Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-04-11

USED 10 get all the lint that tends II
remove surface dust, and your vacuu
will do the rest Of the job. We used:
to be influenced in the purchase of
vacuum cleaner because of the
difficulty in cleaning properly large
carpets and carpeted stairs without
one. But now we begin to realize
that it is the smaller tasks, the
intricate, delicate and time taking
ones that make the electric cleaner
with its attachments or the small
hand cleaner indispensable.
If you haven't an electric cleaner
use the whisk broom with painstak-
ing care. Never beat an inner
spring mattress, for its delicate con-
struction is easily disarranged and
thrown out of balance by such vio-
lent treatment.
Be sure to clean both sides of
the mattress, but again in the case
of an inner-spring mattress, be sure
that the mattress is not rolled up
or stood on end when it is being
turned. Get some one to help you
and keep it in horizontal position
while it is being shifted around.
These precautionary measures need
not be taken with solid mattresses
filled with cotton or curled hair, as
no springs are used in their con-
struction.
Springs Must Be
Cleaned Often.
If'you haven't been in the habit
Of cleaning the bedsprings regularly
you will be surprised and little
shocked to see how much dust COL
lects on them. The blower attach
ment on vacuum cleaner is good
tool to use first in cleaning open
coil springs. This will blow much
of the dust through to the floor
beneath where it can easily be
picked up with busting mop. Then
take a cloth dipped in hot water,
wrung out until it is nearly dry,
soap it lightly and wipe off the
coils. Dry as you go and finish of
with a fresh cloth sprinkled with
few drops of lemon oil.
A box spring should ge given the
same cleaning accorded a mattress
because it is covered with cloth and
the spring coils are not exposed. A
whisk broom, plus vacuum cleaner
attachments will clean it salts
| factorily.
While you are working with the
mattress and springs examine them
closely for signs of wear. If the
sides of the mattress are beginning
to break down and there is an I'M
comfortable depression in the CEN
ter or if the springs are noisy and
sag it is time to buy new bedding
equipment. or rebuild the old. Mat
tresses and springs are not supposed
to be lifetime investments and need
to be replaced as soon as they begin
to break down seriously.
Even pillows that have been aired
and fluffed up every morning need
extra care when spring houseclean-
ing time rolls around. In years
time it is quite possible for an
ounce or two of dust to sift through
the ticking into the feathers. Oil
and face creams also quickly pene-
trate the ticking and take away the
feathers resiliency.
Cleaning Pillows
! At Home.
Many large commercial laundries
now have special equipment that
steams and sterilizes the feathers,
whips out the dust and turns the
feathers out into freshly laundered
tickings However, the feathers and
tickings can be successfully cleaned
at home if great deal of care is
exercised.
One method is to put the feathers,
ticking and all into soap suds after
first scrubbing each pillow in weak
washing-soda solution. Use several
suds if necessary and rinse four or
five times to be sure that all the
soap has been removed. Squeeze as
much water as possible out of the
pillows and dry in warm place,
shaking them up at frequent in
| tervals.
The second and more satisfactory
method is to transfer the feathers
to cheeseclqoth or muslin bag.
The bagged feathers can then be
washed as described above and dried
thoroughly before being replaced