Spring cleaning – part 2

miniature knitting
Cloths displayed on miniature bath

Of course some areas required the application of soap and water to remove dirt or stains. A mop and bucket would be ideal for large floor areas whilst a hand cloth would tackle shelves, ledges and kitchen surfaces. Basic organic soaps have been around for centuries (possibly from 2,800 BC) and were certainly used by Egyptians at least for bathing around 1,500BC. The biggest breakthrough came around 1920 when a synthetic detergent was invented in Germany that had the benefit of being unaffected by calcium or magnesium in the water that made the water ‘hard’ and reduced the cleaning power of organic soap.

Why not reflect the changing season in your dolls house and add a period spring-cleaning setting? We have a free pattern for 1:12th scale knitted dish and cleaning cloths and you’ll also find much of what you will need on our web shop including carpet sweeper, vacuum, carpet beater, in 1/12th scale, 1:24th scale dustpan and brush, mop, bucket or a broom in kit form. Of course we can’t supply the elbow grease to get the job done unfortunately!