The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1905-05-05
SPRING CLEANING.
PREPARING THE HOUSE
FOR ANNUAL EVENT.
Go About it Sensibly-Adopt
a System and Abide by it
Takes Time and Gives
Trouble, But Results Will
Pay You

Every good housekeeper knows
that after the smoke and dust of
winter there comes time when
the returning sunshine tells with
vivid truthfulness tale of woe.
She finds curtains dusty, carpets
and rugs dirty, dullness where
polish should be, and even cob
webs are to be found in high
places in the best regulated
households, since no house is so
exalted as to scare the ubiquitous
spider from making his home in
some out of the way corner.
Now, there is spring cleaning
as it should be and as it should
not be. In the last estate method
is not given moments thought.
The unmethodical houSekeeper
wakes up on a fine, bright, sun.
shiny spring morning and after
an inspection of the curtains and
hanglngS, announces to the be-
wildered servants and mem bers
of the household that she really
must begin cleaning. Tomorrow
sees the beginning of the cam
paign; no preparation beforehand,
no plan, no gathering together of
necessary implements for the
extra work, no arranging of meals,
no determination that if, as will
happen even in well-ordered
households, a great rush must be
made to get through a certain
amount Of work in a given time
there may be an oasis in the
desert of brOoms and pals to
which the returning breadwinner
may retire sure of rest and uudis-
turbed peace.
HAVE SOME METHOD.
There may be method in the
madness of the spring house.
hold upheaval by which many of
the attendant horrors are avoid.
ed. An orderly preparation is
certainly the first and foremost
move. | am not writing for those
happy househo.ders who can
summon an army of cleaning PEG
pie to do the work and in day
or two have a good sized house
i Immediately clean or the fortu-
nate few who go away aud leave
the work of renovation to exper-
fenced servants and come back to
find the domestic wilderness bios
soming as the rose. Rather am
Offering few suggestions about
preparing the house for the
spring cleaning time to the mis-.
treSs of the modest eSta blishment,
who. with the aid of a maid, will
see that everything is orderliness
itself
Before beginning this disagree.
able task it is we'll to plan few
simple menus for several days
ahead so that cooking may be
reduced to a minimum. A ham
or tongue deliciously cooked is
good to rely upo:. as the piece de
resistance. Then. too, an extra
large bread or cake baking will
admit of "baking day." being
skipped for once, and no one will
be the wiser. Stock carefully
provided will help for soup max
ing, and a jelly or two can be
depended upon to supply the
sweet course. In some cases it
may be found easier to have
timed things ready for emergen-
cies ana to buy bread.
ROOM FOR ENERGY.
Now the strenuous days may
begin in earnest, and the house
wife is fancy free to expend her
energy upon the overhauling of
closets, pantries and odd corners.
The linen closet should claim
first attention, and should be
carefully gone over and stock
taken of the supplies. Silver
should be counted and the best
plate, which is only used on
state occasions, taken from its
hiding place and cleaned. Of
course, the plate in actual service
in a we'll run household has been
kept in good condition by a
weekly rubbing, but twice a year
it is an excellent idea to give it
an extra bath by putting the
articles in boiling water, to
which has been added a heaping
handful of hartshOrn powder.
This treatment is especially ad-
visable for silver or plated dish
covers, entree dishes and the like,
as 1t frees them from lots of un,
brushed plate powder which in
the ordinary cleaning it is diff
cult to dislodge. The grease
given off by the steam from the
food is best removed by this boil.
Ing method for even the most
careful servant in washing is apt
to take little heed of this accum-
ulatlon.
The china closets are next in
the cleaning routine and, like the
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