If the daily disposal of waste is attended to, there will be no
undesirable accumulation of garbage. Scraps of food that cannot be
utilized for the table should be fed to the pigs or the chickens and
should not be allowed to stand and gather flies. A covered pail or pan
should be used for holding the garbage, until final disposal is made of
it. Those portions that are badly spoiled and will be of no value in
feeding the stock should be burned at once. Waste vegetable substances,
if suitable, should be fed to the stock, and if not, should be buried in
a thin layer on the ground at some distance from the house, so that they
may enrich the soil.
Old papers that are badly soiled should be burned, but all others should
be kept for use in cleaning the stove, starting the fires, etc. Empty
cans should be well washed and buried, so that they will not prove a
breeding-place for flies. It is well to pierce them through the bottom
immediately after opening them, so that they will not hold water.
Dish-water should be emptied at some distance from the house, unless
there is a drain nearby. All receptacles that hold water should be
carefully emptied, and all depressions in the soil should be filled, in
order to prevent mosquitoes from breeding. All waste water should be
used on the garden.
_Protection of the water supply._--Only the water from deep wells should
be used for drinking purposes, because all surface water and water in
shallow wells becomes dangerous through seepage from compost, pig-pens,
privies, and other places where decayed organic matter may accumulate.
In order that the water may be kept clean, the well must be supplied
with a tight-fitting top which need not be opened and a metal pump to
bring up the water. A well platform that allows the water spilled on it
to run back into the well is unsafe, for any filth carried on the
platform in any way will be washed directly into it. Rats, mice, and
other animals get into the well if the top is not tight, and these, in
addition to being unpleasant, are liable to introduce disease germs.
_Simple disinfectants._--Sunshine and fresh air are nature's
disinfectants and should be freely admitted to every part of the house.
Windows should be left open whenever possible. The windows in the
sleeping rooms should always be opened at night. The interior of the
house should be kept perfectly dry. Decay does not easily take place in
dry places. A damp cellar should be drained, and the grounds around the
house should not be allowed to drain into the cellar. Coarse coal ashes
should be used to fill in around the house, on the walks, etc., to help
in securing thorough drainage. Wood ashes may be used as a simple
disinfectant to cover decayed organic matter. Whitewash is a good
disinfectant and should be frequently used both inside and outside the
house and on all out-buildings. Kerosene and creosote also make good
disinfectants.
_Care of out-of-door closets._--The privy should be so arranged that it
may be cleaned often and all excreta disposed of in a safe way. The
building should be so well constructed that there will be no cracks for
the admission of flies. In a poorly constructed building, old paper can
be pasted over the cracks, to make the structure fly-proof. Dry earth,
street dust, or lime should be frequently sprinkled over the excreta,
and the seat should be closed, to prevent the entrance of flies or
mosquitoes. The seat should be washed frequently, and both the seat and
the floor scrubbed at least once a week.