Natural cleaning products

[Plantaholic]

My DD must have heard you Oma, she came in and cleaned my windows. They were not dirty but the cleaner I have will insist on cleaning them and leaves them smeary, the mirrors too.

[Daisy]

Plant, we posted together. Smeary windows or mirrors are horrible.

[Lizzie48]

Plant, my mother used vinegar to clean windows and mirrors, many years ago.

[Plantaholic]

Did your mother dilute it?

[Lizzie48]

yes Plant she did.

[Oma]

Smears on mirrors are my bug bear,
My sister never cleaned her mirrors right,
Or her windows ,
Used drive me mad.

My mother always said no matter how poor you are keep your windows clean and your front door ,
No one notices the inside as long as the outside is clean.
She always said about children,
Keep them clean and tidy, that's what people notice.

Old fashioned ideas these days but I still stand by it.

[Plantaholic]

We always had a white front step.

[Daisy]

Plant, having a spotlessly clean front door step was very important to many people wasn't it. You'd see women (I never saw a man ) scrubbing away and the step would either be sparkling white or a deep red with a slight sheen (cardinal red?). Living in a shop we didn't have a front door as such, but my mother scrubbed the shop floor every night!

[Oma]

My mother would clean the front door step and polish the letterbox with brasso.

Another cleaning tip,

I haven't done this myself but I read the other day if you have grease spots on clothes sprinkle corn starch on rub it in ,
Leave for a hour then rub a little washing up liquid in before washing,

I have done it with white. Chalk before so I suspect. It's the same principle, it soaks out the grease.

[Daisy]

Oma, that's a very useful tip. Far too often I find greasy marks on clothes and they can be really hard to get off.

[Gemini]

My mum set great store by having the front door and step (regularly repainted in the Cardinal Red!) in pristine condition.

[Daisy]

Gem, it was very important to housewives in those days, wasn't it. I'm sure my mum would have been the same if we'd had a normal front door step. You could look down a street (especially terraced houses) and the neglected steps would often lead to comments from people. A whole household could be judged, it seems, on the state of the step and the net curtains.

I hope we are all less judgemental these days.

[Oma]

I remember our back porch at home had a concrete floor and my mother had me covering it in Cardinal red one day,
Took ages I remember then had to be polished.
Same with the front step,
As you say Daisy you were judged by your neighbours if your step wasn't clean,

Now your lucky to see a front door washed these days.

My older sister is the worst, her front door is disgraceful as is her windows,
She never was one for housework, that surprised me being brought up by my mother ,
We had nothing but my mother was very particular about housework and cleaning,

Having said that my sister is a very kind woman and would give you her last penny if you needed it ,
So what she lacks in one trait she makes up for in a kinder one.

[Daisy]

Oma, I remember a friend's mum doing her step with Cardinal, and I didn't realise it had to be polished. But it's reminded me of Mansion polish which my mother used on furniture. You had to put it on with one cloth, and preferably leave it for a few minutes (no idea why!) and then buff it up with a different clean duster.

I think lots of people did that though, and if OH polishes furniture it puts it on from a spray can on to one cloth, not directly onto the furniture, and then polishes it up.