Grime and Astringent

First things first. This post is clean.

Second, I write it because my friend Debbie Wilson said I should clean my cleaning supply closet. She offers very good advice, so I usually do what she says. Usually.

Funny what a mess I found: almost empty bottles of expired solutions, squirt pumps that would not squirt, rusty spray cans of unknown origin whose original intent had something to do with an archaic chore called ironing, and the odd tube of what once may have been a stain releaser, but judging by the cloudy gray glump curling around its edges is now most certainly a stain giver.

Third, an explanation: Astringent is often found in the cosmetic aisle, in this instance the purpose being to make facial pores smaller. The result is tighter skin, which means less wrinkles, which is one less thing to worry about, which means you have more time to clean your cleaning supply closet. Whichever way you want.

Did you know that during the Renaissance, the preferred beauty routine was to NOT cleanse the skin? Those lovely ladies believed a protective layer of dirt kept the body alive, and being alive is much more attractive than being dead.

Now that we have that cleared up (unlike the complexions of so many Renaissance ladies who might have benefited from a reading of Sir Hugh Plat’s book, Delightes for Ladies to Adorn their Persons, Tables, Closets and Distillatories, with Beauties, Banquets, Perfumes, and Waters (published in 1602 and later editions), I return to my earlier admission of having a very messy cleaning supply closet.

Fourth, the issue of grime is unclean, therefore the first thing I wrote is incorrect. The second thing, however, is correct. Debbie Wilson offers very good advice.

Fifth, as I cleaned my cleaning supply closet, I wondered what cleaning supplies Sir Hugh Plat might have suggested (this book sits in my shopping cart and I look forward to finding the answer so as to share it with you … later … after I finish cleaning my cleaning supply closet, which, by the way, is still a mess).

Not long ago, I made my own eucalyptus oatmeal soap using lard as a main ingredient. After it cured, I cut it into bars and wrapped it in butcher paper. I found a bar recently. Very recently. In the back of my cleaning supply closet.

Sixth, and last, if I may, I would like to tell you about a blog recently discovered that has lots of historical information pertinent to the Renaissance period. And as far as I can tell, it’s clean. Visit History Actually and let me know if you agree.