Starch and other forgotten stuff

jos28 · 16-08-2011 9:11pm

Swallowed a dolly peg :eek: That must have taken some effort. I thought it was bad when I swallowed an old penny.

Rubecula · 16-08-2011 9:55pm

jos28 wrote: »

Swallowed a dolly peg :eek: That must have taken some effort. I thought it was bad when I swallowed an old penny.

It made my mum panic a bit.. Come to think of it, it made everyone in the family panic. I am not sure I fancied the op either. I near on went there and then myself. Took about a week, then came some nasty pain, and that was it.

DO NOT try this at home folks. I was lucky.

Bearhunter · 22-08-2011 4:56am

jos28 wrote: »

What was the fascination that our mothers had with bowel movements ?? Mine was always checking up on us. Mortifying :eek:

Mine too; in fact she had an unhealthy interest in my arse. "Don't sit on that cold step, ye'll get piles." Apparently sitting too long on the toilet was another foolproof way of getting them.

Jellybaby1 · 22-08-2011 8:32pm

Bearhunter wrote: »

Mine too; in fact she had an unhealthy interest in my arse. "Don't sit on that cold step, ye'll get piles." Apparently sitting too long on the toilet was another foolproof way of getting them.

I often wonder why 'they' said half of what they said - I was told you'd get piles if you leaned on a radiator, or in my case in my first job the cleaning lady said if you sit on a storage heater wearing a mini skirt you'd get piles!!

My mother firmly believed if you allowed a baby to see his reflection in a mirror, it would give him diahorrea!! I didn't take much heed of that one because I used to love my baby's reaction to his own reflection.

Corsendonk · 25-08-2011 7:20pm

The jar of broken biscuits in the shop, there was a little shop at the bottom of my road that sold the jacobs clubs that were damaged off.

Stained Class · 27-08-2011 10:02pm

Remember the TV you used to watch back in the '70s?

Chances were,it was black & white,had no Teletext or remote & it would have been made by Bush,Pye,Pilot or some other long forgotten manufacturer.

jos28 · 29-08-2011 4:18pm

Stained Class wrote: »

Remember the TV you used to watch back in the '70s?

Chances were,it was black & white,had no Teletext or remote & it would have been made by Bush,Pye,Pilot or some other long forgotten manufacturer.

In our house myself and my sister were the remote controls. 'Get up and change that station over to .........' Imagine having to get up to change channel. I remember the day our first colour TV arrived. Great excitement with all the neighbours in to watch Coronation St.

Namle · 29-08-2011 4:43pm

jos28 wrote: »

What was the fascination that our mothers had with bowel movements ?? Mine was always checking up on us. Mortifying :eek:

I remember my mother telling me she had to check in case i had worms. I was horrified.

CrowdedHouse · 29-08-2011 6:08pm

jos28 wrote: »

I remember the day our first colour TV arrived. Great excitement with all the neighbours

I clearly remember the 1974 World Cup final, one of our neighbours had a colour TV - I'd say the only one in the estate. His sitting room was packed with men and boys watching the final in colour..TV was a huge yoke with probably only a 20" screen but it was a great novelty at the time

Stained Class · 29-08-2011 7:22pm

CrowdedHouse wrote: »

I clearly remember the 1974 World Cup final, one of our neighbours had a colour TV - I'd say the only one in the estate. His sitting room was packed with men and boys watching the final in colour..TV was a huge yoke with probably only a 20" screen but it was a great novelty at the time

Yeah, colour didn't really get widespread till the late '70s. Lots of people bought them to watch the Pope's visit in '79 IIRC.

Another forgotten thing nowadays.

That set you were watching at the time was most likely..........Rented!

Rubecula · 29-08-2011 9:51pm

Rented with a slot machine thing on the back. You had to feed it coins so it would pay for itself.

annieoburns · 03-09-2011 9:37am

Enjoyed reading this thread....:)

I am still big fan of Germolene and it can still be had but in tubes now not the small tins. It is ointment not a cream so extra useful properties as well as making for cheapo lipstick back in the day when pale pink was fashion:o. Great for paper cuts! I have a niece nursing in Austalia and she takes it back for friends out there.

Iodine was father's favourite... always a wee bottle of neat stuff in his workbench to hand for the minor injuries of gardening and house repairs. I tried to get some for him recently to be told it is restricted for medical reasons even the modern version called Betadine which is a handy gel version. You can get it in foreign parts tho. It does affect thyroid and can bring on a skin condition so I suppose they have their reasons.

