The Washington times., 1894-03-28
How to Be Happy
Through HouSeCleanin6.


A few pleasant days do not make Spring
any more than the song Of one swallow.
Still these premature warm days do make the
thrifty housekeeper long to begin the Spring
cleaning.
Possibly she does begin, and in the wrong
way, too, by letting the fires all go out, when
along comes cold snap and catches every
member of that family, who most unneces-
sarily cough or sneeze their heads of, If they
do not get down with the grip por be carried OIL
with the pneumonia.
Now even much later in the season than
this at least one stove should be left where a
fire can be hndled when the damp, cool
nights and mornings in April come along
or that weeks rain in May. 1t need make no
difference with the house cleaning, II one
knows how to manage. That necessary pro-
cess need not be the nuisance to the man OF
the house as it sometimes is if one plans
right. Instead Of doing up ones house for
the summer in week. and tearing up all the
carpets at once take more time, at least a
month. 1t can be done much more thoroughly
and satisfactorily in this leisurely way.
The front and back yard having been put
T..
that is the place OF all places for typhoid fevers
and malaria TO breed in if it is not kept scru-
pulously clean and sweet with whitewash.
Some cellars are under the whole house:
part of it is used for household purposes and
part for the wood and coal In overhauling
the cellar the first thing to do is to sift and
then remove ashes if that has also been de-
posted there. Very often the ashes can be
sold for % cents a load to persons who live in
the suburbs and keep market gardens. They
want ii for paths. Coal ashes is one of the
best things known that is not patented to
make garden paths that will not grow weeds,
and when mixed with gravel hardens almost
equal TO concrete.
Having found YOUR customer. he will carry
it away for you for nothing and give you %
cents load. but the city garbage collector.
if notified. will carry it away for nothing, to-
gether with all your old bottles and tin cans.
Scores of the very poor will rake it over then
to get the cinders you may have wastefully
left in. The yeast powder bottles aud other
bottles. when properly cleaned, bring 8
cents dozen. You may save many penny
yourself by sorting your own rubbish and
dickering with the Spring peddler5, who go
from house to house with pushcarts collect
ing such trash.
Having taken all of the ashes and waste
sweep the cellar rafters and walls carefully
with an old stiff broom and clear off the swing
eral in every cellar.
After the floor has been swept and the dirt
either dumped into the ashes before it has
been carried away or burned, have man:
if you cannot afford to hire him at 81 day
or by the job, get your own husband or son
to whitewash it all over the ceiling and walls
with two coats. Mix it with one-half pound
of copperas thrown into each bucketful of the
wash to kill roaches and all kinds of vermin,
which delight TO burrow in damp places
When the white washing is done wash and
scrub thoroughly with soap and brush both
the swinging shelves and cellar stairs. Then
scollop neatly enough newspapers to cover
your shelves, bring down the food which
needs to be kept cool, and you may be sure
that cellar will do you credit, be conven-
ience and not breed disease.
A cellar if at all damp. should have drain
dug in it and an opening into the sewers, so
that the water can all run out.
After the cellar cleaning take your clothes
closets in hand and rearrange them. Take
everything out. and examine the corners,
shelves, and cracks in the floors for moths.
Sweep out wash out, and dust corners and floor
cracks with insect powder. Put your boxes
and bundles back and hang up the clothes,
with the feeling of satisfaction which comes of
knowing the moths are fixed
Bureau drawers come next, and then the
washstands or stationary stands. Make thor
stand is often as much of a nuisance as a
water-bug breeder Us it is a convenience in
other respects. 1t needs looking after. and
more especially under. at least once a week.
Powdered borax sprinkled around underneath
with an occasional washing out with carbolic
soap, is the way to keep it purely clean and
harmless.
The bedrooms can be attacked next one at
a time. and each one finished before another
is begun. In this way of dealing with clean
ing, it can all be planned and finished up
from day to day while the men are away and
the children at school.
Every housekeeper should see to the de-
tails of this kind of cleaning herself. 1t is
never safe to trust it to some one else entirely.
A man or woman to help about the ashes.
shaking carpets, and such heavy work canbe
hired by the day at 81 or by the job.
Some ladies who generally do their own
housework will hire woman by the week to
help clean woodwork, and she is to come on
the DAYS they want her. the time merely all to
count for weeks work, as in cleaning house
this way, little this week and little next,
1t is no matter when the weeks work is DONE
One lady know will engage her woman to
help clean on Wednesday and Thursday ot
each week until it is done. She cleans closets
and bureau drawers herself on Monday and
Tuesday. or, if the washing and ironing are
done at home on those days. they are out OF
the way. finished facts by Wednesday
After the bedroom take the parlor in hand,
and the dining-room next. The pantry and
cupboard will take day by themselves
The kitchen comes last, but as that is pretty
generally attended 10 each week, it is not so
hard a job.
Cleaning house IN this way woman is
not all tagged out. and ones husband does
not have to make it an excuse for going to
the restaurant around the corner for bit of
comfort. nor is the little mistress obliged to
look like fright when her Bob comes home.
because. even If she has been so busy, she
has had time to take down her curl papers.
Bob likes 10 see her look nicely. He likes
her just as well if her afternoon gown is only
made over or a simple-going home wrapper.
There is an unreliable charm in well-kept
little house with a nice little woman to man
age it that most men feel grateful for. and
they would prefer it to anything else. if the
little woman knows how TO make them feel
comfortable as soon as they get there from
the days hard work outside
Yes. be neat. but not uncomfortably so. To
make Bob uncomfortable is grave mistake,
and that is one of the perils OF housecleaning
tune. which with little management can be
avoided and the good work still go on to a
happy completion.
N
Got an Explanation.
In administering punishment in the navy