Milk and bread for cleaning the house? This is how it was done in the 19th century. “More effective than modern ones”

Some of the cleaning methods used in the Victorian era were tested during the annual spring cleaning by conservators from English Heritage, a company that takes care of architectural monuments in England belonging to the “national heritage collection”. In the past, housewives did not have a variety of products and detergents at their disposal, but they had to be much more creative in cleaning techniques. It turns out that some of them are still much more effective compared to modern methods.

Cleaning then and now. Historic cleaning methods may be more effective than modern techniques

Routine and regularity were key to keeping the house tidy and included rigorous daily, weekly and fortnightly cleaning tasks. Despite limited possibilities, in the 19th century, cleaning tools were often used, and there were plenty of them on the estate. Conservators at Brodsworth Hall in Yorkshire discovered that the Victorian method of scrubbing floors with milk is as good as modern techniques and removes stubborn dirt from stone surfaces, leaving a shiny finish. In turn, tests with white bread showed that when used on wallpaper, it can collect an impressive amount of dirt.

– While we don’t recommend some quirky antiquities cleaning tips, such as cleaning an oil painting with a potato, the old housewives were often accurate in their methods, despite relatively little scientific knowledge. This is a great example using white bread to clean wallpaper. We usually use synthetic bread to avoid attracting pests, but regular bread works just as well. – Amber Xavier-Rowe, Director of Collections Conservation at English Heritage.

Historic cleaning tips. You can still use them

Conservators discovered that using a chamois to clean mirrors better than modern glass cleaners and that pieces of bread could effectively clean wallpaper, as 18th-century sources suggested, but left crumbs behind when cleaning dust. In addition, cleaning methods that are still effective today are:

• Use skimmed milk on stone floors.
• Apply a mixture of beeswax and turpentine to waxed wooden floors.
• Use a pony bristle brush to dust furniture and figurines.

old furniture Dominika Roseclay: www.pexels.com/pl

19th century cleaning tips. They can do more harm than good

Historically, housewives had to be more resourceful due to the lack of chemicals. However, some methods were not entirely accurate. the method of using a slice of potato peel to scrub oil paintings does more harm than good, as does exposing works of art to the sun to treat mildew. It is also better not to use:

• Sprinkling damp tea leaves on the carpet before sweeping.
• cleaning with a taper of oatmeal applied to the entire surface of the wall with a piece of flannel and sweeping with a soft broom or feather duster.
• giving shine to silver elements with salt.
• washing oat floorboards with beer.
• using salt and lemon on antique copper pans.