Mileposts
 Going Green, Back to the Ways of Your Grandmother
By KRISTY ROBINSON
Getting around without a car isn’t that hard; many people walk or ride bicycles to the grocery or the library or rec center. Some take it a little further and bicycle to work like Leiper’s Fork resident Don Dicie, who rides his bike from the village to his job at St. Paul’s in Franklin. Though other people have longer commutes that may keep them from following Don’s lead, there are many things you can do to be more green and even save money.
A lot of it is simply going back to basics and remembering the way previous generations did it. Sometimes people are under the misconception that going green translates to buying the newest, expensive green product. Not so. For instance, homemade cleaners work just as well and are usually cheaper and greener.
I’ve listed some old-fashioned house cleaning tips taken from a number of vintage publications, including "Buckeye Cookery and Practical Housekeeping" and "Young's Demonstrative Translation of Scientific Secrets." Even if you’re not ready to surrender your Windex you might find some of these concoctions helpful and usually you will have the necessary items around your house.
- Baking soda works as well as more expensive store-bought products when scrubbing surfaces like bath tubs and sinks and you can even use it to brush your teeth with.
- Diluted vinegar makes an excellent glass cleaner. Three parts water, one part vinegar.
- To remove bad smells on articles of clothing, or of any other character, which have become impregnated with bad-smelling substances, will be freed from them by burying for a day or two in the ground. Wrap up lightly before burying. Seriously. I tried it and it worked.
- To wash glassware use a little ammonia in dishwater; it will make it sparkle like cut-glass.
- To cleanse a sponge rub a fresh lemon thoroughly into soured sponge and rinse it several times in lukewarm water; it will become as sweet as when new.
- To clean wooden furniture an old cabinet maker says the best preparation for cleaning picture frames and restoring furniture, especially anything somewhat marred or scratched, is a mixture of three parts linseed oil and one part spirits of turpentine.
- To clean a badly burned pot half fill it with cold water, then cook in it one whole onion unpeeled until soft.
- To drive away fleas sprinkle area with a few drops of oil of lavender. Works on pets too.
- To keep flies off items boil three or four onions in a pint of water and apply with a soft brush, let dry.
Next time you’re with a person in advancing years ask them what products their parents used to clean house, clothes, even gardening tips and animal care, you’ll be surprised how green generations that preceded us were and how much we can learn from them.
Kristy Robinson lives on Highway 96 by the Natchez Trace with her husband Scott and three children. She is a care manager with Robinson Kelley Care Consultants. |
