Passaic City record., 1892-05-07
HOUSEHOLD AFFAIRS.
SPRING HousE-cLEANrNa.

SPRING HOUSE CLEANING.
House cleaning is unquestionably hard
work, the very best one can make of IT.,
but there are ways which are easier
than others, and the wise woman always
| studies out the easiest and most expedi-
tious way of conducting her household
| affairs. AS soon as the weather is warm
enough so that it is safe to leave the
windows open, it is a good plan to be.
| gin by cleaning one room at a time. The
upper floor is best for start, and the
room most distant from the stairway
should be selected first. Move out all
of the furniture; take down the curtains
indeed, take out everything de-
tachable from the room-then, with
stiff broom, sweep the carpet
carefully and take up the dust.
Then take out the tacks from the
carpet, roll that up, making as little dust
as possible, until it is in as small par
eel as can be made; then tie this with
strong string, and if there is a back
yard, gently drop it out of the back
window or have it taken down stairs. If
there is paper on the floor, roll this
up, taking care to wrap as much as pos
sible of the dust with it. Have ready
large basket or bag or piece of cloth
large enough to wrap it in, and lay the
pieces upon this. When all the paper
is up, sprinkle the floor with savdust
which is made quiet wet, but not
enough SO to drip. Dash this in all
the corners, and spread it evenly
about. Then begin at one corner of the
room; very slowly and steadily brush the
sawdust, which will gather almost all the
particles of dust with it. Take this up,
then brush the walls thoroughly and wash
the paint and woodwork and clean the
windows. Then go over the floor with
another coating of sawdust, damp, like
the first. If there is necessity for great
haste, and the room is sleeping room,
it may not be necessary to wash the floor
at all, provided the sweeping is thoroughly
done. If it is considered desirable to
scrub the floor, let it be done as quickly
and with as little water as possible, using
a stiff brush and warm water with large,
soft floor cloths to dry itrapidly. If this
is properly managed, and the windows
are left open, the carpet, which should
meanwhile be thoroughly beaten, may be
put down within two hours. If the papers
can be used again, they may be shaken
out and brushed and rolled in packages
before being taken upstairs. When the
carpet is down, have every article of fur
niture brushed and wiped and put back
in place; the bedding, table covers, lam
brequins, and everything which is not to
be washed, should be beaten and entirely
freed from dust, and replaced at once.
Curtains and articles which must go
through the laundry should be put in the
hampers out of the way.
1t is possible to do room in one day
and employ very little extra help for it,
if the work is carefully planned and pains
be taken to avoid confusion. When
night comes there need be no litter and
no dust about the place. Everything
may be in its proper location, and cas-
ual glance would never reveal the fact
that the room had been entirely torn up
during the day. To continue in this
work, one room at time, finishing the
upper floor first, is the best way. When
finished, the hall and stair carpets may
be taken up, thoroughly cleaned and laid
away for the time being, as more or less
dust is certain to get into the hall while
the cleaning of the lower rooms is in
progress.
Under no circumstances should more
than one room be disturbed at time un-
less they are connected by folding-doors
or otherwise arranged so that there would
be good reason for so doing. When the
rooms are all done, the entire hall and
stairway may be cleaned IN a single day
and the carpets replaced.
1t may be urged in objection to this
fashion of cleaning that it is difficult to
get help to do carpets by piecemeal.
While this may be true to some extent,
it may be said that it is almost always
possible to engage man for certain
hour in each day. Between one and two
o'clock in the afternoon the carpet might
be ready and would occupy but short
time. The cost by short spells would,
perhaps, be more, but the convenience
and comfort of the family are, or should
be, of more Importance than the trifing
additional expense. The cellar, area
ways ard adjacent places should be taken
in regular course, especial care being ex-
ercised in the removal of decaying veg
etables or lef: over rubbish, which is al
most certain to accumulate during the
winter season. When all is done, it is a
good plan to place pan of live Goals in
Al t.s III, -