Habits from the USSR: what to do with unnecessary newspapers

Paper newspapers were one of the key sources of information in the USSR. They were published in millions of copies and subscribed to every home. This resulted in tons of waste paper, as each issue instantly became obsolete.

However, paper products were invented to be used in many ways. The total shortage taught Soviet people not to throw away even outright trash. OBOZ.UA tells what people in the USSR did with old newspapers.

Instead of paper napkins

Now we have a lot of options for paper products for use in everyday life - napkins of various kinds, towels, toilet paper. In the USSR, we didn't have any of this. That's where newspapers came in. They were used to cover the table when cooking or eating something dirty, with a lot of waste, such as fish. They were used to protect surfaces during repair work. They were also used instead of toilet paper, which appeared on the shelves of Soviet stores only in the seventies.

Instead of putty and plaster

The quality of construction in the USSR was legendary. And not in a good way. The walls of all houses were covered with bumps and bends. At the same time, stores did not sell building mixtures that would help to level the walls and ceilings. And here again, newspapers came to the rescue. They were glued in several layers, which helped to make the wall more or less flat. An additional bonus was that the low-quality Soviet-made wallpaper held up better on this substrate.

As protective clothing

Nowadays, we can easily buy protective clothing for dirty work or a panama hat from the sun. In the USSR, all this was in terrible short supply. That's why people got by as best they could. So they made hats out of a large newspaper sheet that could both protect them from paint drops and cover them from the scorching sun. It looked questionable from the point of view of aesthetics, but it was not a problem - almost everyone wore it.

For drying shoes

This life hack is still in use today. The fact is that thin newsprint is very hygroscopic. And it is convenient to put it in wet shoes to dry them faster. Crumple up a few sheets of free advertising newspapers and fill your shoes or sneakers with these balls - by morning, the paper will absorb all the excess moisture. Of course, you can also use a couple of paper towels, but it will be much more expensive.

For cleaning

Go to any hardware store and you'll see a huge selection of glass care products and tools - sprays, scrapers, microfiber cloths. In Soviet times, none of this was available. So, simple water and newspaper were used. Since newsprint is soft and absorbs moisture well, it was used to wipe window panes and mirrors after washing. But it still left small scratches on the glass.

For thermal insulation

Cold winter wind blowing through the cracks? You can blow it out with a sealant and not worry about it until spring. But what kind of sealant was used in the Soviet era? Back then, windows were sealed with strips of newsprint that were placed on flour glue. The solution was rather dubious, but still better than nothing at all. However, it was not only in this situation that the insulating qualities of newspaper were used. Pots and pans of food were wrapped in it to keep them warm. It was also used to cover seedlings from the sun and frost. People would carry food from home in the newspaper to eat at school or work.

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