Do you know how to quickly and easily dust behind a heavy, tricky-to-move wardrobe?
Or, if you’re out without your winter boots and the temperature plummets, how to make sure you won’t slip on the ice?
Do you have a squeaky door, but don’t want to oil the hinge for fear of drips on the carpet?
The answers to all these questions – and 1,200 more besides – are compiled in this very handy new book, Pass It On – Household Tips From The 1950s.
It’s full of timeless wisdom and homely nostalgia. The tips are gathered from the 1950s – an era when we were especially proud of our thrifty, clean, innovative, clever households. The book is divided into chapters on cleaning, ironing, coal fires, shoes, nylons, thrift, and many more, adding up to the biggest and best collection of tips for living ever published!
The advice might be from a long time ago, but an awful lot of it is still very useful.
How many do you remember?
HANDY FILLER – If you haven’t a funnel to fill a small-necked bottle, use a clean egg shell. Make a little hole with a thick needle, then pour the liquid through.
TIME SAVER – If you upset a box of buttons or pins, scoop them up with the edge of a postcard. Much quicker than picking up by hand.
SOCKS – To remove stains from children’s socks caused by dye from shoes, damp the stained part and rub in a little dry baking soda, then wash in the usual way.
STAY WARM – To prevent pyjama legs from slipping up, stitch a piece of tape or elastic to the bottom of each leg so that it goes under the sole of each foot, thus keeping the legs warm.
CONDENSED MILK – On opening a tin of condensed milk, pour the contents into a glass jar with a screw top. The milk keeps better and the jar is cleaner to handle than a messy, encrusted tin.
QUICK FIX FOR LEAKING PIPES – If you’ve a burst water pipe, melt candle ends in a small jar and dip in some strips of cloth. Wrap these firmly round the leak. As the water hardens the wax, it forms a watertight bandage till the plumber arrives.
A KNOTTY PROBLEM – A knot in string or laces which cannot be easily loosened should be hammered gently. Then insert the point of a darning needle and prise open.
CAP-SAVER – When taking the cap off a bottle which you wish to reseal, place a coin on top of the cap before applying the bottle opener. This prevents the cap being dented and enables you to reseal the bottle.
NO SPILLS – When baby’s learning to feed himself, get two or three double-sided suction grips for fixing his plate to the tray on his high chair.
A PROFESSIONAL LOOK – The gold leaf numbering above my door was gradually being washed away. I bought two birthday cards with gold numbers for the age group, trimmed them neatly with scissors, and then pasted them on the glass. Now my number looks professionally done.
A GOOD WAY TO GET RID OF FLIES – Take a piece of sponge, cover with boiling water, then squeeze the water out. Sprinkle a few drops of lavender oil over the sponge, and hang it in a suitable place. Flies detest this smell.
The Pass It On book, with its charming mix of practical hints and delightful nostalgia, is available from our online shop.
