Do the low-cost cleaning tips of yesteryear still cut it today?

theguardian.com:

M y late mother-in-law, Lyn, was not a traditional 1950s housewife. Born in 1928, she didn’t marry until the ancient (for the time) age of 29. Lyn was more likely to be out on her bike than scrubbing the front step, so I was surprised to find several pages of housework tips in the back of her handwritten recipe books.

A young adult through years of rationing, Lyn was always frugal. Could her hints help me spring-clean affordably and sustainably in 2023?

As with food and drink and other basics, the price of cleaning products has risen sharply in recent months, and only a few days ago, Unilever – the firm behind household cleaning and hygiene brands such as Cif and Domestos – warned that what we pay for these sorts of items will continue going up this year.

The cost of living crisis has spurred a wave of interest in simple cleaning hacks that can help people save money, so I decided to give Lyn’s a spin.

I started with her white vinegar-based tips.

It was with some trepidation that I took her advice to “pour boiling vinegar around the bath to remove hard water or dripping tap stains”.

The vinegar bubbling on the hob stank but I boiled it in a well-ventilated area and was careful not to inhale the fumes.

I used the steaming liquid around the bath, applied it to yellow stains between the bathroom floor tiles, and filled a very stained white porcelain oil burner with a good amount.

I kind of wanted it not to work – steaming pans of acidic liquid and the clumsy are a recipe for disaster – but it did. A sparkling bath, stain-free floor and an oil burner that looks good as new.

And the bathroom didn’t smell like a chippy, as I’d feared – the vinegar stink dissipates quickly.

Not wanting to waste the remaining hot vinegar, I next tested