Rubecula · 03-09-2011 10:45am

annieoburns wrote: »

Enjoyed reading this thread....:)

I am still big fan of Germolene

Me too although I did in a brain asleep moment buy Germaloids by mistake. Not quite what I wanted to put on my minor injuries. I never did find a use for it and threw it away.:D

Cicero · 03-09-2011 3:36pm

I think powerwashers have replaced Jeyes Fluid and an outdoor brush....

Are Silvermints still around....the cool clean hero?

Rubecula · 03-09-2011 8:12pm

I got some Jeyes last year in a big can. I think there is a place near Holyhead that sells it. (Although I am not betting on it )

Jellybaby1 · 04-09-2011 11:31am

Jeyes Fluid is still available and I have a can of it. Can't remember where I bought it, think it was one of the local supermarkets so I don't think there is any difficulty in getting it. You might also get it on the gardening shelves in diy stores.

SlimCi · 24-09-2011 7:19pm

Washington Street on the left hand side and also had one opposite the Metropole Hotel along with a shop called (can't spell it) Hadjibeys which sold Turkish Delights, my Dad adored them. They were the real thing! Sorry forgot to say in response to the green sheilds stamps in Cork!

Jellybaby1 · 05-10-2011 1:46am

Don't know if this was mentioned before. I went looking for some fly killer this week, not the spray, the block in the plastic holder with slits in that you stand/hang in a room, Vapona. Nowhere to be had, in any supermarket or DIY store. So I consulted Mr. Google and found this from 2002:

http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/home/vapona-products-in-cancer-scare/2011280.article

I used my last block about 2-3 years ago, getting nervous now.

While I was asking in the supermarket, there was a man looking for Pine disinfectant, couldn't be found either.

I have to add the assistants were in their 20's and had never heard of the products. Y'know, it's getting harder to find assistants that know what I'm talking about, no-one seems to know anything any more, I may as well be talking to a brick wall. Eventually a middle-aged suit was called who said the fly killer had been withdrawn a long time ago, 'something to do with health & safety'!!!

looksee · 05-10-2011 9:32am

Another one that has disappeared is Dentucreme - the toothpaste type stuff for cleaning dentures. Not that I need it of course, my gnashers are all my own, but hubby uses it.

The only alternatives are the soaking stuff and ordinary toothpaste, which is what he is now using.

Jellybaby1 · 05-10-2011 7:14pm

Sometimes I think the old products were just so good they couldn't afford to keep selling them!

What I mean is, we buy more of the stuff that's not so good, i.e. washing machines used to last longer years ago so they started making more inferior ones so we had to keep buying a new one every 5 or 6 years.

Spread · 06-10-2011 3:26am

Cowslip toffees. Twelve for a penny .............. anyone? Or Peggy's Leg? Jasus, I've started salivating

Rubecula · 06-10-2011 6:46am

1001 cleans a big big carpet for less than half a crown.

Blue blue blue blue. Esso blue......and so on.

Put a tiger in your tank.

National Benzol (Fuel additive)

Black Jacks, 12 for a penny. A 1d bar of Cadbury's chocolate. Beechnut chewing gum. Automatic chocolate machines on the outside wall of shops for when the shop was closed.

CrowdedHouse · 06-10-2011 7:53am

Rubecula wrote: »

1001 cleans a big big carpet for less than half a crown.

I saw that somewhere recently, Woodies I think, I was surprised but it's probably just a brand name resurrection.

Jellybaby1 · 06-10-2011 10:06am

I need someone else to remember Choffees, because no-one else I know does. My dad used to bring us to the flicks on a Saturday morning usually to see a cowboy film, we'd go to the shop across the road for sweet and I loved Choffees. They were chocolated coated toffees wrapped in orange cellophane papers. Please tell me you remember them, and I'm not delusional!

Rubecula · 06-10-2011 12:42pm

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

I need someone else to remember Choffees, because no-one else I know does. My dad used to bring us to the flicks on a Saturday morning usually to see a cowboy film, we'd go to the shop across the road for sweet and I loved Choffees. They were chocolated coated toffees wrapped in orange cellophane papers. Please tell me you remember them, and I'm not delusional!

Bloody things pulled out a filling or two.:pac:

deisemum · 06-10-2011 12:45pm

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

I need someone else to remember Choffees, because no-one else I know does. My dad used to bring us to the flicks on a Saturday morning usually to see a cowboy film, we'd go to the shop across the road for sweet and I loved Choffees. They were chocolated coated toffees wrapped in orange cellophane papers. Please tell me you remember them, and I'm not delusional!

