Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-12-26
TO SYSTEMATIC noUsEWoRk.
Few Hints Useful to the lnexpe.
riened Woman.

young wife writes asking how to
systematic her housework so that she
may easily cope with it day by, day.
Household management is an art
That cannot be taught from books, and
can only be learned from experience.
"A housekeeper who was noted through
out her neighborhood as an expert in
this art, when asked the secret of her
success, replied: 1T has taken me
years of earnest effort to reach this
condition. 1t cannot be learned in a
day, and only experience can teach it,"
A number Of suggestions, however,
can be given to an inexperienced
housekeeper that will help greatly to-
ward this ideal.
She must learn the art of taking no
unnecessary steps. She must not at
tempt too much at a time, or her work
will go awry and she herself will be
worn out with nothing accomplished.
A failure in either of these points will
make housework burden. She should
Set aside special duties for each day in
the week. For instance Monday may
be, if she chooses, washday; Tuesday,
ironing day; Wednesday, the day Tor
|
work; Thursday, for sweeping and
busting parlor and dining room; Fri
day, for cleaning the kitchen and look
| ing over the pantries, and Saturday,
| for special baking and cooking. If She
decides on Monday for washday she
must see that the servant does all the
washing on this day. If this cannot be
done, the extra washing should be left
until the following week. Special
stains, however, that must be taken out
when fresh can be done any time, but
where the general washing is carried
| over from one day to the next the
housewife has too much on her hands,
! and other equally important work is
neglected. Tuesday, the ironing day,
| when of necessity there is 4 good fire,
| is an excellent one for baking bread, or
| anything that requires a steady fire.
| If the houSekeeper is neat and orderly,
| there should be no need of much clean
| ing of the kitchen and pantries. These
should be kept constantly clean, but it
| is wise to set apart a morning for the
kitchen floor to be scrubbed or polished
| the brasseS and sink secured, and the
stove blackened. On this day the pa
pers on the pantry shelves that have
| become q trifle sciled can be changed
and the woodwork cleaned. Saturday
morning is a good time for baking pies
and cake, or any dishes for Sunday that
can be cooked beforehand. In a small
| household the housekeeper should be
| able to accomplish all her work early
| in the day, and have the rest of the
| time for other things.
A housekeeper will De surprised to
| find how quickly she can do all her
work if she times herself by the c''''-
| She is then so intent Oh accomplishing
given task in given time that she
| does not stop to look at book or pa
per, or for anything else. She also
acquires the habit of working quickly
In the morning upon rising the first
duty is the building of the kitchen fire.
| If the range or stove is Of the best
modern make this will be unnecessary.
| 1t is much easier and more economical
| to keep the fire going all night. After
| making and filing it up with coal turn
| off the draughtS, and in the morning 1t
will be only necessary to rake the fire a
little and turn on the draughts. 1t may
need more coal, but in many households
such a fire is carried on night after
night for months, with no extra coal
added until after the breakfast. There
| is one thing necessary for an mex
| Derienced woman to remember, how
ever. in keeping her fire oyer night, and
| that is. that the doors leading from the
kitchen into the other rooms must be
tightly shut, and if possible, the kitchen
should be ventilated in some way, as
deadened fire will sometimes send out
coal gas.
Some housekeepers claim that a fresh
fire is necessary for certain forms of
baking. They cannot make biscuit
when the fire is old When this is the
case it is generally the fault of the
stove. A good stove should keep the
fire fresh for several months without
clinkers. It the coal is very poor ana
slatv. however, it may mean trouble.
Good, hard coal that burns to a fine red
ash is the best that can be had.
A small pad. with a pencil attached
to it, should be hung in plain sight near
the kitchen table. and as the house
keeper uses up her stores, such as
sugar. tea and soap, she should write
them Gown Immediately to hand to the
groceryman when he calls. If she neg
lects to do this. in some hurried mo-
ment she will discover that she is all
out of a necessary article, and her Work
is delayed as result.
Another way of saving time and con-
fusion is to fill the greasy pots and
kettles as soon as the food is taken up
for dinner with boiling water and a
little soda or soap powder. Let them
stand until dinner is over, and it will be
found that the pans and kettles have
practically washed themselves. This
same rule may apply to the dishes
when a large meal, such as a Thanks
giving or Christmas dinner, is served.
AS the dishes for the first and second