The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1874-05-28
CLOSETS IN THE HOUSE.

Having suffered some for closet
room al one time and another, or for
place to stow away things. I have
had considerable sympathy with that
man who said that when he built a
house he should begin with big
closet and make additions TO that.
When | speak OF closets my husband
understands me, but immediately
begins to talk about modes Of ventilat
ing closets, and Ihave only gradually
grown to understand his strong sense
Of the necessity for ventilation. Hav-
ing for several years hung the
clothing of the family in rooms where
there was free circulation of air, |
am surprised when | go into the
well-fnished clothes-rooms Qet us
call them close rooms) in some fine
houses 20 find how dead and unwhole
some-not to say foul the air is.
The soiled garments, hung in a tight
and dark room, contamlnate he
whole apartment, and such contain.
nation is very perceptible to WELL
trained nose or to olfactories accus..
toned to the refinement Of habiuaI
pure air. Old boots and shoes cause
a bad smell in close room.
10 pursue an Unpleasant subject
a little farther-why aosll people
keep the dirty cloths designed fer
the weekly wash in a closet? That
which has come from the skins of
unclean or unhealthy persons (the
latter adjective describes nine-tenths
OF the human family grows constant
ly more impure shut away from light
and air, and everything kept In the
same room is contaminated by the
ef1uvia. Cannot soiled garments be
kept, while waiting for the wash, III
some bag or covered basket in the
or some such place ?
There are baskets on purpose
for soiled clothing, open enough
for ventilation but too fine to admit
mice.
Unless a closet is ventilated so
that there is some circulation of air
through it, it is no place to hang
away night-gowns, unless they have
previously been aired, so that the
accumulated in the
previous night-only insensible
perhaps--has been dried
md sun ned away. at
[ have no means of ascertaining
his morning how far science has
attended to this subject of closet
ventilation, but am very sure that
t is an important matter, and should
be well looked into. Ofcourse there
can be closets with windows in them
and this should generally be the
case. They can be kept dark, as
general rule, if desired, but it ought
to be possible to admit flood of
light. d H a
Closets built under stairways
might be ventilated by CRATE closed
by a sliding shutter under one of the
stairs. It would be we'll to have the
crate capable of being shut to keep
out dust when the stairs are swept.
[ do not know whether this has been
tried, but the idea has occurred to
me as practicable. A sliding window
in the closet door is also possible,
The small sliding window in the
closet dooc is also possible. The
small sliding window in the door and
tie CRATE in the elevation Of one Of
the stairs ought to give sufficient
circulation ola; to a small stairway
closet. 2a p YgelE
tits idle to suppose that a closed
(of any other room) is provided with
ventilation because it is built large
and high. There must be some
circulation of air or atmosphere
because dead. Cor. Ame~ican
Aqricuzturist. ri
2' $50 = (t .,s
Il THE GREEN nA(HE -