The Way a 50’s house wife cleaned (taken from Jen not Jenn http://www.jenbutneverjenn.com/2010/05/keeping-of-house-1950s-style.html)
The 50s housewife was busy, to say the least. According to what
I’ve read, she cleans certain things on a weekly basis that I haven’t cleaned once
since moving into our condo in 2006. Kidding, mom. (Not kidding, everyone
else.)
I’ve compiled the advice, and here’s the daily housekeeping schedule I’ll attempt to follow for the 50s Housewife Experiment:
I’ve compiled the advice, and here’s the daily housekeeping schedule I’ll attempt to follow for the 50s Housewife Experiment:
1.
Throw back the covers
2.
Open up the blinds and
windows
3.
Freshen up
4.
Make and serve
breakfast
5.
Clean up breakfast
7.
Shower, do hair and
make-up, get dressed
8.
Gather a basket for
tidying. As the rooms of the home are tackled, pick up items that aren’t where
they belong and place them in a basket. Redistribute them where they should be
as you enter a new room
9.
Straighten up the
living and dining room, including picking up potential clutter, light dusting,
fluffing / straightening pillows, and watering plants or flowers
10.
Make the beds
11.
Tidy the bedroom,
including light dusting
12.
Hang up any clothes
that may be about or ensure dirty ones are in the hamper
13.
Do a light tidy of the
bathroom including removing and replacing used towels, refilling toilet paper
and soap (if needed) and cleaning the sink and basin area including soap dishes
14.
Review the menu for
the current day and the next and compare it to what’s currently available in
the home. Make note of anything that needs to be prepared ahead of time or
marketing (shopping) that needs to get done
15.
Begin
long-advance preparations for dinner (such as making dessert)
16.
Wipe down kitchen work
surfaces and inside the fridge
17.
Dispose of garbage
18.
Rinse dish cloths and
hang to dry
19.
Sweep or mop the
kitchen floor
20.
Handle errands that
might take you out of the home (such as marketing, volunteering, going to the
post office, getting an item fixed, etc), bookkeeping,
correspondence, or indulge in a hobby
21.
If returning from the
grocery store, wash vegetables, wrap them and put them away. Place rest of
groceries or purchases in their proper place
22.
Have a quick lunch
<- Yoinks?
23.
Start advance food
conditioning like crisping vegetables or thawing frozen foods
24.
Handle weekly chore
for the day (more on that below!)
25.
Set the table for
dinner
26.
Arrange the living
room for evening enjoyment (such as “the Mister’s” newspaper, book, and
cigarettes)
27.
Do a quick sweep of
the floors and ensure entrance ways are clear
28.
Prepare a special dish
for dinner
29.
Freshen up before the
husband returns from work. Consider changing into something more festive if the
day dress is plain
30.
Set out a tray with
equipment for making cocktails, should “the Mister” want to serve drinks before
dinner
31.
Greet husband “gayly”
32.
Serve dinner
33.
Clear table and wash
dishes
34.
Pour boiling water
down the sink to ensure pipes are flushed
35.
If necessary, pack the
husband’s lunch for the next day. Set aside a lunch tray in the refrigerator
for yourself if having leftovers
36.
Set table for
breakfast
37.
Ensure breakfast foods
are available and do any make-ahead preparations for it
38.
Shoot
yourself in the head Enjoy an evening of
relaxation
If that isn’t enough, each day there is a once-a-week chore
to tackle, which is basically a deep clean of a particular room. It’s not your
typical “wipe the tub” cleaning. Nope. It’s stuff like:
·
Use metal polish on
bathroom fixtures
·
Clean and disinfect
all kitchen appliances
·
Scald and disinfect
bread boxes and garbage pails and bins
·
Replace flowers with
fresh bouquets
In
addition, laundry should be done at least twice a week (including bedding) and
floors should be mopped / vacuumed on a similar schedule.
There is also a recommendation in there to try to squeeze a 10 – 30 minute nap in the afternoon (if not because you’re actually tired but to “look more refreshed” for he-who-wants-to-be-greeted-with-prettiness when he gets home).
While there were certainly brand name cleaning products available to her, the 50s housewife used a lot of simple household products as well – such as baking soda, vinegar, lemon, castile soap and borax – not to mention a good deal of elbow grease. She used things like cheese cloth, rags and old newspapers instead of paper towels. This actually all suits me fine as I figure these are all environmentally friendly options – and who knows – they might even work better than the contemporary products.
I’d also like to note - and will bold this so that a certain someone sees it - that all the guides indicate that a husband shouldn’t expect to be waited on hand and foot. He is fully capable of putting away his coat when he arrives home, fetching and putting away the objects he uses and properly hanging and / or putting his clothes away after undressing. Extras like helping with the dishes after dinner are also "courteous contributions."
There is also a recommendation in there to try to squeeze a 10 – 30 minute nap in the afternoon (if not because you’re actually tired but to “look more refreshed” for he-who-wants-to-be-greeted-with-prettiness when he gets home).
While there were certainly brand name cleaning products available to her, the 50s housewife used a lot of simple household products as well – such as baking soda, vinegar, lemon, castile soap and borax – not to mention a good deal of elbow grease. She used things like cheese cloth, rags and old newspapers instead of paper towels. This actually all suits me fine as I figure these are all environmentally friendly options – and who knows – they might even work better than the contemporary products.
I’d also like to note - and will bold this so that a certain someone sees it - that all the guides indicate that a husband shouldn’t expect to be waited on hand and foot. He is fully capable of putting away his coat when he arrives home, fetching and putting away the objects he uses and properly hanging and / or putting his clothes away after undressing. Extras like helping with the dishes after dinner are also "courteous contributions."
