5 vintage housekeeping hacks that work wonders
The expectations of managing a house have certainly changed since the ‘50s and ‘60s but that doesn’t mean we can’t utilise the tricks they learnt along the way.
These housekeeping hacks were developed to save time and money.
1. Phone hack
In 1953, Dorsey Connor shared a home hack in her book Gadgets Galore for women who only had one phone line. She recommended putting the phone on the ground in a dishpan when you move around the house so that you will be able to hear incoming call as the dishpan will amplify the noise of the ring.
2. Wet weather clean-up
In 1957, one contributor to the Encyclopedia of Household Hints and Dollar Stretches suggested keeping a sponge by the back door on rainy days. When someone comes in the house with a dripping umbrella or wet shoes, the sponge can be used to immediately wipe the water. When the sponge needs cleaning, the book recommends soaking it in salt water.
3. Strategic accessories
In 1962, Peg Bracken proposed to readers of The I Hate to Housekeep Book to get rid of unnecessary covers and rugs of any kind. She said that a rug in a room would just be another item to clean. “The reason you picked linoleum or vinyl instead of wall-to-wall carpeting was so you could wipe it up, remember?” she wrote. Peg urged readers not to buy toaster covers, shelf liners or throw rugs as they would double the cleaning.
4. Stretching food
A problem that is as common today as it was decades ago is trying to stretch food when unexpected dinner guests show up. Peg recommends serving “things under things” to avoid this issue. By placing meat on top of potatoes or vegetables, gives the appearance that the plate is full. A dinner roll could be placed underneath a roast to catch the drippings.
5. Planning grocery shopping
Author Marguerite Dodd found grocery shopping “needlessly consumed” a “great chunk of time”. She believed running to the shops to pick up only a handful of items was a waste of time. She recommended limiting shopping to once a week to pick up dairy, fruit and fresh vegetables. The rest of the items she said should come from a well-cultivated stash. Marguerite advised for meat to be bought monthly and stored in a freezer along with frozen vegetables.
Do you use these vintage hacks? Let us know in the comments below.