The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1893-11-23
THE FALL nOUSECLEANlNG.
Cautions and Advice to tho Careful MatFon
Preparing for the Winter.

The FALL HOUSECLtAN'Ne1
Cautions and Advice to tho Careful MatFon
Preparing for the Winter.
The first cool days of fall tempt tho
good housekeeper 10 start the fall
housekeeping, and clear away tho de-
bris which is always likely to accumu-
late during the summer, and TO prepare
for winter. But this is 4 case when
time cannot be so easily taken by the
forclocls. A few cool days does not
mean the end of warm weather The
muggy, warm days which always come
in the month of September bring with
them great number of flies and insect
pests, which seem to make redoubled
efforts to undo all your doings in the
way of this premature cleaning The
fresh hangings which are put up too
carly in the fall are more sure to be
ny-speckcd in September and October
than in June. There is particularly
annoying little fly that comes IN the
fall-the post of house-painters and OF
housckccpers 1t clings to the clothes
of the laundry, to the draperieS of the
open windows, to upholstery, and ev-
erything which it can seek. though II
does not often venture far indoors.
1t is an excellent plan at this time to
get all the stoves and hea ting apparatus
of the house in perfect order II they
have not been put away in perfect
order in the spring. Where the family
arc wise enough to have open ire
places. these will give all the heat nc
cesSary for fall weather and the heater
need not bc started until the winter
SHOWS have fairly arrived. An open f1rc
OF wood. lIindlcd morning and evening,
a, this time of wear will do more good
20 chase away malaria than all the
medicines which physicians can pre-
scribe. There is always some damp
ness lurking about the house at this
season. mpcrceptiblc to person in
health, but lscenly felt by the sensitive
rheumatic and equally injurious to ALL
whether they arc sensible OF it or not.
It. is Just this dampness. laden as it
often is with the seeds Of malaria, that
the open fire dissfpates as it fills the
house with The atmosphere OF glad
ness and of health.
At this season it is II good plan to
examine the furnacc-hcatHr thoroughly,
whether it has been cleaned in the
spring or not. The cold-air box is not
infrcqucntly the resort OF rats and
even birds have been found imprisoned
in it. The danger OF any impurlty IN
the cold air box or OF anything in the
vicinity of the opening of the cold air
box, like the opening OF 4 ccsspool, can
not be too strongly pictured. 1t is es-
scntial that the supply Of air which is
to be heated and sent up through the
rooms of the household should be as
pure as possible Hence the cold air
which is drawn into the cold air box
must above all be pure. Some stove
men, who have no conscience i'll their
work, open their cold nir box some
times in the cellar or in the kitchen
hall, or. if the cold air box opens out
doors, the garbage pail, or some other
nuisance may be in close proximity to
it. and continually supplying the house
with impure instead OF pure air.
The warm days of Indian summer.
which usually come after we have had at
least one severe frost sufficient to pur-
fy the atmosphere of flies and other III
sect pests. are the ideal days for the
fall housekeeping This is the proper
time to remove summer mattings and
put down winter carpets. and to re-
place the light draperies Of summer
with the heavier hangings OF winter.
The last traces Of the flies may be re-
moved at this time with no chance Of
their returning in full force as soon as
the cleaning is done. and the house
will seem much heater and frcSher all
winter for the slight delay There is
one part CT the fall cleaning, however,
which must not be delayed, and that is
the cleaning Of the dooryard and vicin-
ity. If this is carefully attended to,
the dead leaves and dead stalks Of veg
citation being swept up and made into
n bonfire, or added to tho compost
heap, there will be fewer flies and less
danger from malaria. The necessity
for doing this early, as soon as the
leaves begin to fall, and continuing the
work as long as they continue to fall,
cannot be insisted upon too strongly.
The sewerage and drainage, the gar
bagc pail and all sources OF contamina-
ton must be closely looked to during
the month of September and through
out all the warm days of fall. Cop
pcras and other disnfcctants, and the
best Of diSinfcctants of all. the scrub
hing brush and soap, must be freely
used. N Y. Tribune