The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1895-05-11
SPRING HOUSEKEEPING.

Some Practices I'm 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 a 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 cal
be kept freely open while the rooms
are being cleaned. Fires ought to be
continued some time after h~ouseclean-
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 Nav 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. It is an
invitation to miasnic colds and all the
discomforts that come in their train.
The sensible housckeeper begins by
cleansing her garnet AMI then looks
over the cellar, and sees mai both the
cellar and all buildings near The house
are thoroughly cleansed and white
washed before the general cleaning of
the living apartments of the house.
All closets and Stowaway places are
next attacked, and every place where
moth or buffalo bug may lurk must be
looked over. The bedsteads must be
taken apart and busted and filed
with Persian insect powder, mere
ly as a precautionary measure.
This work should be done as
early as p~ossibles in April, as during
this month all insect life r~evives, and is
Matched out for the season. If precau-
tions 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 month later the buffalo bug
has gone into n papa state. and has &C.
complished all the mischief he is like
ly to do Tor the season. and other in
sects have become abundant enough t.
offer a formidable resistance to ordi-
nary methods Of determination.
If this preliminary cleaning is lone
thoroughly and other rooms OF the
house are cleaned, one by one, as il is
convenient, housecleaning need not be
the afiiction it so often is. 1t is true,
where there is a 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 al most two rooms, at
once, and settle these completely be-
fore going further. 1t is true that car
~pet-cleaners like to have a large amount
of work at once, but they do their
work by the yard, so it is just as chcap
to have the carpets cleaned by the
room instead of by the house, as So
often done. The irst-method can be
put in force without any break in the
regular family life, and those who are
not Immediately interested in the work
will hardly realize what has been &C.
complished, except by the result. The
other method interferes more or less
with the comfort of every member of
household, and has brought the season
of house-cleaning under the just ban
of MANN. Y. Tribune