Several years ago I was visiting an elderly aunt in a convalescent home, where she was recovering from a broken hip; with me on the visit was another elderly aunt. As we sat out on the lawn that day talking, the two of them began reminiscing about how things were different back in the 'old days' when they were children or young adults. Hardly anything was ever 'store bought'; everything was made by hand from whatever was available. Medicinal treatments and such were made from herbs or other things growing in the garden or in the yard or woods. As they began to talk about some of those things, I grabbed a notebook out of my car, and jotted down some of the things they talked about for future reference.
My plan was that 'someday' I would type it all up nicely and give it to my children and nieces and nephews as a keepsake. Naturally, I never got around to it. Anyway, yesterday I ran across the notebook while I was looking for something else, and sat down to read the notes.
I decided to write here about a few of the things they told me that day. Some may be actually things that people would want to do, others might be more difficult due to lack of ingredients available. I haven't actually done most of these things myself, you understand, but I think it's interesting to hear about how things 'used to be'.
Aunt Daisy's and Aunt Gladys' home remedies:
Cleaning windows:
With kerosene, using crumpled up newspapers - this really makes them shine; I don't know why, but it does. (This is how we cleaned our windows when I was a kid, we couldn't afford to buy cleaners either.)
Another way to clean windows was to use ash from the fireplace with a damp cloth, then wipe off with another damp cloth, then wipe with a dry cloth.
Beeswax furniture polish:
Melt about 5 tablespoons of beeswax in the top of a double boiler (I don't know if it would work in a microwave?), take pan off the heat and mix in about 3 cups of turpentine. Mix well and store in a tightly covered mason jar. Works equally well to polish floors.
To clean unpolished wood:
Cold tea.
To make linoleum shine:
Add a capful of baby oil to the detergent and water when you mop.
Brass or copper pot cleaner:
Plain tomato juice or ketchup works best, but if you have none on hand, buttermilk also works very well.
Clean an iron skillet:
Boil a little vinegar & salt in it to clean the inside; to clean the outside, put it inside a bigger pot to which you have added the vinegar & salt, and boil.
Keeping mice away:
Plant peppermint by the front and back doors; mice apparently don't like the smell and will stay away in droves.
Insect repellent:
Use a 'half a handful' of feverfew added to about a quart of boiling water, and steep. When the water has cooled, rub it over your skin. (This might be great - I hate using insecticides on my skin.)
Brown ink:
Make a very strong tea, 4 or 5 tsp. to a 'little bit' of water, after it cools store in a small bottle.
For headache, indigestion or general fatigue:
Peppermint tea.
For sore throat:
Chamomile tea with honey.
To relieve sunburn:
Add vinegar to bath water. (I have actually done this, and it is soothing, although not very long-lasting. The vinegar smell goes away fairly quickly.)
Egg shampoo:
Eggs were usually plentiful, but nobody could afford to buy shampoo. So all you do is beat 2 eggs until frothy and apply to the hair just like you would any shampoo, then rinse with water containing a small amount of vinegar.
Toothpaste:
Mix a little water with baking soda and brush. Not only cleans but whitens. (I have done this one.)
Of course the absolute favorite remedy for almost anything that ailed you was castor oil! I remember that well from my childhood; my sister and I seldom complained about not feeling well because my mom would instantly say 'castor oil!' Thats okay, mom, I'm feeling much better now.
If you have no actual use for any of these remedies, maybe at least it has been food for thought. Cheers!
