The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1895-05-10
SPRING HOUSEKEEPING.
Some Practices In the Work Which Should
Be Condemned.

Some Practices in the Work Which Should
BE Condemned.
By popular custom housekeeping is
postponed in the spring till after the
winter fires are put out. On most sea-
sons this is too late. Every house
after the long shut-in period of winter
needs thorough recognizing and
special cleaning. This should be done
before warm days, and ought to be
commenced as early as the middle of
April, or as soon as the windows can
be kept freely open while the rooms
are being cleaned. Fires ought to be
continued some time after houseclean-
ing to thoroughly dry out the house,
even if the weather is so warm that
windows must be kept open for COM
fort. 1t is seldom safe to do away with
winter fires before the middle of May in
this locality, unless the living
rooms of the family are provided
with fireplaces for use during the
spring and fall months. The common
practice of cleaning house, scrubbing
paint and floors, hastily replacing car
pets without fires to dry out the house,
is to be strongly condemned. 1t is an
invitation to miasmic colds and all the
discomforts that come in their train.
The sensible housekeeper begins by
cleansing her garnet and then looks
over the cellar, and sees that both the
cellar and all buildings near the house
are thoroughly cleansed and white
washed before the general cleaning of
the sliving apartments of the house.
All closets and stowawaX places are
next attacked, and every place where
moth or buffalo bug may Turk must be
looked over. The bedsteads must be
taken apart and busted and filled
with Persian insect powder, mere
ly as a precautionary measure.
This work should be done as
early as possibles in April, as during
this month allinsect life revives, and is
Matched out for the season. If precau-
lions are taken to rid the house of
pests of this kind thus early in the sea-
son. there will be little trouble after
ward A moIth later the buffalo bug
has gone into papa state, and has &C
complished all the mischief he Is like
ly to do for the season, and other in
sects have become abundant enough to
offer formidable resistance to ordi-
nary methods of determination.
If this preliminary cleaning is done
and other rooms of the
house are cleaned, one by one, as it is
housekeeping need not be
the affection it SO often is. 1t is true,
where there is large amount of whit
ing and painting, it is often necessary |
to tear up several rooms at once
In order to have the work done at a |
cheaper price by the job, but, except |
where this is the case, it is far better
TO do one, or at most two rooms, at
once, and settle these completely be-
fore going further. 1t is true that car
like to have large amount
of work at once, but they do their
work by the yard, so it is just as cheap
10 have the carpets cleaned by the
room instead of by the house, as SO
,ften done. The first method can be
but in force without any break in the
.eqular family life, and those who are
lot Immediately interested in the work
viii hardly realize what has been ac-
except by the result The
,ther method interferes more or less
With the comfort of every member OF
household, and has brought the season
4 housekeeping under the just ban
( man.-N. Y. Tribune.