Yes, I made my own furniture polish. Well, to be exact, I made a solution in which I dunked flannel pieces, saved and cut from an old bed sheet.
Frugal, to borrow the well-loved Victorian attribute, and Green, as we would say in the 21st century.
Unlike the housemaid of yesteryear, I don't have to fashion my own cleaning rags and polishes. But I wanted to try it anyway. The same way I'd like to wear a bustle and bonnet. On occasion.
For a while now, I've been intrigued by the safe cleaning solutions so in vogue today. Applied liberally with elbow grease, they're much tried by those wanting to save money, save the planet, and save their health from nasty allergies.
The mixture I settled on, (and there's loads on the internet you can experiment with) takes a minute to put together. Here's mine...
1 cup water
1 cup white vinegar
1 tsp oil
That's it. Mix together, dunk your cloth in, squeeze, and alternate damp flannels with lemon rind in a deep glass jar. Leave overnight and do as I did today, when I took down all the Christmas decorations - give the place a deep dusting.
My verdict? Not bad. The vinegary smell doesn't linger, and the lemon makes up for that anyway. There's just enough oil to leave a light shine on furniture, and enough dampness to pick up dust without pushing it around the way a dry cloth does. Very downstairs maid of me, if I may say so myself.
But there were corners I couldn't reach, where the vacuum cleaner extension arm did the trick. I wondered what my Victorian counterpart would have done. Feather duster, I imagine.
Mrs Beeton's book of all things household management
recommends a long handled brush of feathers or a goose wing.
A goose wing!! But don't worry. I won't be leaving for any wild goose chases in a hurry.
No, sufficient for me is the knowledge God covers me with His wing. Nothing limp and lifeless as a poor goose's lost appendage. But lavish, and generous in its reach. Vast, with enough to cover, tuck and keep me safe. Fierce, like an eagle. Proud, like a mother.
I've mulled over God's way of making all things good again, as I've wiped away the Christmas tinsel and the dust of summer. And I've pondered the way oil, vinegar, and especially wings, are symbols of how God gathers and restores.
What a blessing I've had today, even as I've gone about the mundane of this world, to remember the unfathomable love of God who always draws me to a safe place.
Frugal, to borrow the well-loved Victorian attribute, and Green, as we would say in the 21st century.
For a while now, I've been intrigued by the safe cleaning solutions so in vogue today. Applied liberally with elbow grease, they're much tried by those wanting to save money, save the planet, and save their health from nasty allergies.
The mixture I settled on, (and there's loads on the internet you can experiment with) takes a minute to put together. Here's mine...
1 cup water
1 cup white vinegar
1 tsp oil
That's it. Mix together, dunk your cloth in, squeeze, and alternate damp flannels with lemon rind in a deep glass jar. Leave overnight and do as I did today, when I took down all the Christmas decorations - give the place a deep dusting. My verdict? Not bad. The vinegary smell doesn't linger, and the lemon makes up for that anyway. There's just enough oil to leave a light shine on furniture, and enough dampness to pick up dust without pushing it around the way a dry cloth does. Very downstairs maid of me, if I may say so myself.
But there were corners I couldn't reach, where the vacuum cleaner extension arm did the trick. I wondered what my Victorian counterpart would have done. Feather duster, I imagine.
Mrs Beeton's book of all things household management
recommends a long handled brush of feathers or a goose wing.
A goose wing!! But don't worry. I won't be leaving for any wild goose chases in a hurry.
No, sufficient for me is the knowledge God covers me with His wing. Nothing limp and lifeless as a poor goose's lost appendage. But lavish, and generous in its reach. Vast, with enough to cover, tuck and keep me safe. Fierce, like an eagle. Proud, like a mother.
I've mulled over God's way of making all things good again, as I've wiped away the Christmas tinsel and the dust of summer. And I've pondered the way oil, vinegar, and especially wings, are symbols of how God gathers and restores.
What a blessing I've had today, even as I've gone about the mundane of this world, to remember the unfathomable love of God who always draws me to a safe place.
He shall cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings shall you trust. Psalm 91:4
Have you made your own cleaning supplies? Do you have a real feather duster?
Blessings for a wonderful weekend,
Next week.... Hydrangeas
