Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-04-05


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 unnecessarily cough |
or sneeze their heads of, if they do not
get down with the grip or be carried of
with the pneumonia.
Now even much later in the season
than this at least one stove should be
left where fire can be kindled when
the damp, cool nights and mornings in
April come along or that weeks rain in
May. II need make no difference with
the house cleaning, if one knows how
to manage. That necessary process
need not be the nuisance to the man of
the house as it sometimes is ii 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 Il month. 1t can be done
much more thoroughly and satisfactorily
In this leisurely way.
The front and back yard having been
put in order, next take the cellar in hand,
for that is the place of all places for
typhoid fevers aud malaria to breed in if
it is not kept scrupulously 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 oyerhauling the cellar the first
thing to do is TO sift and then remove
ashes, if that has also been deposited
raFtr, . Il. L.. 1
for 25 ceuts load to persons who live
in the suburbs and keep market gardens.
They want it 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 25 cents load, but the city
garbage collector, if notified, will carry
it away for nothing, together 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 and
other bottles, when properly cleaned,
bring three cents q dozen. You NAV
save many penny yourself by sorting
your own rubbish and dickering with
the spring peddlers, who 60 from house
to house with pushcarts collecting 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 swinging shelves, of which
there ought to be several 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 whltewash it all
ever the ceiling and walls with two
coats. Mix it with one-half pound of
copperas thrown into each bucketful of
the wash to kill reaches and all kinds of
vermin, which delight to burrow in
damp places.
When the whitewashing is done wash
and scrub thoroughly with soap and
brdsh 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
VIII do you credit, be convenience 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 eX-
anime 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 satisfac-
ton which comes of knowing the moths
are "fixed."
Bureau drawers come next, and then
the washstands or stationary stands.
Make thorough work of these last, for a
stationary washstand is often as muck
OF nuisance as waterbury breeder as
IT is convenience in other respects. 1t
needs looking after, and more especially
under, at least once week. Powdered
borax sprinkled around underneath.
with an occasional washing out with
carbolic soap, is the way to keep il
purely clean and harmless.
The bedrooms can be attacked next
one ut time, and each one finished be.
fore another is begun. In this way of
dealing with cleaning, it can all be
planned and finished up from day ID
day while the men are away and the
children at school.
Every housekeeper should see to the
details of this kind of cleaning herself.
1t is never safe to trust it to some one
else entirely. A man or woman to heir
about the ashes, shaking carpets, and
such heavy work can be hired BY the
day at 81 or by the job.
Some ladies who generally do tbei,
own homework will hire a woman by
the week to help clean woodwork. an2
she Is to come on the days they wan
her, the time merely all to count for 3
weeks work, as in cleaning house thi.
way, little this week and u little next
II is no matter when the weeks work i!
done.
One lady know will engage he
woman to help clean on Wednesda,
and Thursday Of each week until it i
done. She cleans closets and bureau
drawers herself on Monday and Tues
day, or, if the washing and ironing ar,
done at home on those days, they ar,
out of the way, finished facts by Wed
nesday.
After the bedroom take the parlor il
hand, and the dining-room next. III,
pantry and cupboard will take da,
BY themselves. The kitchen come
last, but us that is pretty generally at
tended to each week, it is not SO hard
job.
Cleaning house in this way a woman
Is not all tagged out, and ONES HUSBAND
does not have to make it an excuse TO
going to the restaurant around III,