometimes simpler is better than faster.

I’ve often found more joy in doing something “the old-fashioned way” than by using appliances or electronic devices. Sure, those devices can help you get more things done faster, but I enjoy the satisfaction that comes from doing things yourself and giving a task your best effort.

This list of old fashioned housekeeping tips from an older generation might be just the right amount of labor-saving inspiration!

1. Wear an Apron

Why is it that housewives of past generations considered aprons an essential part of their outfits, but today’s homemakers rarely wear them?

Aprons are both pretty and practical. They protect your clothing from dirt, water, and all kinds of messes. They provide large pockets that are easily accessible — a feature that most women’s clothing lacks.

They can be used in a pinch to wipe little tears, grab a hot lid, dust a shelf, or carry produce in from the garden. I think it’s time to reclaim the uniform of the homemaker, and wear our aprons proudly!

2. Use Simple Cleaning Supplies

If you walk down the cleaning aisle at the supermarket or dollar store, there is an overwhelming array of different products. Our great grandmothers didn’t have all these options, and they cleaned their houses just fine — using common household ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen right now!

Lemons

I love to use lemons for cleaning! They give such a nice fresh scent to surfaces, particularly sinks. If your garbage disposal is getting smelly, toss a lemon peel into it to get rid of the odor.

I wipe down my entire kitchen sink with lemons and baking soda. Then rinse and wipe with a clean cloth. That combination leaves it clean and shining!

You can rub lemons on stainless steel or brass pots or teakettles to remove spots, too.

Baking Soda

You may already use baking soda to remove odors in your refrigerator or car, but did you know that it’s also great for cleaning?

You can clean pretty much the entire kitchen with baking soda and a few extras like vinegar and lemons. Most kitchen surfaces can actually be cleaned with a mixture of baking soda and water: sinks, counters, range hoods, and microwaves.

Baking soda works as a deodorizer for upholstered furniture, rugs, and even mattresses: simply sprinkle some over the surface, wait about 15 minutes, and then vacuum it up.

You can use baking soda in the bathroom too! Sprinkle some on a damp rag or sponge, and wipe down your shower and shower curtain to get rid of mildew.

Salt

Salt is abrasive, so it’s good for scouring. This is handy for cleaning cast iron (which should not be cleaned with soap). Just wet the skillet, pour in a tablespoon or so of salt, and go at it with a damp scrubber or rag.

Salt is also good for cleaning dishes with caked-on messes, or for really getting all the gunk off of your cutting board.

Vinegar

Vinegar is great to use all around the house for cleaning! Use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar, if you prefer that scent.

Wipe down stainless steel appliances, the inside of the dishwasher, and inside your washing machine with a vinegar-soaked rag.

Dilute vinegar with water to clean floors and glass surfaces.

The best way to clean windows is with a vinegar and water solution and newspapers!

Got a clogged drain? Mix vinegar with baking soda, and let that foaming mixture sit in the drain for a few minutes. Follow with plenty of hot water, and you should be all clear.

P.S.~ Here’s a super simple homemade natural cleaner recipe using citrus peels, vinegar, and herbs!

3. Stop dirt at the door

Keep a designated rag or an old towel by the door during spring and summer months to wipe messy bare feet as soon as they come inside, and stop them from tracking dirt all over the house. It also helps on rainy days, to wipe up water from boots or umbrellas.

If you have more than one door leading inside your house, keep one rag at each entrance — or designate one of them as the “messy” entrance, with a big mat for shoes and a rag for wiping up dirt.

4. Consolidate your trips to the grocery store by buying in bulk

Do you ever think about how much time you spend grocery shopping? There’s time spent driving to and from the store, time shopping, time just looking at new things…

It’s not all bad, of course. I look forward to my weekly excursion to the grocery store. But that’s the key point: it’s a weekly trip. Not every other day. The more days you run to the store, the more time you spend shopping.

In order to shop only once per week, you will need to buy a larger amount of food than you would if you normally shop two or three times a week.

To take this one step further, I usually stock up on dry goods on my first shopping trip of the month (or when they go on sale). It’s nice to know that I have enough flour and rice to get through the month, so I don’t have to go through my entire pantry when making a shopping list each week.

Read more grocery shopping tips here!

5. Store dry goods creatively if you don’t have a large pantry

If you’re wondering how in the world to store 20 lbs. of flour when you don’t even have a pantry, don’t fret. I’ve never had a real pantry yet! I hope to one day, but in the meantime, I have found that you can store food in other places just as well.

Garages work well, as long as they don’t get too hot or humid. (Just remember to store food in sturdy containers with tight-fitting lids to deter pests!) Linen closets work fine, or any other storage space you might have.

Of course, the kitchen is the most convenient place to store dry goods; but if you buy in bulk, you can always keep a small jar of something in the kitchen, and the rest in a different location.