Keeping
a house like a 50’s house wife the flylady way.
1.
Get up and make the bed. (Monday take the sheets off and throw in the
washer)
2.
Grab any loose clothes on the floor and take to
the bathroom as you go.
3.
Take a shower and get dressed.
4.
Swish and Swipe while you are in there. (Wipe out the sink and swish the toilet. Go ahead and change the hand towel now.)
5.
Fix hair and makeup.
6.
Fix breakfast
7.
Clean up breakfast dishes and wipe down the
counters and stove.
8.
Grab a basket and do a Pick Up and Put
Away. (I will start in the basement an
work my way up to the back side of the house)
9.
Dust each room as I pick up and put away
anything that is loose.
10. Make
sure the kids beds are made and if they are not make them. On Monday finish making my bed when the
sheets are done.
11. Hang
up any clothes and do any ironing.
12. Check
the menu and get out any meat for supper that needs to be thawed.
13. Prep
for supper (make any deserts)
14. Wipe
out fridge and clean off counters.
15. Take
out trash
16. Rinse
out sink and hang up the dish rag
17. Sweep
and mop the kitchen
18. Run
any errands (shopping) (put away groceries as soon as you get home. Washing and prepping any vegies)
19. Lunch
20. Do
my weekly chores. (I will post a list below and link to flylady)
21. Freshen
up before husband gets home
22. Great
husband happily
23. Serve
dinner
24. Wash
dishes and pour boiling water down the drain to keep the drains clear
25. Pack
lunches for tomorrow
26. Set
the table for breakfast the next morning (to make the next morning run smooth)
27. Relax
and enjoy your night.
Daily Focus:
Monday
Weekly Home Blessing Day
This is the day you spend
an hour doing basic cleaning in your house. There are seven parts to a Weekly
Home Blessing Hour:
1.
Cull/toss old magazines
2.
Change sheets
3.
Empty all the trash
4.
Vacuum all rooms
5.
Mop kitchen and bath
6.
Clean mirrors and doors
7.
Dust
FlyLady likes to do her
Weekly Home Blessing Hour on Mondays. Some people bless their home twice a
week; others do this on Friday to get ready for the weekend or Saturday morning
to get the whole family involved. FlyBabies who work outside of the home may
not have a full hour to devote to this, so they do one or two items of our
weekly home blessing a day. You can do one before you go to work and one after
you get home. With these things penciled on your Basic Weekly Plan, you have a
specific time to do them.
Tuesday
Free Day
This is a day to take a
break and just do the things you’re supposed to do every day – your routines
and the things listed in the daily reminders. Schedule your free day for a day
when you generally have a lot going on. FlyLady schedules her Free Day on
Tuesdays.
Wednesday
Zone Cleaning, Menu, and Partial Desk Day
This day you should start out by cleaning the refrigerator. This
will get rid of any science projects growing in the back, but it also allows us
to take inventory of the food that is in there that needs to be used. This way
we can integrate this food into our menu plan for next week. We do this the day
before we go to the grocery store. It’s a good idea to do this before you go to
the grocery store so you don’t buy doubles or forget anything that needs
replacing. FlyLady recommends doing this day before your Errands Day.
After you clean out the
fridge, this is a great time to make your grocery list and a simple menu plan.
You will need to
look at your calendar for
next week to see what nights you are going to be home for a meal with your
family.
Put this on your basic
weekly plan for this day:
·
Clean the refrigerator
·
Make a menu for the next week
·
Write a grocery list
·
Balance the checkbook before shopping
Thursday
Errand Day
This is the day you plan
to do all the things you need to do outside of your home, such as grocery
shopping (especially grocery shopping!), picking up prescriptions, hair cuts,
dropping off library books, and so on. FlyLady’s errand day is Thursday. You
should pick a day of the week that will work best for you.
On the page for that day,
list the places you need to go every week (post office, drug store, grocery
store, etc.). Put the sheet in a shiny sheet protector and use a dry-erase
marker to check off each place you’ve gone. Be sure to leave enough space at
the bottom of the page to add appointments or errands that aren’t weekly, like
doctor’s appointments or hair cuts.
Friday
Paperwork/”Clean Out” Day & Date Night
This is the day we tie up
any loose ends. FlyLady likes doing this on Friday, because it’s quick to do
but necessary, which leaves plenty of time to start the weekend.
This is the day you
should be sure to mail off any bills, deposit checks in the bank, file any
important documents (such as bills or receipts), write letters, and so on.
Also, this is the day FlyLady recommends cleaning out your car, your purse, and
your laundry room. Throw away any garbage and make sure any misplaced items are
put back in their place that way you can start the weekend right. While doing
this, pull out the food you’ll need from your pantry or freezer for next week’s
menu so you’ll be prepared when the busy week sets in!
This is also what FlyLady
likes to call Date Night. Plan a nice activity for you and your significant
other or a friend to enjoy later in the evening — or one just for yourself!
Weekend
Your plans for the
weekends are up to you to decide. You may want to plan fun weekly activities
for your kids or schedule time for you to go to something on your own.
Saturday is
“Family Fun Day” – enjoy the day with your family!
Sunday is
“Renew Your Spirit Day” – relax and reflect on the past week, as well as what
is to come.
Once you have created
your basic weekly plan, you’re ready for step
twelve!
You can check all
this out at http://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/flying-lessons/control-journal/step-11/
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