I've a vague memory of choffees and think they may have been made by Oatfields.

Jellybaby1 · 06-10-2011 1:47pm

Rubecula wrote: »

Bloody things pulled out a filling or two.:pac:

I didn't have any fillings at that age so was never a problem for me.

Stheno · 06-10-2011 8:53pm

Rubecula wrote: »

Never see bottles of Kaolin and Morphine now either.

You can still get kaolin

Mollywolly · 08-10-2011 3:32pm

Rubecula wrote: »

Automatic chocolate machines on the outside wall of shops for when the shop was closed.

God, I'd forgotten about those machines. One of my treats when we used to visit my aunt was a box of Paynes Poppets chocolate raisins while we waited for the bus home - think they were thruppence (that's 1p to you pretty young things!). The machine was next to the bus stop so 'twas very handy

Rubecula · 09-10-2011 6:43pm

Mollywolly wrote: »

God, I'd forgotten about those machines. One of my treats when we used to visit my aunt was a box of Paynes Poppets chocolate raisins while we waited for the bus home - think they were thruppence (that's 1p to you pretty young things!). The machine was next to the bus stop so 'twas very handy

Those little cardboard boxes of poppets. I think the chocolate covered toffees were in the brown one? I never bought the yellow box, so I am not a hundred percent sure what they were...Peanuts?

Mollywolly · 09-10-2011 7:09pm

Rubecula wrote: »

Those little cardboard boxes of poppets. I think the chocolate covered toffees were in the brown one? I never bought the yellow box, so I am not a hundred percent sure what they were...Peanuts?

I think you're right! I do recall there being three columns in the machine with purple, brown and yellow boxes, but I was only interested in the purple ones 'cos I liked the raisins the best

Jellybaby1 · 11-05-2012 8:52pm

Thought this might be the right place for this.

Sweet Memories from Irish Childhood
Bealtaine Festival 2012, Wednesday 23rd May 7pm
National Library of Ireland - No Booking required.

Join Damian Corless, author of "You'll Ruin Your Dinner: Sweet Memories from Irish Childhood" as he takes us from the heyday of Cleeve's toffee to the birth of the Tayto Cheese & Onion crisp, and transports us back to the days when sweet shop windows across the country boasted tempting confectionery displays, when summer was heralded with a visit from the ice-cream cart, and when Grafton street was the sweet shop capital of Ireland.

D'ya think they'll give out free sweeties? See you there!

Jellybaby1 · 10-06-2012 1:25am

Finally found this thread again. Now I don't know why I did this, I really don't........but I popped into Easons' the other day and asked for pen refills. I was directed to fountain pen refills, and I said, no, no, not those refills - these refills, and I whipped out a spare refill for a Bic/Biro type pen. She looked at it obviously mystified and said no, we don't sell those. I got to wondering, don't the more expensive pens like Cross and Parker need refills these days, or are we supposed to throw them away too! :eek:

Over the years I've accumulated a lot of those freebie pens you pick up at exhibitions and now they are all dry. It would be nice to get refills for them.

annieoburns · 10-06-2012 7:32am

You could try the Pen Shop. Is it still there? Nassau Street? or a good office supplier/print shop.... one opposite Stillorgan Shopping Centre. It would an item that would be handy to get 'online' as post friendly.

paddyandy · 10-06-2012 1:52pm

The 6d Cane that reminded us as it hung on the edge of his desk .It was all that kept the peace really .

Mollywolly · 11-06-2012 3:45pm

I saw an ice cream van go past the window the other day and it was all done up to look like a real old-fashioned van - looked really good.

But it brought back a memory of growing up in the 60's when the ice cream was brought round by a man with a horse and cart. He had a hand bell that he used to ring to get our attention! There was a huge container of ice cream on the back and how he kept it frozen on really hot days I'll never know.

I dunno if it's just me, but I seem to be reminiscing a lot more these days - and there was I promising meself that I wouldn't turn into my mother, always rambling on about the good old days

looksee · 11-06-2012 5:00pm

Mollywolly wrote: »

I dunno if it's just me, but I seem to be reminiscing a lot more these days - and there was I promising meself that I wouldn't turn into my mother, always rambling on about the good old days

The older you get the more you have to reminisce about! I have to laugh (in a condescending way

) about the young ones reminiscing about the 90s!

paddyandy · 12-06-2012 12:11pm

People are saying what lovely weather ......no insects at all on stephens' green in dublin.

