From the Editors

Before synthetic specialty sprays filled modern grocery aisles, households relied on basic chemistry and everyday pantry staples to care for their clothes. Drawing on a 1937 USDA bulletin, Corina Hopewell resurfaces practical, time-tested methods for treating stubborn stains like grease, fruit, grass, and wax. These low-cost, low-toxicity techniques offer a grounded reminder that effective home stewardship often requires far fewer commercial products than modern advertising suggests.