The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1894-06-18
(COntributed.)
The Yankee "BEUe Monday"

The Yankee "BEUe Monday"
The housekeepers Of the north are noted
not 50 much for neatness and elegance
SURPRISING their southern sisters in the
management of their homes as they are for
the perfect ease with which they labor;
the completely furnished apartments for
the different classes of work; the flaWless
system charac -cIizing even the smallest
task.
Without a waste of time in preliminary
remarks, l will tell the sisters what l saw
during a visit to OHIO a few weeks since.
10 doubt more valuable knowledge can
be CLEANED from the object lesson than
from the style OF instruction | might prof
fer. The lady of whose plans ! propose to
write conducted an extensive resort place,
and, Of course. its mana cement was on
scale correspoudingly large; yet the mis-
tress of a small cottage might utilize the
plans described by adapting the INTO her
own circumstances and requirements.
First, l viii begin with the laundry
Washing day has been 4 bugbear in house
keeping so long. that not one woman iVeth
to tell of the time when it was not For
this reason, Monday has been styled Blue
Monday At the place where | visited,
the laundering was really a stupendous
sffatr yet ii seemed to cause no more con-
fusion that the doing up of 4 cambria
handkerchief in wash bowl The mis-
tress OF the house, a regularly employed
female servant, a grown boy, and Il woman
called i'm only on Monday did all the work.
just mt the peep OF day the laundry was
opened and a fire started in a low, broad
topped stove. or heater as it was termed.
1t had no holes ON top. on it stood an inn
4nt-nse boiler, -J.Iirss probably III . gal
Ions The faucet was turned and the boller
filed. As fast as the hot water would De
drawn off, cold water would be added.
The water flowed directly from the faucet
into tie boiler. saving ne extra labor Oh
filing and emptyins buckets. There was
also "a pump IN the room to get water for
other needs than the boiler The soap
washing fluids. starch, indigo, etc. which
were kept ON It shelf. well protected from
dust, we're placed on table. Several tubs
were titled with water made Quite warm
for the first washing with soap or Washing
fluids added. several tubs We're filled with
Iuke-wal2n water for rinsing.
To go back to Saturday, when the tables,
beds and wearing apparel of the family
We're changed, the washing was DIVIDED
into heaps, each division being Numbered
separately. The napkins, table cloths bu-
reau scarfs and tides were kept fro many
and everything else with Jealous care. The
mistress told me (as a secret that she
violated the Sabbath every week by going
at o'clock and placing the worst sciled
articles in tub of water with some shaved
soap or pearline thrown in This lessened
the labor more than could be imagined
as it required only few minutes to cleanse
them thoroughly in hot sUds. Fruit stains
We're saturated in spirits OF camphor and
ink spots removed by rubbing with OXalic
acid. Every article needing mendng was
attended to. Every piece was carried
through hot suds, rinsed ard wrung dry;
the heavier ones, such as sheets and coun-
terpanes passing through rollers. They
were then hung in the drying room adjon
ing, where it required less than half an
hour fer everything to become bone dry.
The starch was made in an immense porce-
lain-ined kettle Of granite ware. After
starChing, they We're hung again to dry.
They were then sprinkied and ironed.
Fifty of the best irons hung on nails
the wall. When needed for use, they were
heated on Il stove just like the one before
described The lat-top space was equally
divided by q ridge Of metal, one side for
the hot irons, the other for those that
had become cool. The ironed clothes were
placed in the drying room on a table, after
being sorted to remove any trace OF damp
ness that might exist. At t O'Clock they
were taken to the Wardrobes. Then the
boy turned the sudS into sewer, which
carried them half a mile away. The tubs
were rinsed. every article of metal rubbed
dry and polished, the ashes were re-
moved, the stoves cleaned out and polish
ed the floor was swept, the irons hung
in their places on the wall, and soap,
starch, etc, were put on the shelves, the
floor was swept, the window shades lower
ed, and the laundry was locked up for
another week. At o'clock eVely vestige
OF Blue Monday had vanished No guest
knew anything OF it, or was disconnected
by it.
Now. I think 1 hear you say, "All this
is on q. big scale. L cannot afford all those
conveniences." OF course, no one is so
capable of Judging yourself as to the
arrangement of your household machinery.
You know what you afford, and what
is suited to the requirements of your
family However, l will say, by all means,
run pipe into your laundry from the
well or cistern, and have Il pump attached.
The easy transportation of water is half
the battte in laundry work Have your