My mother has several tall bookcases with doors in her garage, which she uses for extra pantry space. As a child, I was sent down to “Pantry No. 2” all the time to refill a jar of raisins or bring up more flour.

Read more about stocking a pantry here!

6. Save old towels, clothing, and cloth diapers to use as cleaning rags.

Why clean with paper towels if you have old t-shirts or other clothing that can be turned into rags? Rags can be washed and reused again and again — a win for the planet and your pocketbook.

I have found that the best cleaning rags are old, worn-out cloth diapers. They are soft and absorbent, and the holes don’t matter if you’re just using them to clean!

If you don’t have babies in the house, you can save other items of worn-out clothing or linens. T-shirts are easy to come by, but they aren’t very absorbent, and they are not the best for cleaning. I save them for the really messy tasks, so it doesn’t matter if they end up getting thrown away.

7. Show your broom some love

Does your broom look all bent out of shape? Are the bristles frizzy or dirty? Caring for your broom properly will help it to last longer and keep working hard.

Hang your broom instead of standing it up in a corner or closet. This will keep the bristles straight, and they won’t break as easily.

Clean your broom when it starts looking dirty by soaking it in a bucket of warm water with a few drops of ammonia for about an hour.

8. Let your dishes soak

If you’re faced with a pile of pots and pans with burned, caked, or otherwise stuck-on food, you could spend an hour or two scrubbing away. Or, you could soak those extra-dirty dishes in hot, soapy water, and come back to them later.

Give those dishes a good 20-30 minute soak in water almost too hot to touch and plenty of soap. If the food is still stuck on after that, go ahead and leave it to soak overnight. This trick has saved many a homemaker at the end of a long day.

9. Save your old toothbrushes for cleaning

Toothbrushes come in very handy for cleaning. Anywhere you have small spaces or crevices that are hard to clean with a cloth, toothbrushes do a much better job.

Scrub the crevices and corners of your windowsills with a toothbrush dipped in warm water, and dry with a clean cloth.

Clean the grout between shower tiles with a toothbrush, too. It takes some elbow grease, but is very effective! If warm water just won’t cut it, try making a paste of baking soda and water or vinegar. This does the trick every time!

Just make sure to store your cleaning toothbrushes away from little hands! You could consider labeling them too, for the benefit of family members who can read!

10. Clean up while you cook

After enjoying a nice supper or a dinner party with friends, would you rather relax on the sofa or face a sink full of dirty dishes? I’m not advocating leaving those dishes in the sink all night!

But if you have some down time while you’re cooking dinner, it can be a huge help to start washing some dishes early. At least for me, once I sit down at the dinner table, I lose my motivation for housework!

Even if you don’t have all the cooking dishes washed before dinner, every little bit helps. This really goes a long way toward making your evenings more enjoyable.

11. Have a designated laundry day

How did pioneer homemakers stay on top of the family’s laundry, back before they had washing machines and dryers? They had a laundry day, and did it all at once.

Now, you and I probably don’t have to wash our clothes in a giant kettle or use a wringer washer and a washbasin, but this old fashioned housekeeping tip is helpful nonetheless.

If you designate one day of the week as laundry day, and really focus on that task until it’s done, then you don’t even have to think about laundry for the rest of the week! Laundry is not my favorite task, so that’s a big benefit in my book!

The key, of course, is to work on the laundry until it’s actually done, and not leave it halfway done for tomorrow… that’s how the job can drag on all week and make you feel flustered and behind on housework. Nobody wants that!

12. Use the Sun

This is one old fashioned housekeeping tip that should never have been forgotten!

Sunny afternoons do more than just boost your mood and put a smile on your face — although that is a wonderful thing in itself! Sunlight kills some bacteria, and acts as a natural bleach or whitener.

Hang linens out on a line on sunny afternoons to freshen them. Quilts, blankets, comforters, and pillows can all benefit from this! They will smell fresh and clean when you bring them inside.

White linens that are looking rather dingy can be made whiter by hanging them in the sun for several hours.

Hanging cloth diapers on a clothesline on sunny days also helps to get rid of any pesky stains! I know my cloth diapers are always whiter in the summer when I use my clothesline, than in the winter when I use my dryer.

13. Tidy as you go

I set aside one day in my weekly housekeeping schedule for cleaning, but that doesn’t mean I don’t clean anything the rest of the week!

Make it a habit to leave a room tidy when you walk out the door: make your bed before you leave your bedroom in the morning; wash the dishes and wipe down counters after breakfast; straighten the living room before your husband comes home from work; sweep the kitchen floor every night after dinner.

These little habits of keeping things tidy make your house feel more peaceful — and they make less work for you on cleaning day!

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I hope you enjoyed these good old fashioned housekeeping tips! What are some homemade or old fashioned ways you incorporate into your housekeeping?

Happy homemaking!

~Kimberly