TO CLEAN FLOOR COVERINGS Floors in Summer.—Take up car pets in the spring, beat and clean them, roll them up, protect them against moths, and, if desired, store them away until the fall house clean ing. Fill the floor cracks, if any, with a suitable wood filler, and paint or stain the floor, or cover with matting during summer. This plan saves time and labor in the care of floors, and prevents much dust from sweeping during the hot months. If carpets can be replaced by hard-wood floors and rugs, so much the better, and taking up carpets during the summer time is a step in the right direction. Or, if preferred, the carpets may of course, be returned to the floors after clean ing.
When taking up large rugs and art squares for the summer, roll them on sticks and sew them in canvas or bed ticking. These may be tied with strong cords and slung on hooks attached to the wall or ceiling in the attic or store room. Thus they are well protected and out of the way.
To Take Up Carpets.—First draw the tacks and pick them up without moving the carpet. Then begin at one end of the room and roll the carpet carefully to the other end. Double the roll on itself or, if two persons can assist, take it up at both ends and carry it out of doors to be cleaned. Roll up papers or carpet lining care fully with the dust, and take them out of doors to be burned. If the papers are handled gently little or no dust will remain in the room, and the floor may be readily cleaned with soapsuds and a mop.
Or, if no lining papers were used and the floors are covered with dust, sprinkle wet sawdust or bits of wet newspaper about the floor, and stir them gently with a broom to gather the dust. Sweep part of the room at a time, taking up the sweepings, and repeat with a fresh lot of sawdust or newspaper. Afterwards wash the floor with a mop.
To Put Down Carpets. — Use an ordinary carpenter's hammer, taking care to choose a tool which bas a square, flat head, and not a hammer the head of which has grown round.
One or two blows with such a tool will drive a tack, where a small tack hammer will require six or seven. The best and most convenient carpet stretcher is a pair of rubber over shoes. Tack the carpet down on one side, put on a pair of old rubbers, and scuff across the room. Repeat the process for the other three sides. If one person can stretch the carpet and another tack it as fast as it is stretched, it may be laid very quickly and with comparatively little effort.
Qarpets—To Prevent Wear.—Before returning old carpets to the floor, rip up the seams and transpose the breadths, putting the least worn strips in place of those that are most worn; or turn the carpet end for end to change the wear.
Or, if the carpet is ingrain, turn and use wrong side up for a season.
Stair Carpets—To Prevent Wear.— Tack several thicknesses of newspaper or carpet lining or old carpet on the top of each step, having them deep enough to hang three of four inches over the edge. This pad prevents the stair carpet from wearing along the edge. It doubles the life of the stair carpet.
To Mend a Rag Carpet.—Holes in rag carpet caused by the breaking of the warp may be mended by sewing back and forth on the sewing machine. Large holes may be mended in this manner so as not to be noticeable.
When cutting out the good parts of an old rag carpet, sew across the rags back and forth before cutting. This prevents the carpet from ravel ing when cut, and the edges of the good pieces may be sewed together with the seam held down.
To Sweep Carpets.—Before taking up the carpet it should be well swept. The less dust it contains the quicker it can be beaten. Sprinkle with salt or corn meal, or with a mixture of salt and corn meal moistened with kerosene.
Or, if fresh clippings from a lawn mower can be had, sprinkle the carpet with them. Or, if the carpet is of a dark color, with wet tea leaves. Tea leaves may stain a light-colored car pet.