Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-05-21
If Care Has Been Taken
During Winter Months
Task Becomes Easy One
Recent Erratic Weather Has Made It Diff
cult to Decide on Just When to Start
Undertaking.

l
luton is to 60 ahead, dismantle and
clean the house to suit your own con-
venience and try not to mind the
capriciousness of the weather too
much.
A SSUMING that you have been
- model housekeeper, as we limited
before, there should not be any great
necessity for one of those awful gen.
eral upheavals, which drive husbands
away from home. reduce the lady of
the house to tears, and send the
children into Mysteries. A little care
full planning and forethought will do
lot to help make the occasion a more
rational one.
Last week we dealt with the remov-
al and storage of rugs and draperies,
and the sending away of glass cur
tains, etc, to be laundered. Sup
posing all that has been accomplished,
and the furniture has been properly
, cleaned. vacuumed and huddled into
its slipcovers then what?
Doing one room at a time is the
best plan-even if the process takes
little more time in the long run.
Put all the furniture in the middle
of the floor, and, using special wall
broom, or towel wrapped around an
ordinary broom, dust the ceiling and
the walls in long. sweeping strokes.
I. for one, am not particularly in
favor Of washing painted walls, or
using special cleaner on papered
ones in the Spring the windows
will be open all the time during the
hot weather, and the dust will &C
] cumulate faster than it does in the
Winter time. Dust walls and ceilings
now; do the intensive cleaning next
Fall.
pAINTED woodwork and trim must,
OF course. be washed, and you
will find that light coat of wax
applied to the window sills after they
have been washed and wiped dry will
prevent the rain-spots that come so
otter with unexpected Summer
| showers.
Wash we'll along the baseboards,
| spraying carefully afterwards as a pre-
| caution against moths, and those an
moving little ants which threaten to
overrun some sections Of Washington.
Denatural alcohol will remove all old
stain and spots from your floors, giving
them a fresh. light appearance; a
coat of wax and a little shellac will
help preserve them through the hard
Summertime traffic.
Brass andirons and fireplace equip
ment may be given good polishing,
wrapped in newspaper, in which bits
Of gum camphor have been placed. and
Stored away until Fall. The camphor
helps to keep them tarnish-free. The
| same thing may be done with any sill
yer that is not going to be in use.
Fill your fireplace with cool green
leaves, or potted plants, to give an
outdoors effect.
X
CCREENS should be brushed. re-
paired and painted before being
put in place. Awnings that require
mending should be attended to before
being hung-a very little break now
may be large, sad tear after the
Summer breezes have whipped it
about. Take peep at the awning
ropes and pulleys, too be sure
that they are in good condition.
Put pleated paper lampsllades on
your lamps, and clean or brush the
Winter ones before putting them
away. Have the electrician check
over the electric fans before trying to
use them. Let your refrigerator have
good cleaning, and mechincal
check-up, too; it will have a lot of
work to do for the next few months,
and it is good idea to give it an
overhaul.
OF course, if you have not cleaned
and scrubbed your domain all through
no alternative but to turn everything
upside down, and make life a misery
for every one until Spring cleaning"
is accomplished. But if you have been
model housekeeper, the occasion will
have little terror for you, and you will
even find time to make your family's
favorite dessert for dinner in the mid
die Of it all!
II you are planning your preserving
and canning season now, I shall be
very glad to send you my leaflets of
general directions for jelly making
with and without pectin). preserving,
canning and drying fruits and vege-
tables, II you will write me in care of
The Star and incIose stamped, self
addressed envelope for reply.