Post #2224847

2026-05-06 19:30 UTC

Does this rekindle any memories, anyone? As a child, After dinner, after me clearing the table, I was supposed to carefully pluck the table cloth together and go out the front door, almost close the door and shake the table cloth so all crumbs and things would fall loose, and then fold the table cloth (carefully, all corners aligned), take it inside and close the front door. This was late seventies, early eighties, Netherlands. I remember not being the only one in the street doing this.

Replies (7)

@ifixcoinops@retro.social 2026-05-06 19:41

@halla@kde.social not exactly this but laying a rug over the washing line and whacking all the dust and nasties out of it with a stick, which is a thing I still occasionally do but I haven't seen anybody else do in like 30 years

Open ##3137952
@kedara@social.lol 2026-05-06 19:48

@halla@kde.social mijn oma deed dat altijd "voor de vogeltjes".

Open ##3137957
@annehargreaves@ioc.exchange 2026-05-06 19:55

@halla@kde.social haha I still do this when I use a table cloth (special occasions).

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@Eetschrijver@mastodon.social 2026-05-06 20:54

@halla@kde.social I definitely remember this.

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@mia@tearoom.tearmoon.com 2026-05-06 22:22

@halla@kde.social my Russian relatives did something like this (instead of the front door it’s the balcony; most people don’t have a front door in your sense there as they live in blocks of flats) as recently as 2010 in my memory

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@tuxsec@fosstodon.org 2026-05-06 22:24

@halla@kde.social Still doing this! Because what's the alternative? Vacuum the crumbs from the table? 🤔

Open ##3137964
@mewsleah@meow.social 2026-05-07 17:30

@halla@kde.social i certainly recognise it as a thing people used to do, so the crumbs didn't get all over the floor in the house and attract insects. and a sensible thing to do in an age where vacuum cleaners were expensive luxuries, and most people had to make do with pushmipullyu carpet sweepers ...and before we'd managed to kill off all the insects :-(

Open ##3137966