HOUSE CLEANING In addition to the daily and weekly routine of housework it is customary to give the house and its furnishings a thorough overhauling and renova ting once or twice a year, usually in the spring and fall. But this custom varies in different parts of the coun try, and in cities is also quite differ ent from what it is in rural neighbor hoods. In cities, winter is the season when guests are received and most en tertaining takes place; hence the fall house cleaning, as a preparation for the duties and festivities of the win ter season, is likely to be the more important.
In rural neighborhoods, however, summer is the period of greatest ac tivity, and the spring house cleaning is usually the more thorough and painstaking.
Spring House Cleaning. — Spring house cleaning should ordinarily be postponed until the weather has be come sufficiently settled, so that win ter underwear, draperies, carpets, etc., may be stored away if desired, and so that the health of the household need not suffer by reason of the open win dows and dampness attendant upon scrubbing floors and walls, whitewash ing, painting, and the like. Most women, after constant confinement during the winter months, are more or less run down in the spring, and the change from the bracing tempera ture of winter to the enervating warmth of the first spring days is likely to result in a lowering of tone that may expose them to serious mis chief from overexertion. For these reasons there is a gradual change of sentiment in favor of making spring house cleaning a comparatively simple affair, putting off the heavy work un til the fall. But the spring house cleaning must be sufficiently thorough to renovate and protect all woolens, furs, and feathers from the ravages of moths, to remove heavy hangings and draperies, and everything that impedes the free circulation of air during the heated term.
Plan of Campaign.—The work of house cleaning will be very much sim plified by thinking out in advance a systematic plan of campaign. In a blank book make an inventory of the principal contents of each room. Measure the floors and the width and length of the window shades needed. Ascertain the number of yards of carpet or matting, the number of rolls of wall paper and the yards of border required for every room in the house, the amount of paint or stain needed for the various floors; also the size of the dining-room table cloths, the length and width of sheets, and the size of pillow slips for dif ferent pillows. Divide the book in sections, assign a number of pages to each room in the house, take accurate measurements, note them down, and preserve the book for future use. Con sult it to determine what changes shall be made in the rooms, what articles shall be stored away, and what, if any, need to be repaired. Provide in
advance the requisite amount of ma terials of all sorts, and have them at hand when the work begins.
William Morris says: " Have noth ing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." Hence before house clean ing go through the house and critical ly examine each object. Some of them may have passed their usefulness, or your tastes may have changed and you may no longer regard them as beautiful. Then remove them without question. The art of successful living consists in getting along with as few articles of furniture as possible, rath er than in accumulating many differ ent pieces. Remember that every ad ditional one is an additional care. If you decide to retain an article, consid er, if it is in order or not, if it can be put in order, and in that case whether can be done at home. Gather up such pieces as you decide to repair and take them to the family workshop.
Consider the discarded articles to see if they can be given away, sold, or used for fuel, and if not, throw them together to make a bonfire to celebrate with when the house clean ing is finished.
Rules for House Cleaning.—It is a good rule in house cleaning to first clean the cellar, because it is the most difficult and often the most neglected part of the house. Afterwards begin with the attic and work down.
Another good rule is to clean thor oughly one room at a time, settling it as you go.
Preparations for House Cleaning. —Experienced housewives arrange for house cleaning by preparing food in advance, boiling ham, baking beans, pies, bread, and cake, so as to be spared as far as possible the labor of cooking while house cleaning is go ing on.
While house cleaning, dress appro priately for the work. Some house keepers wear a divided skirt or bloom ers made of four widths of heavy dark skirting. These are gathered into bands and buttoned about the ankles and waist. They are valuable protectors for skirts, and facilitate climbing step ladders, scrubbing floors, etc.
Pull the sleeves up as far as you want them to go, and put elastic bands on the arms over the sleeves. Trim the finger nails as short as can be borne with comfort. This prevents their being broken or torn when obliged to work without gloves. Wear a dust cap, a big apron, and loose gloves.
Half the disagreeableness of house cleaning is taken away by having a lotion to apply to parboiled and un comfortable hands. Soak 2 or 3 ounces of quince seed over •night, strain through cheese cloth, and add 2 quarts of water and 2 ounces each of glycer in, boracic acid, and witch-hazel. This is one of the best of lotions.