Evening star., 1920-03-19
Finish One Room at a
Time, and T hr Q w
Away or Give Away
Everything You Don't
Want-Old Floors
Made Like New.
Made Like New.


time, then you won't have chaos at
any time and the dreaded houseclean-
ing season won't be noticed at all.
1t is easy to let a doubtful collection
Of odds and ends accumulate. but 1t
means dusting. cleaning. moving
about. sorting and re-sorting all
through the years whenever the time
for housekeeping comes round. and
1t Is almost never worth while. use
what you have, then either pass 1t on
to some one else or throw 1t aside.
Those old. faded flowers saved from
last years hat will never be used.
That old pile of. paper magazines
stacked up for weeks and months, may
as we'll be thrown out now, for new
ones are coming along every DAY.
When you sit down to read a paper or
magazine, clip at the time whatever
you wish to save, then pass It along
to some one else who will enjoy It.
Finish 1t and get 1t out OF the way.
That waist that you have worn 80
long. but Is still too good to throw
the heart of the girl who works all
day in the mill or factory and has
little to spend even for necessary
clothing, or to the woman who Is the
sole support of family OF children
a sick husband. a father OF mother.
know how much you should keep, ana
how much you could reasonably dis
pense with.
Clothes for DistributiOn.
Here are some rules for preparing
clothes for distribution In time Oh
need: Shoes should be tied together In
pairs by the strings. Buttoned shoes
should be fastened together by cord
passed through buttonhole In eacn
shoe. Slippers or rubber overshoes
should be kept in pairs; they should
be laid fiat, sole to sole, and cord
tied round, them in the middle. Tne
trousers. coat and vest Of a man 8
suit should be fastened together WIN
safety pins or sewed together with a
few stitches of coarse white thread.
Collars should be sewed or pinned on
shirts. A woman's jacket and skirt
should be attached to each other In
similar way. In the case of under
wear the shirt and drawers should be
fastened together.
When large quantities of clothing
are collected by a charitable organi-
cation the shoes are thrown into one
pile; underwear and mems, women's
and children's outer garments are
label showing the approximate size is
fastened on each article the work OF
the distributors is greatly lightened.
When giving to the poor it Is best
to have every garment washed and
mended. Some of the things most
night clothes for sick persons Of all
ages and garments for newborn
babes. Soft muslin sheets can be
cut in squares and hemmed in an
easy running stitch for baby nap
kins. Simple little wrappers or XII
monos buttoned down the front can
be made of outing cloth or unstarched
cotton material.
A good place to begin cleaning is
in the kitchen. Any room in which
a woman spends so much time is de-
serving of the very best planning.
sanitation. convenience. light and so
on. Rearrange the kitchen so that
with a minimum Of labor a maximum
of results can be obtained. Many
I kitchens are equipped with superfiu-
pose. Keep only one of kind. stor-
ing the others away for the time
when that one has worn out and
needs to be replaced. The same sort
ing and storing away should be ap-
piled to other articles. Having thus
lessened the number of utensils and
arranged the ones you keep in the
most convenient places, see that the
walls, woodwork and floor covering
are of the type best suited for ef-
ficient work.
If linoleum is vanished or waxed
it will not need to be scrubbed as
often and will wear much LONGER.
, Even if the linoleum is old; this
vanishing will be found worth while
Then take the woodwork and walls.
An enameled surface will be easily
kept clean. and white is preferable
for the really spotless kitchen. Paint
ed walls which can be cleaned are
preferable to papered walls. For
the windows, sturdy curtains that
will stand frequent tubbings and
steam vapors should be chosen.
General Housework.
When doing general housecleaning
the matter of fighting household
of various sizes and colors are fought
in various ways. Red ants can be
driven out by painting the floors and
ccevices with a solution of hot alum
water. using one pound of alum to
one and one-half quarts of water.
other points where ants enter, and
cedar chips scattered about, often
drive them away. A handful of fresh
tansy leaves or package of dried
tansy put in boiling water. the liquid
then used as a paint, will be found
efficient in extreme cases; but be very
careful not to get the steam from the
liquid in your eyes, as it is painful,
though not dangerous.
Many housekeepers take care of
their own floors. and with no outside
assistance spread the paint, stain.
floor is greasy first wash it in hot
soda water: otherwise the finishing
material will neither soak into the
floor nor wear satisfactorily. An old
floor should be thoroughly scrubbed,
and afterward washed in clean warm
water; otherwise the soap that has
entered the surface of the wood may
prevent the paint or varnish from
spreading properly. This is espec-
cially true Of an old painted floor.
which Will VII not %,ea tas soap apS
leaves a film of soap. Never paint or
varnish a floor except when it is per-
fectly dry; dampness will prevent the
finishing material from taking good
hold. If a painted or vanished floor is
to be refinished 1t should nrst pc thor-
oughly scrubbed. and after 1t has be-
come perfectly dry should be well
sandpapered. and then wiped with a
cloth dampened with turpentine or
gasoline, in order to remove the dust
caused by the use of the sandpaper.
If YOU decide to do some painting
of old furniture, it will be best to
do it before you begin your house
cleaning and fioor-varnishing. In
this way you will save yourself
extra work. Perhaps the most diff
cult phase OF paint Hia and sar
nish with which it has previously
been finished. and the subsequent
smoothing of the surface of the wood
before putting on the paint. Before
painting it is wise to strip the fur
niture Of all ornate carving or applied
! decorations. Many of these orna-
ments are merely glued to the sur
face The awkward side arms that
hold the mirrors should be removed.
The mirrors, after the frames are
painted to match the furniture, can
/ be suspended from the picture mold
| ing, giving an entirely difference ap-
pearance to the room.
Unsightiy drawer pulls may be re-
| moved and replaced by glass or
u-onlav, l>nnho Moraly 81 tn o.