The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1913-10-24
HOUSEHOLD EFFICIENCY.
How the Scientific Method of Doing
House Work Saves Woman's Steps
and Stops.


New York, October.-Efflciency gnd
its kindred phrase scientific man
agement," come readily enough to the
tongue of every well-informed person
nowadays. Those early experiments
of efficiency engineers which. showed
how easy 1t was to eliminate waste
motion in such simple tasks as piling
up pig iron or laying bricks the right
way also suggested that efficiency
methods could be employed In every
form of industry with great conse-
quent gain in time and labor say
ing.
So the efficiency idea grew, and
was put into practice here. there and
everywhere, until 1t became COM
mon topic of conversation. Yet.
strange to relate, although husbands
talked business efficiency over the
dinner table with their wives and
guests, the idea that there could be
such a thing as household efficiency
never seemed to occur to anyone, at
least for long time. But there vas
just as much innate logic In house
hold as in industrial efficiency; sumo
one made a chance allusion to It
somewhere, the germ of the idea
grew and spread until now household
efficiency has been put into practice
in so many progressive homes that
well defined principles for doing
homework with the greatest success
and with minimum time and labor are
available for every housewife.
In the last analysis. household ef-
ficiency Is first simply a matter Of
studying ones motions about every
item of homework until one has
worked out for oneself a standard
and economical way of doing every
task and to arrange a definite work
ing schedule for each day. The next
step is to study the arrangement Of
the kitchen, which of course II the
main zone of homework in every
home. The final step is for the house
wife to select the most efficient tools.
The first step OF standardlzing hona-
work Is not nearly as difficult d. It
seems on the surface. Once a woman
realizes that 1t is very awkward and
wasteful method to wash dishes With
the drainboard on her right and the
dishes piled on her left, she vii nave
the drainboard changed to her left
and stack her dishes on the right
hand side where they will be most
quickly get-at-able. And. II she vii
go at her dishwashing job With the
idea of eliminating every minute Of
waste-labor, she will also quickly
learn the Importance of adjusting her
dishpan to the right height and Of
sorting her dishes into the group thai
must be wiped, and the group that
need not be wiped because It eom-
prlses chinaware that drains dry Of
Its own accord. II Is the same With
busting, sweeping, bread-makink -In
everything that the mistress Of tha
household does In the good. old
fashioned way" there are any num-
Der of wasteful steps. stoopa and
stretches that modern household ef=
ficiency would daily eliminate Citing
well-known example. the old time
bricklayer used TO stand before 4 val
and when he wanted to lay brick
he had 10 stoop, pick up a brick
weighing four and one half pounds
from a mixed pile at his feet ana
carry IL to the wall. If he happened
to weigh 1870 pounds. he would nave
to lower his bulk four feet every
time he picked up each of the 2.D00
bricks he laid In day One daY.
after he had watched brlcklayerB 1T
work, an efficiency expert devised 4
simple little table which holds the
bricks in an orderly pile at the work
mans side. They are brought to him
in orderly piles right side NJ. be
cause he doesn't need to Htoop or
sort, the same man who formerly
could lay only 800 bricks per hour.
can now lay $50 bricks. and he uses
only five motions, where formerly It
requires eighteen. What a suggestion
there for the woman, who when she
sprinkleB her clothes. stoopa 10 IaY
each separate piece in the clothes
basket at her feet instead of placing
the basket on high chair beside her
and level with her table.
Studying kitchen arrangement
should lead to fruitful laborgaYing N
any home. For standard kitchen ar
rangement means keeping all the
cooking and cleaning utensils in com
pact space, each where 1t Il always
at the workers elbow at the moment
1t needs to be used. II means. aa one
household efficiency expert points
out, the arrangement of utensils IN
relative groups, those that are used
In preparing the meal, together: those
that are used In cleaning up after
the meal, together. 1t means having
everything at the proper height for
easy reaching, and 1t means we'll
lighted surroundings.
The selection Of tools that will best
eliminate waste motion Is Just n
important to the housewife as To an
other worker. II is now generally
conceded that electric equipment.
which fortunately is now quite within
the capacity Of the most humble
purse, make the most efficient tools
for the mistress of the home 10 work
with. An expert has devised tanta-
tive list Of electric home appliances
in what she considers to be the order
of their efficiency. The list includes
the electric iron, the electric wash
ing machine, the sewing machine. tie
electric sweeper, toaster. grill. coffee
percolator, fireless cooker and elee-
trio fan.
The housewife who deyises Ways
and means to reduce her waste mo
ton to a minimum will do her work
much better and more quickly than
heretofore, no matter what her house
hold utensils. But the ideal eombina=
tion for her would be to devise a
really efficient way OF doing things
and In accordance with a strict daily
schedule, and then do them With rs
complete a modern electric househld
equipment as possible. For these
electric appliances save countless
steps and stoops and waste motions
where they are used regularly in the
home, and their cost Is quickly for
gotten in the convenience saIisfae=