Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-05-04
ANNUAL HOUSE CLEANING.
Some Practical Suggestions to Industri-
GUS HOusekeepers,

TIE USUAL WORK OF sPRINa-HrNrs FOR TAXING
Up CARPETS AND REMOVING FURNITURE -
TREATMENT OF MOTH FLIEs-sroRINa AWAY
WOODEN aooDs-BENEDIcK AT HOME.
"The melancholy days have come the saddest of the
OF cleaning paint and scrubbins floors and securing
far and near,
And when the carpets all up. and from the stair
case top
The mistress calls to and maid TO WELD the broom
and mop"
When a woman has derived all of that su-
preme satisfaction which she can so efica-
ciously extract and so thoroughly enjoy in the
Government and the making of and her first
appearance in her new spring suit or pretty
Easter bonnet. her fancy turns to thoughts of
house-cleaning. If she happens not to be a
housekeeper. upon whose shoulders more or
less responsibility rests it does not follow that
she Is exempt from those vexationS which
worry the spirit for she must meet the ques-
ton as to what she shall do or where she shall
go when her own coy apartments are turned
topsy-turvy by the one who does do the work
of housekeeping.
The house-cleanng business is a necessary
annual ylsitor-a part of spring itself-a de-
gree higher than the brushing up of everything
and the laying down of carpets in the fall-a
time when the contents of every nook and cor
ner must be taken out. busted. scrubbed.
and put back in perfect and inviting order.
When all this is going on what state of confu-
sion exists. And how often neighbors friends,
or acquaintance select that very time to return
or make a call. Or the winds blow and the rain
pours just when the windows should be open
I or ventilation. Or, when the cool. airish
spring breezes sweep through the halls, and
clear the atmosphere, odds are that the result
will be fine crop o. influenza.
The object of this paper, however, is not to
moralize upon the condition of affairs at such
MI mob 70 Otfn-
gestions gathered here and there from the ey-
perimental reports of veterans in the bust
ness.
HOW TO CLEAN ROOM.
Where are those rooms those quiet rooms the hou sc
Wherein we dwelt nor dreamed of dirt, so coy and
Alas. they're all turned upside down. that quiet suite
With s?Ps and suds and soap and sand and tubs and
1t is best always to clean one room at time,
even 1t 1t requires single day to each one
Begin by busting and removing all the small
articles and ornaments, and then the large
pieces, pictures, and mirrors lake down the
curtains and dust thoroughly. If the floor is
carpeted sweep this clean, then remove the
tacks, fold together carefully so as to raise as
little dust as possible, and take it out into the
air, where it should be well beaten and at
once. The carpet-lining, newspapers or straw
used under the carpets should be removed
| carefully, and the floor swept-sprinkled first
! II necessary. to lay the dust. After taking up
| the dust the floor should be wiped with damp
| mop, not wet enough to wash it.
| The base board should then be washed with q
| soft white flannel CLOTH warm water. and good
| soap. II Hght-colored or white. whiting in
| the water will improve the appearance. If the
! board IS very much soiled. little ammonia in
| the water will cleanse it perfectly. but will re-
move the polish. Wash the windows in am
MONA water. and the floor also. after the base
! board has been finished. When the floor is
| dry and the carpets well shaken put down the
] latter, If they to be used: put ND the cur
tains, bring in the furniture, pictures, &C.,
! wipinS them thoroughly with a cloth
Ii 1t is lncopvenient to remove the carpet.
sweep II carefully after all other things have
been taken out. and when the dust has settled
! go over 1t again with the BROOM sweeping it
! gently. Then put two quarts of warm water in
| a PAL and add to it three tabiespoonfuIs of
ammonia and two of spirits of turpentine.
| wiring cloth out with this solution and wipe
the carpet with it. and it will be greatly bright
eEed.
When cleaning room never shake rugs cur-
talns, &c, out of the windows. Much of the
dust is blown back into the room. some clings
to the house, and some is blown through the
windows into other rooms.
| TREATMENT OF THE MOTH Fly
Those aromatic insects that so often seek to steal
march on blood relationship, with mercenary zeal
Are doomed to suffer martyrdom beneath this tragic
And sxSTTy, trnmping moth ay will be sacrificed as
The annual house-cIeaning process presents
many virtues other than the mere getting rid
of dust and dirt and giving to the surroundings
a cheerful airy appearance. Not the least
among these is an opportunity to encompass
and extrpate the moth fly, which invariably
colonies in warm, comfortable houses during
| the winter and leaves. as a compensating re-
membrance, its infantile larve to obtain and
] enjoy life through the summer The cloth
moth is the dread and despair of the house
keeper. 1t Is bohemian. and was originally
dumped upon American soil by indiscreet and
undiscerning foreigners. They differ in the
brilliancy of their coors and the colors of their
| Larvae, but their object in life is the same and
they cut holes in fabrics with corresponding in
difference.
| 1t is not necessary to sun winter wooden
clothing before putting it away, many peo-
quently aired by the wearer, but it is necessary
that they should be brushed and put away
promptly upon being laid aside, as they are
liable to receive the germ Of destruction If al
lowed to lie about at all. Those wooden gar
ments which are worn during the summer
should be taken out and brushed regularly
when not kept in constant use.
But carpets, cloths, cloth-covered furniture
furs and rugs should be exposed to the air and
sunlight The deadly enemy of the moth fv is
benzine. If house is badly infested free
use of benzine. pulled with hand-atomizer
into the cracks of the floor around the base
board and in dark closets. This benzine spray
will kill the insect in every stage and is one of
| the few substances which will destroy the egg.
1t is infammable and caution should be taken
| to make or use no light in the room until it
evaporates-say for half an hour Cloth-cov-
cred furniture, chest or drawers, &C., can be
treated advantageously the same way.
When the work of the Larvae is discovered it
may be arrested and entirely destroyed by
placing over the goods at the affected part and
ironing it with hot iron. The steam thus
generated will pass through the cloth and
exterminate every vestige of life.
HOW TO CARE FOR FURs. ETC.
''The parior and the chamber floors were cleaned a
week ago.
The carpets shaken, windows washed tas all the neigh
bOrs know,
their ordeal
Be packed in boxes tight both make believe and real
The proper packing away of furs and winter
clothing for the summer is serious matter
Cedar chests and cedar wardrobes and various
compounds in the way of powders, camphor,
pepper, tobacco, turpentine, carbolic acid &C.,
have been invented and urged by writer's. Ex-
perience, however, teaches that one of the
best methods is one of the simplest. After a
thorough brushing and generous spraying of
benzine the goods can be carefully folded and
packed in strong pasteboard boxes, securely
q of ofr