2 Sept 2020

Vintage cleaning hacks from the Tenement House

Written by Ana Sanchez-De la Vega, Visitor Services Supervisor, The Tenement House

An old wooden shelf has a variety of old-fashioned cleaning products arranged upon it. These include old bars of soap, a metal tin of mothicide, a metal canister of Brasso, two old glass bottles and a cardboard box of Rinso.

Miss Toward’s cleaning cupboard at the Tenement House

We’ve dug through the Tenement House Archive to find the best cleaning hacks from the past!

Flat 1-1 (now The Tenement House) of 145 Buccleuch Street in Glasgow was the home of shorthand typist Agnes Toward from 1911 until 1965. Without any modern appliances, domestic life occupied most of her time at home. Just like we do today with our Pinterest boards, Agnes used to keep newspaper scraps that contained all sorts of interesting recipes and tips.

Click on the items below to discover a helpful household hint!