Photo Credit: Lucinda Symons
From the book:
"This is a list of the housekeeping equipment and cleaning products that I find useful. I have no need for anything more—mine is a small but friendly cleaning-product cupboard. I lead a small but friendly life.
- Beeswax polish
- Baking soda, in industrial quantities
- Borax
- Chamois leather, for cleaning windows and rubbing off pet hair
- Distilled white vinegar, in industrial quantities
- Natural, ready-prepared cleaning fluids and detergent powder (such as Ecover)
- Enamel buckets—a good selection, preferably vintage. Why buy new ones when so many are available from flea markets and secondhand stores?
- Feather or lambswool duster with a long handle for reaching cobwebs and behind furniture
- Jam jars with screw lids
- Lemons, for various cleaning purposes
- Muslin, for food covers, straining jelly, etc.
- Old toothbrushes, for cleaning awkward corners
- Rags, for use as cleaning cloths. Make these from worn-out cotton dresses and t-shirts, towels, dish towels, and bed linens that are beyond mending. Cut the cloth into squares. Wash or boil used rags regularly. You may never need to buy another dustcloth; most people have enough rags to last a lifetime.
- Refillable spray bottles
- Soda crystals
- Washing line and wooden clothes pins
- Wooden bristle scrubbing brush
- Wooden-handled, bristle-brushed brooms (These last forever, unlike their plastic counterparts.) A hard-bristle brush is best for outdoor use and a soft-bristle brush for indoor sweeping.
- Wooden-handled, small bristle brush with tin dustpan (Plastic is not eco-friendly and is breakable.) As above, a soft-bristle brush is best for indoors while a hard-bristle brush removes dried mud and other dirt from carpets and rugs.”
Addendum: I also really like some of her dresses and housewares. Worth checking out.
