Clean Freak

Sometimes, I think people in the design world are just far too picky about the details. I don't mean details like the trim used around a pillow or the way a curtain is finished. And I'm not talking about hardware, lamp finials, or the other sundry decorative accents that really are important. No, I mean details like household products. How many times have you read an interview in which a designer mentions that he or she only uses a certain type of soap or toothpaste because of the packaging it comes in? Sound silly? Well, I always thought so too until I realized that I'm guilty of it myself. Just open my pantry door and you'll see cleaning products that were chosen not only for their ability to keep things spic and span, but also because of their chic, retro bottles, jars, and tins.


In fact, when I was at the hardware store and saw this glass cleaner that looked like something Betty Draper might have used, I bought it. It's the drawing of the 1950s housewife that got me (it's hard to see in this image). It actually seems to work pretty well, too.



I have not yet bought Town Talk Wax or Marble Polish, but I really want to- only because of those tins! Since it's been around since 1895, it must work well, don't you think?


I love my Tibet Almond Stick to touch up scratches on furniture. It really is quick as a wink. And the metal canister has a Victorian look to it, which I'm sure is what initially caught my eye.


There's Wenol metal polish that's originally from Germany. It's utilitarian looking in that 1960s European kind of way.


There's my Stick Um candle adhesive, selected because of the tin...


..and my Hagerty silver polish- love that shade of blue!

Is this post completely random? Of course it is! And what's with Rosalind Russell's photo at top? Well, my mother once read where Roz loved to clean and enjoyed going to the hardware store to buy the latest cleaning products. Wonder if she was a sucker for the packaging too?