Cleaning revelation!

When I had a dishwasher, years ago, my mother, who grew up during the Great Depression, told me, “I’ve never had a dishwasher, but I’ve had TWO stainless steel sinks!”  To her, that was such luxury!  She grew up with a porcelain sink, and no detergents or other modern cleaning products.  So, keeping their porcelain sink clean and nice was a big job.  Stainless steel sinks are wonderful!

See the picture up there?  That is my kitchen sink.  It is probably close to 40 years old now, and you can see it has some scratches, but otherwise is in very nice condition.

I discovered, just yesterday, that one of the easiest ways to clean my sink is to simply take a wash cloth, wet it, rub on bar soap and wash the sink… and then rinse it! It got me to thinking about all of the cleaning “products,” either purchased in a store or made at home that we think we need.  We buy sprays and wipes and powders, etc.. and maybe all that is needed is some soap.  Since I make my own soap, that’s even less expensive.  I do use just plain powdered borax on a cloth to scrub my shower/tub (which is fiberglass.) I also make a nice all-purpose spray by combining 90% cheap white vinegar and 10% rubbing alcohol.  To that, in a plastic spray bottle, I add 1 Tablespoon Borax.  It works very well.  For the windows and mirrors, I just wash them with soap and water first, in a bucket (to get off the big hunks), and then spray them with pure white vinegar and use crumbled newspapers or microfiber towels to dry them.

Years ago there were no spray bottles or microfiber towels…  And yet, they kept their houses clean.  I’m glad I discovered the soap and water.