The way we clean our homes today is very different to how people cleaned their homes in the past. In most cases, household cleaning has gotten a lot easier. However, as new technologies have been brought in, the cleaning standards of the average household have also risen. This post dives more into some of the biggest changes over the years.
Reliance on servants and maids
It used to be a case that if you were wealthy, you would employ servants to do your housework. Large upper class homes would have teams of servants, while smaller middle class homes may only be able to afford a single maid to carry out all duties.
Hiring a maid was popular in most western countries right the way up until WW2. During the war, many women who were employed as maids took over jobs usually employed by men such as working in factories and staffing shops. Many did not want to go back to their maid duties after the war and there was a maid shortage. As a result, many middle class homes stopped employing maids. Nowadays, very few homes have servants.
The origin of the ‘spring clean’
Working class families have always had to clean their own homes. However, there was typically no point in cleaning the home regularly. Homes relied on fires for heating and cooking, which would quickly make homes dirty as a result of smoke and soot. Many working class families that owned farm animals would meanwhile bring them into the house overnight to stop them getting stolen or attacked by wolves. As you can imagine, this would create a lot of mess.
Of course, all this dirt would build up and would have to be tackled eventually, which is where the spring clean came in. This was a chance to thoroughly clean the home from top to bottom once per year. Many families found that March was the best month – it was warm enough to open windows and doors without letting in insects, allowing winds to pass through and help remove dust. During this month, soot would also be cleaned off walls, as it would be possible to not run furnaces or fireplaces. Up until the 18th century, some homes still had straw floors – these would be replaced once per year during the spring clean and scattered with herbs throughout the year to reduce any bad odours.
The invention of the washing machine
Many of us hate doing the laundry. However, it used to be a much more gruelling task than it is today. Before the widespread accessibility of the washing machine, all clothing was manually scrubbed on a washboard. Clothes were washed a week in advance – usually on a Monday. Throughout the rest of the week they would be dried, pressed, aired and folded. Families that did not have a maid to do this may have to wash clothes less regularly, which sometimes meant wearing dirty clothes for several weeks until making time for ‘a great wash’.
The rotary washing machine was invented in 1858 by Hamilton Smith. However, electric washing machines were not invented until the early 20th century. Such washing machines did not become popular in homes until the 1930s and 1940s. Over time, washing machines have become more advanced, now integrating timers and different settings. Compared to older models, many modern washing machines are also a lot quieter, a lot longer-lasting, a lot more energy-efficient and a lot more gentle on clothes.
The invention of the vacuum cleaner
Another important cleaning invention is the vacuum cleaner. The manual vacuum was invented in 1860, however the first portable electric vacuum cleaner for domestic use was not invented until 1907. For many years, vacuum cleaners were a luxury item. It was only after the second world war that they started to become a common appliance in middle class homes.
The widespread adoption of the vacuum cleaner resulted in more homes introducing fitted carpets. Before this, most homes used rugs over wooden or stone floors, and these would have been beaten outside. Fitted carpets were typically not practical in most homes before the popularity of the vacuum cleaner as they were so difficult to maintain.
The rise of soaps and detergents
Many Ancient civilizations used soap made from animal fat and lye. However, this soap was typically only used to clean wool and cotton before making clothes. Soap was not used to clean dirty laundry – in fact, through to the middle ages, many clothes were washed in urine to help get out stains! Homemade soaps started to become more popular for tasks like washing dishes and washing clothes beyond the middle ages, although many people did not clean their bodies with soap until the 1800s.
It was in the 1800s that people started to move away from homemade soaps and manufacturers took over. Detergents made from chemicals started to become more popular in the early 1900s. The first mild dish soap in liquid form was introduced to the market in 1949. Laundry detergents and toilet cleaners would become widespread in the 1950s too. All these new soaps and detergents allowed for a new level of cleaning and home cleaning standards have been much higher ever since.
What can we expect in the future?
Household cleaning is expected to keep evolving in the future. Nowadays, many of us rely on harsh chemicals to clean our homes. These are not particularly good for the environment or our respiratory health and it is expected that bio-friendly cleaning products will eventually take over due to the growing focus on reducing pollution and toxins in the home. Appliances are meanwhile getting more energy-efficient to further reduce carbon emissions.
In terms of professional cleaning services, they offer many innovative ways to clean your house with eco-friendly products. These services will be changed over the years too and always develop their cleaning systems. One of these types of companies is UrbanMop which has changed the way we clean our homes, making them more efficient and effective. Their services are available in many different cities across the country, and they are always expanding. UrbanMop is dedicated to providing the best possible service to its customers, and they are always innovating and improving their offerings.
We are likely to rely on more automation to clean homes in the future. Robot vacuum cleaners are already becoming popular, although manual vacuum cleaners are still favoured. It is possible that future homes may come with integrated scanners and cleaning devices to make things easier (such as automated UV light cleaning to kill all bacteria). Cleaning will likely get easier but household standards will likely increase further as we become more aware of how much bacteria is in our homes.