Products and Ways to Keep the Home Fresh

May 19, 2010, By Greg Hoard 4 comments

Greg Hoard

My mom is 82 years old. She lives by herself on three acres of land not far from Louisville, Ky. Though she has had one knee replaced, one hip replaced, survived a broken pelvis, a stroke, a head-on car crash, the death of my dad, the passing of her true love and a second husband, she endures – and she cleans. It’s quite a sight to see an old woman, steadied by a cane, pushing a 60-pound Rug Doctor around, though I have seen it many times.

From the time I was a child – when we didn’t have much – our house was always immaculate and always smelled good, no matter how many dogs and cats we had – and we always had a few – some regular residents, others just passing through. But you could never step through the door and realize animals were a part of our life.

Then and now, open a towel closet or a drawer where sheets and blankets were kept and you got a whiff of something wonderful. Climb into bed at night and not only were the sheets cool and fresh, but they smelled like flowers or honeysuckle.

So, the other day on a visit home, I ask her to tell me all the things she uses to keep the house clean and fresh, all the things she keeps on hand to clean.

Here’s a list, Mom’s List. It may give you a chuckle. It may give you an idea. But I can tell you – no matter what – no place smells as good as my mom’s house.

Products

Windex: She tells me she is never without Windex. She likes the way it smells and she likes what it does. But, she says, shaking a crooked, arthritic finger, never allow it to get on the frame of a mirror. “It’s always best,” she says, “to spray it on the cloth first and then clean the surface. If you get it on the frame it can ruin it. I’ve had that happen no matter what they say.”

“After you’ve cleaned,” she adds, “make sure you dry it off with a clean, dry cloth.”

Of course, she has an alternative.

“If you don’t want to use Windex, you can mix a ½ cup of vinegar to a quart or half-gallon of warm water and clean your windows or counter tops. Lot of folks thinks this works better. You can use rubbing alcohol instead of vinegar if you want. It achieves the same purpose.”

Bar-Keeper’s Friend

She’s never without this. She says it cleans stainless steel pots and pans or any stainless steel. She also uses it for rust stains on porcelain, fiberglass, glass cook tops and brass.

“Back when I was in the business (the bar business), we kept this on hand by the crate,” she says. Those were the days when she carried a .38 pistol because she made the night deposits. (She can tell you about the proper care of a weapon, as well.)

Club Soda

One of her secrets to longevity is a whiskey now and then, but while there is not always a bottle of blend in the house, there is always club soda. “It’s great,” she says, "for spots on carpets or a couch. Dampen the stain and blot it real good. If it’s not a bad stain, it will usually solve the problem.”

Ammonia 

“I don’t use ammonia a lot,” she says. “It’s so strong, but it is good to have around.” She still remembers the time she sent my friend Sammy and me down into the cistern to clean it with ammonia and water and Sammy and I emerged nearly gassed by the effect.

She laughs. “I don’t know what I was thinking – almost a catastrophe, but there is nothing better for burned pans: use two tablespoons of ammonia with lots of water, put the burned pot back on the stove under low heat, get it good and warm and you can scrub that pot completely clean.”

Baking Powder

Mom has baking powder everywhere. She keeps an open container in the fridge and closets to keep them fresh. She also mixes it with flea powder and sprinkles it on the carpets before vacuuming.

“At my age, it’s easier than catching the cats and putting flea powder on them,” she says.

Dryer Sheets

She puts them in the bathroom closets where she stores towels and washes clothes, tucks them down in drawers where she keeps bedclothes and clothing. She does the same thing with empty perfume bottles. “Of course,” she says, “you have to take the cap off, but it works really well.”

Chalk

She ties a piece of chalk on a string and hangs it from a nail in closets to absorb moisture.

Bars of Unwrapped Soap

Going back to when I was a kid, there were always bars of scented soap in dishes and trays around the house. After a week or two, they were moved to the bathrooms and replaced with new fresh bars. “It’s a simple and inexpensive air-freshener,” she says.

Old English Furniture Polish

When she is bored, she polishes her antique furniture. “I’ve used this for 50 years, maybe more,” she says. “There is one for dark wood and one for lighter wood. I haven’t found anything that works as well.”

Plenty of Rags

Anything that gets old or torn, anything cotton or absorbent joins the ranks of the rags, which she washes on a regular basis. “Oh, I use paper towels, too,” she says. “But when I do, I always feel a little wasteful.”

Greg Hoard is the senior writer and former editor of Cincinnati Profile magazine. He is a featured contributor to ManoftheHouse.com.