I opened my medicine cabinet and saw the problem.
Eye wash, anti-fungal cream, antacids, acid reflux pills, muscle pain cream, cold sore cream, eczema cream, poison ivy block and scrub, anti-itch cream and three deodorants, including invisible gel deodorant. (Do I even have this one on?)
My bathroom was chock-full of expensive astringents and exfoliators. We even have two kinds of mouthwash — for people with and without braces. My laundry is full of detergents that boost, brighten and lift, and that’s just for the wash, never mind the dryer.
How come with all these products I never seem to have what I need?
My grandmother’s cupboards only had a few products, yet she always had a remedy for our latest catastrophe. Maybe because most of the products in her cupboards did double, triple and even quadruple duty? I went in search of simplicity.
First the laundry.
Every washday my grandmother used to bring out her big yellow bar of Fels Naptha soap. She’d take a knife and shave some of it over grandpa’s oil-stained overalls soaking in the washer. I found it at the supermarket right next to the newer sexier soaps.
And when Grandma met up with poison ivy, Fels Naptha removed the toxic oil from her skin and kept it from spreading. Since the oil could last a year, she washed her garden tools in Fels Naptha soap too.
And Fels Naptha beat “ring around the collar” by about 100 years. Just wet the bar, rub it inside a shirt collar and no more “ring around the collar.” I keep a cheese grater next to my washing machine and shave a bit of Fels Naptha into the grimiest load.
Another of Grandma’s staples on washday was 20 Mule Team® Borax. This naturally occurring mineral, boron, puts newer laundry detergents “all natural” claims to shame. Plus it cleans tile and grout, sinks, pots and pans, refrigerators, ovens, microwaves and stainless steel. It even removes mattress odors. When I say its uses are endless, I’m exaggerating slightly, but not by much.
This single product replaced five products: oven cleaner, grout cleaner, stainless steel polish, deodorizer and that pricey product I used to dry flowers.
Feel free to use it for its original purpose: to boost laundry detergent’s cleansing action.
On to the bathroom.
My grandmother quelled bug bites with witch hazel. This plant-based astringent is so effective as an anti-inflammatory that it shrinks anything swollen, from top to bottom. I’m not going into a lot of detail. Just trust me.
And then there’s Epsom salt.
Soak in it, or use it as a natural laxative? I kid you not. You really can do either. And according to the Epsom Salt Council (yes, there really is an Epsom Salt Council), the natural components of Epsom salt, magnesium and sulfate, claim to “ease stress, improve sleep and concentration, regulate the activity of 325+ enzymes and … ” to name just a few. Wow, the Epsom Salt Council is a thorough bunch. I use Epsom salt as a garden fertilizer. Then I add it to a bath and soak; it’s great for sore muscles.
With fewer products in my cupboards, I still have whatever I need — whether I get stung by a bee, sprain an ankle or need to remove olive oil from my shirt.
And unlike some newer products, I never have to wonder if these products will work as promised. After 100 years, I know their claims have truly been tested. They all passed my grandmother’s test.
Just one question: What am I going to do with all that extra room in my cupboards?
Answer: Nothing.