Nostalgic trip into feminine history
“Dip a new broom in salt water before using. This will toughen the bristles and make it last much longer.” Sage advice from another century? Well, almost.
Reading vintage women’s magazine articles and old cookbooks has been an enjoyable pastime for me during this last year of COVID hibernation. What a treasure trove of feminine history I have found! Listening just slightly behind the words, one can hear how our lives were, how we managed, how we helped and cared for one another by passing on new ideas and good advice.
At age 85 I am out of the practical household loop, but I have the feeling that it has evolved in new ways with different communication techniques, toward the same end, in a splendid continuum of everlasting sisterhood.
Listening just slightly behind the words, one can hear how our lives were, how we managed, how we helped and cared for one another by passing on new ideas and good advice.
Take a look at how it was 50 years ago when I was on the lookout for the latest in household hints. These were published in 1970 by the Eden Chapter of Hadassah.
“To remove ink stains from the hands, rub with the inside of a banana skin.”
“Staple a few pages from a memo pad to the inside of your telephone book. Handy for messages and notes.”
“If a cracked dish is boiled for 45 minutes in sweet milk, the crack will be so welded together that it will hardly be visible, and will be so strong it will stand the same usage as before.”
“If silver after it is cleaned is then rubbed with a piece of lemon and washed and well dried, it acquires an extra brilliancy, and it will keep longer than ordinary.”
“Place silverware in an aluminum pan and pour the potato water from boiled potatoes over it. Cover with a tight lid and let sit for several minutes. Then wash and scald. You will be amazed at the results.”
“Make your washday easier by making a simple clothes line container out of a plastic bleach bottle. Remove half a section on the upper half side, hang it on the line, and it will be easy to slide along.”
“Throw handfuls of soda at the base of grease fires and it will smother flames. Rinse off the meat and pat with paper towels. Won’t hurt the food, and puts out fires instantly.”
“When washing lettuce, put a little salt in the water and it will bring out any bugs or insects lurking in hidden places.”
“To freshen withered parsley, put it in a bowl of hot water and let it stand for a few minutes. Shake out and put into the icebox.”
“Pin discarded shoulder pads over a wire hanger, presto! A shape keeping hanger for jackets and suit coats.”
“When staying overnight in a motel or “look alike” tourist cabins, to help small boys identify the right room, take along red yarn and tie it on the door knob. The boys can’t remember room numbers at each stop, but they can spot
the red yarn. When leaving take the yarn along for the next stop.
I hope you enjoyed our stroll through memory lane. And, keep a twist of red yarn in your pocket — just in case!
Valerie Jelenfy Stilson is a San Rafael resident. IJ readers are invited to share their stories of love, dating, parenting, marriage, friendship and other experiences for our How It Is column, which runs Tuesdays in the Lifestyles section. All stories must not have been published in part or in its entirety previously. Send your stories of no more than 600 words to lifestyles@marinij.com. Please write How It Is in the subject line. The IJ reserves the right to edit them for publication. Please include your full name, address and a daytime phone number.