Cleaning of homes was a predominantly female task. There is evidence of this in the way that cleaning products were advertised, with one example being the “Chipso” advertisement shown from page two of the Lethbridge Herald on April 7, 1933. Like many aspects of life, the task of cleaning the home was impacted by the events of the Great Depression.

Lorne Smith shared one example of how his mother adapted to the conditions of the 1930s in the methods she used to clean their home. Lorne said: “I remember mother hung the sheets up and they'd be wet. And once you take them off they'd just be soaked with.. they'd be mud. When she'd let them down and she'd have to go wash them off. But that's how she kept the dust from getting into the room.” This adaptation is an example of how the impact of the elements of the Great Depression were wide sweeping and impacted all areas of life.