Tips From The Old Housewives

by Elizabeth Drury

This book is full of humorous housewifely notions that our grandmothers and great-grandmothers most likely swore by. Relying on Foremother Beeton, Drury's collection provides a humorous glimpse into the past as well as some practical (and some not-so-practical!) household tricks for the present. To banish the smell of fish from silverware, add a spoonful of mustard to the washing water. For an earache, roast an onion, take out the center and put the point of it into the ear for an hour. Cut flowers last longer if their stems are stuck into a potato. To cure the hiccups, drink half a teaspoonful of vinegar and hold the hands above the head for a minute. "Some respite to husbands the weather may send, but housewives affairs have never an end." Old housewives truly had a lot to do.

96 pages, Hardcover

First published January 20, 2005

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Impractical tips that I'm never gonna use

[Routa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recently got this book from my Mom.

It's not exactly what I would have bought for myself, but I suppose it was a rather interesting read in the end. If anything, it shows very well how many things a mistress of house needed to know back in the days. It also paints a rather sad picture of our generation - this kind of knowledge seems to be lost on most.