The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1889-04-10
House. Cleaning.

In the spring the housewives fancy
turns to thoughts of cleaning house,
and until this work is accomplished she
takes very little rest. AS the spring
cleaning is usually the general cleansing
of the year, every nook and cor
ner is sure to be visited, and all thor
oughly cleared out and put in order.
Although there is sure to be some con-
fusion during this work, yet good
deal may be avoided by cleaning one
room at time, being sure to keep at
it until it is finished before beginning
on another. This usually confines the
confusion to two rooms-the one clean
ing and one to which the furniture of
the first is moved. Begin by removing
from the room to be cleaned all the
small ornaments and articles of furni-
ture, then the large pieces of furni-
ture, pictures and mirrors. Take down
the curtains, dust thoroughly, and if of
washable material, send to the laundry.
If they can not be washed, and are not
much soiled, the busting will be suffi-
cient. If the floor is carpeted, sweep the
carpet as clean as possible, with tack
litter remove the tacks, fold together
carefully, so as to raise as little dust as
you can, and take out into the air,
where it should be well beaten. Where
carpet lining or newspapers have been
used, the dust on these may be easily
removed by carrying them out into the
air, leaving very little dust on the
floor. Where straw is used under car
pets, after removing this the dust I'M
der it can be swept up by sprinkling
the floor with water. After taking up
the dust wipe the floor over with a
damp mop-not wet enough to wash it,
but just enough to take up the super
fluous dust, so the base-boards around
the room may be washed without being
smeared by the cloth coming in con-
tact with the dusty floor. Wash the
paint with soft, white flannel cloth,
If light-colored or white, whiting in
the water will improve its appearance.
If very much soiled, and one is not
particular about the gloss, ammonia in
the water will cleanse it perfectly, but
will remove the polish. Wash the win
dows in ammonia water, and the floor
also. When the floor is dry and the car
pet well shaken, put down the latter:
replace the pictures, furniture and cur
tains, after wiping them over thor
oughly. Rub the furniture, if dark, with
some good furniture polish or warm
linseed oil, using only little oil and a
good deal of rubbing. Test the cords,
nails and screw-eyes of pictures, mir
rors, etc., and be sure they are strong
enough to stand the weight of the arti-
Gle another year. Cold tea is the best
thing with which to clean grained wood
Never use ammonia for this work. I'm
slightly grease.spots can be removed
from wallpaper by using blotting-papel
and a warm iron. Take a piece OF
blotting-paper, double it and hold it on
the spot of grease, then press on this 8
warm iron. Remove the paper, and il
the spot is not all out use clean piece
and so continue until the stain has dis
appeared. Common brown meat-paper
folded two or three-ply, is good wher
the other is not convenient. Spirits o.
camphor will remove white spots from
furniture, as also will alcohol, but il
the article is vanished this also viii
come off-so unless you wish to re-
varnish, alcohol should not be used OF
vanished furniture. We do not know
what effect spirits of camphor will have
on this same kind of furniture, but the
effect of the alcohol we have learned
from experience. -American CultivatOr