Spread · 12-06-2012 5:04pm

Stephen's Green? I remember when that was all field

Jellybaby1 · 12-06-2012 7:46pm

And I remember when it used to be SAINT Stephen's Green.

paddyandy · 13-06-2012 10:48am

My School holiday visit to my auntis house always began with the open door and the smells of mansion floor polish, turf or coal windolene and brasso .She probably did'nt notice it herself much those smells were everywhere .Many houses had those same smells .

Rubecula · 13-06-2012 11:30am

My gran's house always smelled of lavender. Never did know why.

Jellybaby1 · 13-06-2012 2:54pm

Rubecula wrote: »

My gran's house always smelled of lavender. Never did know why.

Lavender Floor Polish, perhaps? Or those pretty little lavender bags we used to have in our 'smalls' drawer. Actually now I think of it, I still have one of those!

looksee · 13-06-2012 4:52pm

Oh lord, polishing the brasses - two tiny candlesticks is all I can remember, but I know there were more, lots more.

Rubecula · 15-06-2012 9:58am

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Lavender Floor Polish, perhaps? Or those pretty little lavender bags we used to have in our 'smalls' drawer. Actually now I think of it, I still have one of those!

A Smalls Drawer? or a Lavender bag?

Does a lavender bag do anything apart from smell?

looksee · 15-06-2012 10:13am

Isn't it supposed to be an insect repellent? Though what bugs would be interested in undies I'm not sure. Keeping moths out of wool maybe? But you needed mothballs for that.

Jellybaby1 · 15-06-2012 1:58pm

I think its time you all stopped discussing my 'smalls' drawer. I'm standing right here guys!! :mad: Anyway, I meant a lavender bag, but I actually have both the bag, and the drawer, so there. :P The lavender does nothing else but smell pretty, and look pretty too. On the other subject, having seen some of the posts on other forums here, I can assure you there are plenty of creeps, erm....creepy things around that are interested in underwear. :eek: Move along now folks, nawthin t'see here, shure and begorrah!

franc 91 · 28-06-2012 8:43pm

We also put bags of lavender in the chest of drawers with our clothes - both his and hers, I might add - we get it fresh every year when we go on holiday down South in la Haute-Provence. The Plateau of Valensole is one of the places it's grown - if you'd like to have a look - PS I like walking up in the mountains that you can see there in the background
http://www.valensole.fr/sections.php?op=viewarticle&artid=145

ladhrann · 16-12-2013 12:31pm

looksee wrote: »

I'm posting this in here because I doubt anyone would know what I am talking about on other forums. And I don't think there is a laundry or housekeeping forum (is there?).

Anyway I have got a few of the nice cotton blouses that are around at the moment - I made the decision to stop wearing teeshirts after I saw my reflection one too many times. But it seems as though they are no sooner ironed than they look sad, and it occurred to me that a dip in some well diluted starch might improve them. Not to make them stiff, just a bit of finish.

So I went hunting for starch. Either the packet stuff (Robin?) or the spray on. Nothing. Does it still exist, has anyone seen it anywhere? Or is there some magical modern product I should be using?

Anyway, even if no-one is interested in starch there might be other long forgotten products that are no longer seen. Black lead? Does anyone need it? Boracic powder, great for minor wounds - gone. Dry shampoo - does anyone remember that? Horrible stuff!

Sorry to resurrect an old thread but could see nothing current on this.

For those interested I was looking for this stuff before and found a few sources.

Lux was discontinued in 2004 but the company that made it is still going Dri-Pak Ltd. in the UK: http://www.dri-pak.co.uk/

Laudry starch is made by Kershaws aka the Traditional Starch Company http://www.traditional-starch.co.uk/

I was able to get other things like cirtic acid, Reckitts Blue, carbolic soap and small quantities of the starch etc., from the Carbolic Soap Company:
http://www.carbolicsoap.com/

annieoburns · 16-12-2013 1:11pm

There used to be a liquid starch called Dip back in the day. I think I have a very elderly aerosol can of something somewhere. I would be looking for nice Dip type product to refresh ancient christening robe should it be called into service while I am still keeper of the garment. I think you will get Boric powder in a chemist. I am always on look out for dry handwash powder (Dreft?) but seems to have vanished tho did see some version on a holiday trip. Holiday trips are down to carryon luggage and liquid stuff that is about is no use.

Starch and other forgotten stuff

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