South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-12-10
Proper Care
of Woodwork

Every day sees a new household
convenience put on the market. Be
tween every woman's trips to the
shops. there are added in the house
hold departments just as many new.
novel and desirable things as there
are in the costume departments.
Practically every woman makes a
point OF seeing the newest gowns
and frocks. of getting a hat that is
in accord with the mode. and Of
wearing the sort of comfortable but
pretty shoes that are now being in
troduced. But does she insist upon
keeping her home up TO date, upon
equipping her kitchen, laundry, pan
tries. living room and bedrooms with
the implements, utensils, cleansers,
and other equipment that she needs,
if she would make housework eff
cient and light. either for herself or
for her servants?"
This was the query recently put
before an audience of women at the
headquarters of the Housewives
league, in New York, by Fred II.
Wood, in a lecture on the proper
care of woodwork and furniture in
the home.
Il think il quite as important TO
keep apace with the newest and best
methods of keeping our houses clean
and in good condition, as to keep
a.
Mr.. Wood. 1T really is not enough
in these days Of discovery and adj
vancement TO go on using the same
burdensome methods that existed in
the days before all the modern i'm
provements had been devised. No
wise woman goes down on her knees
10 clean a floor nowadays; she uses a
patent mop and patent Iong-han-
died dustpan, and an oiled cleanser
that fits into the corners.
"In the care of wood finishes
throughout the house. many house
wives are still securing with soaps
which remove the outer surface OF
the paint, and SO gradually wear il
away. or repainting in cases where
the stain is worst They scrub wood
work with brushes and rub furniture
la,boriously with polish, when they
should know, if they have kept up
with modern labor-savers, that there
are now chemical cleansers which
gently remove all dust and dirt from
woodwork with almost no rubbing
and no wearing away Of the paint
Why do housekeepers clean furni-
ture so vigorously that the varnish
is removed in the process and then
go TO work 10 replace the varnish.
when a simple chemical com bination
is to be had which diSSolves the dirt
but leaves the varnish2
"DustleSs busters, treated with an
oil which both absorbs the dust and
pOlishes the surface at one and the
same time. are now 10 be had. There
are specially shaped cleansers 20 tit
the hand and special brushes to
delve deep into the cracks and crew
ices OF carvings and intricate mold
ings. The old feather buster has
been replaced by "A hundred special
lied dusters-dusters for walls, dust
ers for baseboards. busters &c luxe
10 pry far under the bathtubs: dust
ers 10 fit between the radiator pipes
and in among the plumbing fittings
1T should be one of the duties OF
the home maker 10 visit frequently
the housefurnishing departments OF
the stores. see what is new. and as
fast as possible discard the old con-
trivances and install up-to-date APP
paratus The business house or fac
tory which used antiquated methods
and back number tools could not
hope TO set the results obtained by
the one which utilized every i'm
provement as fast as it appeared
and the same thing is true in run
ming that most complex of all fac
tories the home"