Due to distance, time and cost our ancestors couldn't just buy or make a replacement. They had to fix it or go without. A stain, a broken hinge, a worn-out cloth — the answers that use to be passed down within families were beginning to be printed in a book someone kept by the stove. Nobody was throwing anything away. They couldn't.
Omi Knows Best goes looking for that knowledge. Real formulas, pulled from named 19th-century sources — tested, not just repeated. You probably already have most ingredients in your own kitchen or garage. It turns out most of what we now call "waste" is just something nobody bothered to fix. If it works, I'll tell you. If it doesn't, I'll tell you that too.
I didn't come to this from nostalgia. I came to it from studying how goods move around the world, and where they end up — which is, much too often, in a dumpster because throwing something away is easier than fixing it.
Throwaway culture is not the norm of human history. It's a fairly recent luxury, available mostly to wealthier parts of the world, and only for about a century. For most of the past, and for most of the world today, repair and reuse weren't a lifestyle choice — they were the only option, and people got remarkably good at it. A 19th-century household manual isn't a quaint artifact. It's a working record of exactly how that was done, written by people who had every reason to get it right, because there was no second option waiting on a shelf.
Omi Knows Best isn't trying to guilt someone over a bottle of stain remover. It's just pointing out that the "old" way often worked, cost less, and didn't require a factory, a shipping container, fossil fuels or a landfill at the end of its life — and that most of the time, it's still sitting there in the historical record, waiting to be tried again.
Dive into a variety of content, from stain removal techniques to household maintenance. I focus on practical, sourced knowledge from the 19th century, ensuring a straight-forward and honest approach to domestic challenges.
Explore the realm of cleaning without fossil fuel products or ingredients with a high environmental impact by using formulas rooted in tradition. It's not only about greener methods and materials but sustainability you can live with.
Learn how to care for your textiles and materials using credible historical methods. Make your fabrics last longer without harmful chemicals.
Get hands-on advice on repairing tools and everyday items using time-tested techniques that respect the integrity of the original.
Tackle stubborn stains with confidence using formulas sourced from 19th-century manuals that have stood the test of time and is easy on your wallet.
Join me in informative segments where we discover new facts and updates about our tests and trials. I'll also share some of the ingredients that didn't withstand the test of time. I'm also looking forward to others sharing their own experiences.
Join the Journey of Practical Nostalgia
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