The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1920-10-27
.WELL-lOCATED SINK
HELPS HOUSEWIFE
Convenience of Worker Determines
Size and Location of Sink-Many
Women Have None or Poor and
Badly Placed Ones-Features of
Various Kinds of Sinks.

One Of the biggest savers of time,
strength, and labor in the kitchen is
. the sink. Yet many women are strug-
Cling along with none at all or, at
best, poor and badly placed one. The
following suggestions in regard to
sinks are given by household specialis-
is of the United States Department of
Agriculture:
The size of the family and of the
kitchen must determine the size of the
sink, but short sink with ample table
and shelf room near it may be more
convenient than a long sink. Two
smaller sinks, one for the table dishes
near the dining room and the other for
general use in the kitchen, are very
convenient.
No Cracks or Square Corners
The material should be the best av
ailable, nonabsorbent of grease as we'll
as of moisture, and there should be no
cracks or square corners to increase
the work Of keeping it clean. A wood
en- sink, even when it receives an an
nual coat of paint, will absorb mois-
ture and grease which attract insects,
and is likely to be swarming with bac-
terra and to "sour" and have an un-
wood are not recommended unles sthey
have waterproof finish of varnish,
oil, or paint. If a wooden sink is neces-
sary, it is better to have it metal
lined, provided the sheets of metal,
which is usually tin, zinc, galvanized
iron, copper or lead, are soldered
where they are joined and all parts
of the sink, including the tops of the
sides, are covered with the metal, so
that there is no chance for the wood to
absorb moisture. Another plan is to
have a cement sink built into wooden
frame and lined with sheet copper or
tin.
Iron sinks of good quality are super
lor to wooden ones, since they do not
absorb grease or moisture and are
durable. They are easily kept clean
if smooth (and they will soon wear
smoothly, but they have the disadvant-
age of neither showing dirt nor pro-
claiming their cleanliness. Unless the
front is protected by strip of wood,
the dresses and aprons of the worker
are likely to become stained with iron
rust.
A soapstonc or q slate sink is dur
able, but sometimes becomes uneven
with wear, and if this happens much
brushing and scrubbing are required to
remove the sand and grease that gath
er in the depressions when vegetables
are cleaned, dishes washed etc. Like
iron, they do not shwo whether they
are clean or not.
Enameled-iron sinks are smooth
last well with careful use, and may be
easily kept clean, but they are more
expensive than iron Porcelain sinks
are similar to the enameled ones, but
their price is almost prohibitive. Per-
haps the ideal plan, if cost is not to
be considered, would be to have an
ehameled or proclaim sink for the
tableware in the kitchen or the pantry
near the dining room and an iron or
soapstonc sink for the heavier kitchen
ware.
The double sinks, with one basin for
washing and another for draining
dishes, are very convenient, but un-
fortunately they are relatively expen-
sive. A small sink with a rubber stop
per for it's escape pipe may be used as
a dish pan.
The plumbing should be easy of ac-
cess, and therefore it is better that
there should be no closet under the
sink. Hooks or shelves under the sink
or near it will accommodate everything
usually kept in the dark, often musty
"snk closet" of older kitchens. A
sink closet can be kept sweet and
clean but it means extra work to dc
it.