America's Housekeeping Book (1945) recommends that the sink be the last item to receive some attention during the weekly cleaning of the kitchen. But last is not least. The sink played a pivotal role as the housewife cleaned each of the other appliances and - just as she was about to hang up her dishcloth - it deserved a good, thorough scrubbing. The manual includes tips for both the ubiquitous baked enamel sink...
...as well as the (then) much less common stainless steel sink. Mine is stainless steel, so let me take a closer look at those instructions:
Monel or Stainless Steel
1. These metals are acid-resistant.
2. Soap and water or a mild scouring powder will clean the surface. After rinsing, use a clean dry cloth to dry the surface and produce a soft sheen.
3. A patina is built up with use and in consequence these metals are increasingly easy to clean.
You know, I was just thinking I'd like to get a better shine from my sink after washing it. I've been using Comet and a cellulose sponge - and they do the job, but the sink doesn't quite give me that shiny payoff I've been looking for from a kitchen I've spent three hours on! Maybe all I need to do is buff it with a dry dish towel. For those of you (like me) who are curious what "Monel" might be, it was the brand name for a nickel/copper product resembling stainless steel. Monel was introduced in 1906 and, by the early '30s, was being used for kitchen sinks.
The manual also gives some advice on keeping your drain trap as sanitary as possible. (Do we even have drain traps any longer? I have no idea... There are loads of ads in 1940s magazines for methods to defeat those dangerous gases emanating from your drain trap.) There's also a tip or two for cleaning metal fixtures (faucets, "towel bars," soap dish, sink strainer, dish drainer, etc.):
Chromium: Wash with a cloth or sponge wrung out of soapy water. Polish dry with a clean cloth.
Nickel: Wash with soapy water. Apply fine scouring powder or metal polish. Let dry. Polish with a soft cloth. Corrosion may be removed with vinegar or lemon juice.
Oh, dear. I don't think I have any idea what metal my kitchen faucet is made from! Housewives in the '40s had to become very well acquainted with the materials in their homes - the metals, the fabrics, the woods. Without knowing the materials they were dealing with, they couldn't have kept things clean with such a limited range of cleansers and tools. We're not quite so intimate with our own homes today.
9 comments:
that picture is too cute, it looks exactly like an afternoon at my house. hahaha.
Ive read that a solution of vinegar and water, 1 part vinegar to 3 or 4 parts water makes your sink super shiny.
I have a deep stainless steel sink that I love to get all shiny. What I use is baking soda. It won't scratch the metal, and you can use it on pretty much anything (so whatever you faucet is made of). It makes the sink shine like no other. Just buff it dry at the end after scrubbing the baking soda in and rinsing off.
Great picture! I think if I was home during the day, I would be better informed about my home - it would feel like my job to know as much as possible about it.
ALTHOUGH -- now that I'm an owner, not a renter, I find myself deeply interested in what type of wood is in my floors, how to care for the finish on the windowsills, etc. - things that I didn't even think about much when I rented.
I love that picture. I can remember my little brothers pulling out all the pans and playing on the kitchen floor. Also, my son would pull out all the plastic wear and play with it. Drove my husband nuts, but I always knew where the baby was and what he was doing!
Those are metal cabinets in the picture. For a short time we lived in a house with metal cabinets. The rest of the house was awful, but the kitchen was the nicest I have ever had. (I think it was the combination of usable cabinet and counter space, light, and arrangement of appliances.) I always felt that the cabinets were clean after they were washed, too.
Actually, that same type sink with the drain "boards" on both sides is in the apartment my daughter lives in. The sinks are really big and deep. Some things were definitely better in the old days.
Yes, we all have drain traps. It is the bent pipe just under your sinks,and tub. It holds anything you drop down there just long enough for you to shut the water off and recover the item such as a ring, by unscrewing it. If it was ever clogged or running very slow you want to remove it and clean it out. Use a pipe wrench or call maintenance. If it smells nasty it is over due. Vinegar and baking soda works great, but depending on the problem may not be strong enough. Tub drains are harder to clean so keeping hair out of them is a must. You do not want to be pulling that out of there after waiting too long, that is super gross!
The picture is pretty cute! It's from a '40s ad for steel, thus the nicely kitted out cabinets and shelving.
CIRCLED_ dolly and Kalee, vinegar and baking soda are some good suggestions. I think the buffing is key at the end - whatever your method. Even the Flylady keeps her sink shiny by buffing it:
http://www.flylady.net/pages/FLYingLessons_Shine.asp
prairieknitter, I'm so jealous!!! I can't wait to own a home someday - and can completely understand how that kind of investment could really make you get to know your home a lot better. On the other hand, maybe these are my training wheels. I would have to have learned how to embrace housekeeping before I could be a responsible homeowner.
Packrat, my mom has one of those sinks with double drainboards. They're great for dishracks, especially if you don't have a dishwasher. I worked in a museum once where the kitchen had been remodedeled postwar when the building was turned into a nursing home of sorts. The steel cabinetry didn't fare as well over time in that particular building. They had really become very rusty over the decades.
Jeanne, after all those creepy ads I've seen for drain trap vapors, now I'm scared! I'll have to go read those tips on caring for drain traps...
If this is posted twice then sorry having trouble with the comment page....DO NOT BE AFRAID of the drain trap. unlike past plumbing the pipes are vented. ( those odd usually white pipes you see sticking out of the roof) therefore no gas will build up in your home. your safe as it is a requirement to pass plumbing inspection.
Few! That's a relief. Judging from the ads in vintage magazines, "sewer gases" seem to have been a serious concern to housewives back in the day. I'm glad the plumbing industry came up with a way to seal off and vent them.
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