Sweeping Secrets for the Kitchen Floor

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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,using this recommendation
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: 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