The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-06-25
HOuse-cleaning-HOw to Best Wrestle
with the Carpets.


nary, work-a-day people. Those who
can afford to hire professional carpet
litter need no suggestions on the subject
and they have but little comprehension
of the outlay of strength and patience
required to obtain satisfactory results by
their poorer but equally godly neighbors.
Outside of cities or towns, it is often inn
possible to find any one to do such work,
and the burden falls on weary shoulders
which can hardly bear the daily routine
of homework when the time of house
cleaning is yet afar off. Those old
fashioned housekeepers who delight in
hard work, and who make it for the
pleasure of doing it, likewise need no
suggestions.
In the first place, don't be slave to
homework and tear up carpets because
it is "house-cleaning time'' in your Vi
entity, but wait until a convenient sea-
son'-until the weather, and health,
and work, are most favorable, such days
come sooner or later-and then begin
gently. Some people charge room as
| II it were fort, and the noise and dust
thereof remind one of the accounts OF
battles recorded in the Old Testament.
If one pair of hands must perform the
usual and extra work as well, it is al
most always best to do the lamp-filling,
dish-washing, etc., at the customary
time, rather than leave them to be done
when one is tired out. After removing
everything movable in the room, begin
tack-lifting, which need not be a long
job if the tacks have been properly driy-
en-, viz, not quite as far as they will 90.
Then begin at one side and lay each
breadth over on the next one to it, till
the middle of the room is reached, and
then begin at the opposite side of the
room and proceed in the same way until
both halves can be folded together.
Then begin at each end of the strip and
fold toward the middle until it is small
enough to carry out. When taken up
in this way less dust is raised to be
taken into the lungs and skin of the one
in the room, and the carpet is easier to
handle when out of doors.
When once out of the house there are
various ways of disposing of it. One
little neighborhood l know of used to
put all its carpets Qag) into the mill
race for day or two. And certain
hygienic lady who ordered her ingram
carpet to be taken up and cleaned caused
her servant to put it in a washtub and
rub it out, much to the poor girls sor-
row and disgust. Thoroughly shaking
and summing carpet is usually enough,
and if it isn't the carpet should either be
steamed by machinery or sold to the
ragman.
Commonly carpets are hung upon a
line and beaten-sometimes with barrel
slaves or boards or poles, which should
never be allowed, as the stiff end, COM
bined with the 'snap" of the fabric, is
sure to injure it if it does not make a
hole. A carriage whip is very good for
beating carpets provided one does not
mind the wear on the whip. Peabush
is the best of anything to whip with, as
it can do no harm and covers large
surface at once. A much better way
than to hang the carpet upon the line,
and one quite as easy in the country, is
to prepare a good bed of peabush and
The dust falls directly out instead of
merely dropping few inches. Laying
it upon. clean grass and sweeping it ION
both sides) is another very good way to
clean carpet when one has not the
strength to hang it up. When the car
pet is we'll beaten it should be folded
again and laid in the room so that it
shall fit when opened breadth by
breadth.
There are different opinions as to
what should be placed under carpet
| to prevent its wearing. Catherine
Beecher recommends straw mating be-
cause it is fiat and the dust sits through
it instead of wearing the wrong side of
the carpet. She also cautions against
the use of hay, because it wears the
carpet in spots. Besides this it has TO
most people an unpleasant odor, es-
pecially in damp weather Many peo-
pie use newspapers, partly because they
do away with much hard scrubbing of
the floor, and partly because they make
the floor warmer in winter. This, how
ever, has the disadvantage of keeping
the dust next to the carpet. Partly
worn mating with newspapers beneath
make an excellent protection for both
floor and carpet. Paper for this pur-
pose can be obtained where carpets are
sold. The carpet padding which can
also be had is liable to gather dampness
and is long in drying if anything is
spilled on the carpet.
A good floor of contrasting woods can
be put down in any room that has three
quarter inch thresholds at about the
same cost as good carpet, and with
warmish clear water and self-wringing
mop can easily be kept clean, and sur
plus energy can be worked off by rug
making, in which is displayed so much
taste, not to say high art, nowadays.
In the good time coming when, tackled
carpets are as much a thing of the past
as sanded floors are to us, perhaps our
descendants will be able to strengthen
the weak backs and stomachs bequeath-
ed to them from the over-taxed powers
of the present generation of house,
keepers. But just as long as the GUS
tom prevails of heavy carpets fitted
and nailed into place, so long will the
love of cleanliness cause women to sac
rifice, their strength-which signifies
health-to their floors Springfield
| Mass. Republican. ~ .'ti '.'' ~.
Sanitary Condition Of Farm houses.