Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1877-05-11
Cleaning House.

like to know from what ancestral
nation the good people of this coun-
try inherit this periodical cleaning
propensity. Probably it came from
the Dutch, the most noted scourers
in the world. With that sober, qui-
ct race, however, the work was not
carried on with the hustle and con-
fusion Of the housewives of our day.
With the Hollanders, house-cleanlng
is continuous and gradual, and every.
thing is kept as bright and clean as
constant rubbing and scrubbing can
make it. BY employing little sys-
TEN, much of the unpleasantness of
this yearly occurrence may be avoid
ed. It is useless to have curtains
down and carpets up all over the
house at the same time. Undertake
no more in the morning than you
can finish that day. 1t may be lit
tie less expensive to have all your
carpets shaken at once, and to have
your walls calcimined in the same
day or in successive days, but, by a
little management, all your walls
will not need to be whitened the
same year, and you will be compen-
stated in comfort for the extra ex-
pense. you finish before night the
room or rooms commenced in the
morning, your husband need not
dine at the kitchen table. nor will he
be compelled to spend his evenings
away from home because there are
two inches of water in every room
in the house and everything smells
of soapsuds. Begin at the top of the
house. If you have an attic contain
ing the usual amount of lumber, take
some rainy or leisure day in the ear
ly spring to arrange it and discard
useless rubbish. No matter if you
have servants, you must overlook
this yourself. The day before your
sleeping rooms are to be renovated,
clean your clothes closets, wardrobes
and bureaus, have the lacks drawn
from your carpets and take down
pictures, curtains and lambrequins.
The shades may be lifted down the
next morning. If you lay by rep or
damask curtains they should be well
brushed or shaken and wrapped in
linen cloths, with tobacco stems be.
tween the folds. 1t makes the rooms
look cool and pleasant it heavy cur
tains are replaced by lace or muslin
for the summer. Chintz curtains
should be spread on a long table and
all rubbed over with bran and fan
mel, which cleans the glaze nicely.
1t is wiser to have lace curtains
cleaned than washed. If rooms are
to be papered, it is best to remove
the old paper, as successive layers of
paper mixed with paste produces de-
leterious exhalations in damp wealth
er. If the paint of your rooms is
dark it need only be washed with 4
flannel cloth dipped in warm water.
Scour light paint with a soft, fiat
brush; wash off with old flannel diE-
ped in cold water, and wipe dry
quickly with linen cloth, that the
water may not dry and streak the
paint. To wash the windows, put a
tablespoonful of ammonia and alco-
hol in equal parts to a quart OF water.
If there are spots OF paint Oh the
glass, they can be removed by a Wig
orous application of this mixture. To
remove stains from marble make a
mortar of unslacked lime and very
strong lye; cover the stain thickly
with 1t, and leave it on for six weeks.
Wash off perfectly clean, and rub
hard with a soft brush dipped in cold
water. Administer and Brussels car
pets need not be shaken oftener than
once IN three years, and then only
for fear of moths. Give such as are
to be taken up a thorough sweeping,
sprinkling them with bits OF newspa-
pers torn up and well moistened with
water. An excellent mixture for re-
moving grease spots from carpets is
made by dissolving one ounce of pull
verified borax and a halt ounce of
gum camphor in quart OF boiling
water. Straw mating should be
washed with a cloth dipped in salt
and water, and wiped dry at once.
If you cannot afford to spend much
money on new furniture or carpets,
at least try to make a few simple
changes. Make carpets in bedrooms
harmonic with the furniture. If
you have an unsightly mantel, let a
carpenter make you board, and cov-
err with blue, pink or cardinal paper
muslin. Place the board over the
mantel; cut a piece of muslin the
length of the board, in some pretty,
fanciful shape, and drape it around
the edge of the mantel. Lambre-
quin patterns may be purchased, but
are not necessary if one will exercise
a little taste. Cover the whole with
plain or dotted Swiss or Nottingham
lace, either of which can be had for
twenty-five cents a yard. Where
any looping is needed, place a knot
of ribbon of the same shade as the
muslin lining. Very pretty lambre,
quins can be made in the same way.
Tack them over the molding at the
top Of the window frame, and let a
ruffle of the colored muslin run along
the top in lieu of cornice. When
a June sunset lights up your win
dows, throwing rosy-pink or pearly-
blue shade over everything in the
room, the effect will be so charming
that you need not envy your wealthy
neighbor her rich lace curtains.
Fashion toilet set in shades to cor
respond with the windows aud man.
tel. Even picture-cords should agree
with the prevailing tint of the room.
BY attention to such details, a
room may be made very attractive if
it contains only cheap mating and
the simplest furniture.-Ne'o York.
Herald.
A mare known az "Old Kate" be-
longing to Major Il. Morton, Orange
county, New York, produced from
1859 to 1874 twelve foals-eight
colts and four fillies. Ten of her
produce brought, in the aggregate,
$8o,O5O; two that have not been sold
and q halt interest in two more
swclls the value of Old Kate's pro-
al II ~ ~