Sweeping Tips for the Kitchen Floor

Sweeping a tile or linoleum kitchen floor can be a dust-swirling proposition, particularly if you’ve had a recent baking spree or beachgoers have descended on you with sandy feet. Instead of struggling to suck up every last grain of flour or sand with the vacuum, do a better job with a plain old broom. These sweeping tips come from Housewifery: A Manual and Text Book of Practical Housekeeping (1919), by Lydia Balderston. She recommends “dustless sweeping” by “moistening the broom and shaking out all the water before sweeping.” This technique takes a little experimentation to get right, however, because if the broom is too wet, the dust or grit will get gooey and stick to the floor. An even better alternative for non-hardwood floors: Use a spray bottle to sprinkle a section of newspaper with water until it’s lightly damp and “then tear into bits and scatter over the floor; it need not be over the whole floor, but here and there in small quantities” before sweeping. The damp paper will keep the dust or flour from swirling into the air.You can just sweep the newspaper into the dustpan and throw it away

Excerpt from 1,001 Old-Time Household Hints—brought to you by Skyhorse Publishing