News: Old and interesting

We have sought to find in the traditions of the past a way to clean better in the present.

I know I am slightly obsessed with cleaning and anyone who knows me will agree. But my other passion is history. While creating Gyre and Gymble I took a step back in time to find out how people looked after their homes before the avalanche of single-use plastics and chemicals arrived. I found some super reference material which helped us to create the Gyre and Gymble range and wanted to share a couple of them with you.

I discovered people all across the world from the Egyptians to the Georgians used soap, vinegar and water to clean their homes, often adding an abrasive agent like Gyre and Gymble's Gentle Scouring Powder to help remove tough stains and marks. They used beeswax to nourish timber and oils and dried flowers to enhance their homes fragrance. Even the hygiene adverse residents of Versailles used a dry wash system. The king's hands were washed every morning with aqua vitae which was a 90% ethanol alcohol. This is a little like our modern-day hand sanitiser and also the reason why we named Gyre and Gymble's hand sanitiser Aqua Vitae. 

I have been cleaning my home with these simple things for years and they are just as easy to use as the nasty chemical alternatives but leave a much smaller environmental footprint - and smell much nicer too. The only difference for us in modern times is the marvels of modern technology - we would not be without a washing machine, dishwasher, vacuum cleaner and all the other machines that have saved hours and sometimes weeks of hard labour. 

I am not sure why people today feel the need to have a plastic bottle of different coloured liquid to clean every conceivable object within their home when there really is absolutely no need for all these products. They just take up space, look rather garish and pollute the planet. 

The products we have created at Gyre and Gymble's are safe, sustainable and stylish. They will not clog up our rivers and waterways with pollution and you can breath easy at home when not using bleach and ammonia everywhere. Remember we live in what we spray. 

These are a few references I found interesting during my reading. 

• Old and Interesting 
  
• Versailles'dirty secrets - Toute L'Historie 
• The true story of life below stairs BBC
• The Country House Servant by Pamela Sambrook 
• The Up and Down Stairs by Jeremy Musson 
• Daily life in the Middle Ages by Paul B Newman
• Children and Environmental Toxins What everyone needs to know by Philip J Landrigan and Mary M Landrigan

Note: There is a huge amount of natural cleaning information out there some purporting to be a cure-all.  Gyre and Gymble products have been tried and tested within our own homes and on our own families and we know they will clean and care for your home and families without compromise.