Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-05-12
Hease-Cleaning Notes.

AouDesCle8Mt0S Notes.
From Harperb Bazaar.
1t IL not good plan to make general dlsas-
ter Of the spring cleaning. We believe in going
to work mildly, when everything seems propi-
tious, and doing there little and there little
until every place becomes a renovated whole.
Still 1t may sometimes happen that the work
cannot be done in q leisurely fashion. Extra
help can be had only at such time and for so
long, SO the work of going over the whole house
must be done in certain time. Even when
such Ii the case there IL no need Of tearing up
the entire house at once, hurricane fashion, Tor
to take one Or two rooms at a time makes the
work much less trying, and disposes Of it quite
as rapidly.
From garnet to cellar Is the order of march.
Various stOwaways in the uppermost region of
the house must have an airing, and an examine
ton thorough enough to prove that moths have
not commenced ruln0us ravages must be made
In the old chests trunks, and boxes which hold
extra bedding and clothes.
Everything should be removed from each bed
room which has been In constant use during the
winter. and from the rooms which have been Oc-
cupied by visitors much ofthe time. Guest-rooms
which have been closed, or used but a few days.
will not need cleaning beyond good airing,
busting and wiping off the woodwork and win
dows, unless changes are to be made in carpets
and windOw-hangings.
In the occupied bedrooms the closets should
be cleaned first. and, II possible, the day before
the room, or it might even be done several days
before. All the clothes should be removed from
the closet, and hung out in the air and sun in
the clothes yard or on porch, and left there all
day, the boxes, etc., removed from the shelves,
and they, with the cateh-alls, bags. and shoe bag
looked over and all the odds and ends-which
will accumulate because one does not quite like
to throw them away-.relentlessly disposed OF.
II the walls are Of hard finish they should be
washed of with tepid water. II they are pa
pered they can be rubbed of with dry cloth.
Ii the shelves and floor are washed of with
clear line-water they Will remain delightfully."-
white and pure all summer. Acloset floor should
never DC carpeted. II the floor is old, oi-cloth
OF light color may be put over it; and II the
closet is very large One which Is made to an
Swer partly for dressing-rOOm, a rug NAV De
added. Whether the closet is large or small.
the floor should be painted unless 1t is old aud
warped.
Before the things are removed from the bed
room they should be cleaned and busted The
smaller articles can be put away in the closet,
and larger ones removed to another room.
The glass over pictures should be cleaned with
dry whiting aud wooden cloth. Carved brack-
cts or shelves should have the Dust removed from
them with q soft brush, and afterward be we'll
rubbed with q little linsecd-oil and a wOOllen
cloth. The mirror should be rubbed of with
whiting. The mattresses and bedding should
CO pOe Oue WhCiC thCy Cou nave Tile Oc0cuC OF
air and sun.
The carpet is taken up after all the furniture
lsremOved. and put out on the grass to be cleaned
The floors are then swept, and the walls wiped
of with small bag of wheat bran. The WIN
dOws should be washed with cold water In which
soda has been put. The soda viii remove all
spots and stains from the glass, and keep 1t from
having smoky look. Soap should never be
used on glass.
Clean brass knobs and rods with retten-stone
q foil hroc s,I
rub 1t with cotton rag dipped in solution OF
oxalic acid; wash of the acid, and polish with
whiting.
The floor should be mopped off with hot
water and soap, or with clear lime water. After
1t Is dry. and before the carpet is put down,
wash 1t around, for a distance of six or eight
inches from the walls, with a mixture OF equal
parts of turpentine and camphor, to destroy and
keep away the moths. II mating is to take
the place Of the carpet, the latter should be
folded up and sheets Of blotting paper wet with
the mixture of turpentine and camphor laid be-
tween the folds. If 1t is then put In a large
store box which has been papered over on the
inside, and newspaper with turpentine and
camphOr placed over the top, it will be secure
from moths.
After the carpet or mating is put down there
Is nothing left to do but bring back and arrange
the furniture and various trifies which, as they
are all cleaned and busted rubbed up and pol
lshed, takes out little while.
1t Is good plan, II the room is one occupied
constantly. to bring in bedding from another
room, and let the mattresses aud pillows have a
few days summing. A hair mattress should be
thoroughly busted off with q whisk broom then
gone over again with the whisk broom damp
ened. The pillows should be washed off with a
brush dipped in hot water; let enough water
soak into them to wet the feathers well, then
let them dry in the sun. turning once day. and
bringing In or covering up at night, and the
feathers will seem like new. feather bed can
be treated In the same manner. If the tick
needs washing, scrub it with warm soap-suds
rinse well with clear water and dry In the SUM-
1t is well to be sure that the pillows and bed are
perfectly free from moisture before putting them
in use again.
After the upper stories have been finished, the
lower floor comes in for its share of attentions
The same plan-One or two rooms at a time and
each article cleaned as 1t is taken from it's place
should be followed.
II the woodwork is of oiled-wood it will need
no cleaning except rubbing off with clear cold
water, or perhaps with linseed-oil. II it has
been grained and vanished 1t may be cleaned in
the same way and If the varnish is married and
scratched 1t can be restored to It's former good
looks by applying turpentine and linseed-oil,
equal parts of each, well mixed together, and
rubbed in with silk or woolen cloth.
Avery good polish for furniture is equal parts
Of sweet-oil, turpentine and vinegar mixed
cloth.
Ii there IL any reason to suspect that moths
have made inroads in upholstered furniture it
should be sprinkled with benzne. The benzine
Is put In small watering-pot, such as is used
for sprinkling house plants and the upholstered
parts Of the furniture thoroughly saturated
with the fluid. It does not spot the most deli
cate silk, the unpleasant odOr passes Off after
an hour or two in the air, and it will completely
exterminate the moths.
After the moths have been attended to- the
wood part of the furniture may be polished with
the mixture given above. 1t is particularly
good for polishing mahogany furniture. TO
take stains out of mahogany tables use spirits
of salts and salt Of lemons, six parts Of the
former to one of the latter; MIX and put few
drops on the stains, then rub until the stain is
removed.
Hangings Of all kinds, from shallow lambre-
quin to a sweeping portiere should be taken
down at the spring cleaning, well busted, aired,
and, If there are any signs Of moths, sprinkled
with benzine.
IT the ceilings are not frescoed, and are to be
whitewashed, it should be done while the
carpets are up and the curtains down.. Smoke
stains can be cleaned off of ceilings by washing
them with water in which common washing
soda has been dissolved. If the ceiling Is
cracked or small pieces Of plaster have fallen
out, 1t can be made smooth again by filling up