Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1885-07-15
Prize Essay on House e-cleaning.

The Philadelphia Press offered prize
for the best essay on house-cleaning, and it
was awarded for the following
One of the difficulties of house-cleaning
is in finding the right place to begin. Start
with tie men of the house. Let them ull-
derstand that women do not clean house
for their own amusement, but that it is an
important work which must be performed,
and which will be finished with as little de-
lay and annoyance to others as possible
By preserving an even temper we can spare
the tempers of those about US. Have per-
feet understanding that the work is not be
subject to whims or indigestion, or made
the occasion of selfish complainings, and
then push ahead quietly, quickly and thor
oughly to the end.
Every spring and fall overhaul all old
clothing, empty the rag-bags and dispose of
the contents and all other rubbish. In the
spring pack away all heavy clothing. Wrap
each article separately with camphor in
old newspapers, to protect the clothing
from moths. In the fall have the summer
clothing washed and put away without
.starc1ing, as starch eats the clothes and
turns white goods yellow.
Beginning with the upper story, take
each room separately, that the whole house
Then in case of sudden illness or any unfor
seen interruption, some of the rooms will
be habitable. Remove all pictures and fan
cy articles, carefully brush and wipe them
free from dust, and with soft, damp cloth,
polish every article that will not be injured
by the application of water. Then cover
and put them away until the room is clean
ed. This plan of cleaning as thoroughly
as possible all articles before removing
them from the room avoids carrying dust
from one place to another.
The next thing is to take the clothing
from the closets, bureaus and wardrobes,
cleaning each receptacle thoroughly. Re-
move all the furniture possible from the
room, wiping off the dust before doing so,
and carefully covering what remains
Brush the bedding with small whisk
broom before taking it out of the room.
Next take up the carpet. A good plan is
to have the tacks drawn from the carpet
the day before, as it saves time after the
cleaning is actually begun. If in the coun-
try, have the carpets taken out of doors,
well beaten, shaken and swept upon both
sides. If in the city, the carpet-cleaning
houses do the work very thoroughly and
with little expense. Slightly sprinkle the
bare floor with water and sweep twice.
With large, clean, soft cloth wipe the
dust from the walls and ceiling.
Have a bucket of warm water, slightly
soapy, and with clean, soft scrubbing-
brush go over the paint carefully. Do not
let any water touch the wallpaper. Wipe
the paint dry with a soft cloth to give it an
even polish. Soap used directly on paint
makes it yellow and takes it off With
clear water and soft cloth wash the win
dow-panes and polish dry with chamois
skin or a clean, soft linen cloth. Old news
papers are excellent for this purpose.
Have the floor we'll scrubbed, and when
it is perfectly dry have the carpet laid, and
replace the things belonging to the room.-
Close the doors and proceed with the next
room, and so on until all the apartments on
the upper story have been cleaned. Next
clean the entries and stairways of that floor.
1t is better to leave the entry and stairway
carpets until the whole house has been
cleaned, where they can all be put down at
once. Take the rooms, entries and stair
ways of each floor successfully until the
cellar is reached.
If your house is heated by furnace, have
all the registers through the house closed
while the cellar is being swept and cleaned
of rubbish, as the dust will ascend through
the hues The cellar should be we'll white
washed, and lime be scattered near the
walls.
When the dining-room and kitchen are
being cleaned, the pantries, dressers and
sideboards should be done first. All the
kitchen utensils must be cleaned and pol
ished, and the range blackened before any
thing is done. If the work is being done
in the country, where stoves are used in
stead of furnace clean out the stoves,
blacken, cover and set them away in some
dry place until the fall cleaning is finished,
Or until fires are again needed, when they
will be ready to put in their proper places. |
The latter part of May is the best time for
the spring cleaning. The fall cleaning
should be done in October. - Charlotte
Hall.