Seal all crevices about doors and windows. Keep the room closed for
twenty-four hours to allow dust to settle. At the end of this time
vaporize in a lamp from fifty to sixty paraform tablets to each 1000
cubic feet of space or vaporize 1 pound of formaldehyd solution in a
_special apparatus_ designed for the purpose. If no special apparatus
is obtainable, sprinkle sheets with the following solution, using a
gallon of the mixture for a medium-sized room, and fill the room with
steam:
Formaldehyd sol., 4 parts;
Glycerin, 1 part;
Water, 2 parts.
The steam and glycerin prevent to some extent the conversion of the
formaldehyd gas into paraform, which in itself is useless.
Another and more modern method is to pour 12 ounces of formaldehyd into
a vessel and then add 4 ounces of crystals of potassium permanganate.
Place the vessel in the room and leave the room closed for from four to
six hours. To get rid of the fumes quickly after the disinfection is
completed, sprinkle 4 ounces of ammonia on a sheet and leave the sheet
in the room until the ammonia is evaporated.
_Sulphate of copper_ solution is a very cheap disinfectant, and may be
used to advantage in typhoid fever.
After this treatment again keep the room closed for four or five hours.
Then wipe floor, walls, and woodwork with corrosive sublimate solution
(1: 2000) or carbolic acid solution (3 per cent.).