CELLAR, ATTIC, AND CLOSETS
Modern city and town life, with butcher and grocer so conveniently
near, has done away to some extent with the cellar of ye olden
tyme--dubbed one of the aids to "successful diplomacy," the other being
that very necessary adjunct, a good cook. Those were truly days of
bounteous hospitality and plenty which filled the cellar with barrels
of apples of every variety, bins of potatoes, bushels of turnips and
onions, barrels of pork "put down," corned beef, kegs of cider turning
to vinegar, crocks of pickles and preserves of all kinds, quarters of
beef, pans of sausage, tubs of lard and butter, and--oh, fruits and
good things of the earth which we now know only as "a tale that is
told." But the cellar of to-day accommodates itself to to-day's needs,
for though we may still lay in some commodities in quantity, we know
the things of to-morrow can be had from the market on comparatively
short notice. Nevertheless, the things of to-day--and some other
things--must be carefully stowed away, and the deeps of the house made
hygienic, for as the cellar, so will the house be also, and to this
might be added that as the floor, so will the cellar be also.
THE CELLAR FLOOR
In country places, where there is no sewage to contaminate the soil, a
hard, well-beaten dirt floor is not particularly objectionable, except
that it cannot well be cleaned. Boards raised from the ground by small
blocks nailed to the under side, and leading to bins, cupboards, and
furnace room, should be laid across it to prevent the tracking of dirt
to the upper rooms, and these little walks must be swept and kept free
from dirt and dust. If the cellar is floored with boards, the flooring
should be raised sufficiently to allow free circulation of air beneath
it; but the only strictly sanitary flooring is of concrete, six inches
thick, covered from wall to wall with Portland or other good cement.
Cellars, being below the street, and therefore receiving some of the
surface drainage, are prone to dampness, and, are easily contaminated
by leakage from drains and sewers, and other filth communicated to them
through the soil. These conditions are largely counteracted by the
concrete and cement flooring, which also bars the entrance of ants and
other vermin. The communication of damp cellar air, polluted by
noxious gases from sewers and decaying vegetable matter, to the upper
parts of the house is responsible for many an otherwise unexplainable
case of rheumatism, consumption, typhoid, and other diseases, and any
outlay of time and money which can render the cellar wholesome and
immune to ravages of agents external and beyond our control, must not
be grudged.
VENTILATION
One who owns his home can adopt preventive measures, such as outside
area ways or air spaces, impossible to the renter; but certain ounces
of prevention are available to all. For instance: if drain pipes run
through the cellar, have them examined often for leaks; if there is an
open drain, wash it out frequently with copperas and water, and give it
an occasional flushing with chloride of lime or lye in strong solution
to destroy any possible odor arising from it; and see that the roof
drains do not empty too near the house, thus dampening the cellar
walls. Whitewash the walls semiannually, not only for sanitary reasons
but to lighten the "darkness visible," and above all else--_have
sufficient ventilation_! A perfect circulation of air is insured when
there are opposite windows; but whatever their location, all windows
should hang from the top on hinges, or be so put in that they can be
easily removed from the inside; for open they must be, and that all the
year round, except in the coldest winter weather, and even then they
can be opened during the warmer hours of the middle of the day without
danger of freezing the contents of the cellar. The cellar can be
protected from invasion from without by galvanized iron netting, and
wire screens will exclude the flies. Both screens must, however, be so
adjusted that they will not interfere with the opening and closing of
the windows.
THE PARTITIONED CELLAR
The cellar which is partitioned off into small rooms is more easily
cared for and kept in order than that which consists of just the one
large space. Rough pine-board partitions cost very little, and one to
shut off the furnace (provided there be one) from the rest of the room
is absolutely necessary, since the heat which it generates must not be
allowed to spread and so spoil the cellar for cold-storage purposes,
for warm, damp air hastens the degeneration of vegetables and meats.
Unless some other provision is made in the cellar plan for the coal, a
strong bin, with one section movable, should be built for it in the
furnace room. To the posts of this bin hang the shovels--one large and
one small--used in handling the coal. The premature burial of many a
shovel might have been prevented had its owner only bethought him of
those simple expedients, hammer and nails. A strip of leather nailed
to another post supports ax or hatchet, while near by is the neat pile
of kindling which its sharp edge has made--perhaps out of old and
useless boxes and barrels. These must not be allowed to accumulate,
but be chopped up at once. Logs and large sticks have each their own
pile, while chips, sawdust, and shavings take up their abode in a large
basket or box. The ashes from the furnace go into boxes and barrels
outside of the house.
ORDER IN THE CELLAR
The cellar is primarily a storing place for food, and not an asylum for
hopelessly maimed and decrepit furniture. If there is any which is
mendable, mend and use it; if not, consign it to the kindling pile at
once, there to round out its career of usefulness. Odds and ends of
rubbish collect very quickly and make a cellar unsightly and difficult
to keep in order. If necessary to keep certain boxes for future
packing purposes, pile them neatly against the wall where they will be
out of the way, or else send them up to the attic. When there are no
rooms partitioned off for their accommodation provide bins, or their
cheaper substitutes, barrels or boxes, for vegetables and fruits--boxes
preferably, since they are more shallow and their contents can thus be
spread out more. Vegetables and fruits should be looked over
frequently, and anything showing signs of decay removed. Instead of
placing boxes and barrels, vinegar kegs, firkins, stone jars, etc.,
directly on the floor, stand them on bricks, small stones, or pieces of
board. When so placed, they are more easily handled and moved in
cleaning, and the circulation of air beneath prevents dampness and
consequent decay.
SHELVES AND CLOSETS
A swinging shelf--double or single--held by supports at the four
corners, securely nailed to the joists of the floor above, is almost
indispensable to the convenience of the cellar. It should be about
three feet wide and from six to eight feet in length, and may be
covered on three sides with galvanized wire fly netting, the fourth
side to have double frame doors, also wire-covered, and swinging
outward. Ordinary cotton netting can he used instead of the wire, and
is of course cheaper, but must he renewed each year, while the wire
will last indefinitely. And so we have evolved a cool, flyless place
for our pans of milk, meats, cooked and uncooked, fresh vegetables,
cakes, pastry, etc. If poultry or meat is to be hung here for a little
while, wrap it in brown paper or unbleached muslin. Wash the shelves
once a week with sal soda water and dry thoroughly.
A windowless closet as far as possible from the furnace, and best built
under some small extension, thus giving it three cool stone walls, is
the place where preserves and jellies keep best. Label each jar and
glass distinctly and arrange in rows on the shelves, taller ones
behind, shorter in front. If there is no closet of this kind, a
cupboard, standing firmly on the floor, can easily be built, for
preserves must have darkness as well as coolness; otherwise they are
apt to turn dark and to ferment. The shelves of the fruit closet must
be examined frequently for traces of that stickiness which tells that
some bottle of fruit is "working" and leaking. Pickles keep better in
crocks on the cellar bottom.
Laundry tubs and scrub pails are usually kept, bottom up, in the
cellar. All articles stored there should be well wrapped in strong
paper and securely tied, and it will be found a great convenience,
especially at cleaning time, to hang many things from the ceiling
beams. The cellar should be swept and put to rights every two weeks,
cobwebs brushed down, and all corners well looked after. Here, as
nowhere else, is the personal supervision of the housewife essential.
THE ATTIC
It is with a lump in our throats and an ache in our hearts that we turn
our thoughts wistfully backward to that place of hallowed memories,
which is itself becoming simply a memory--the attic! What happy hours
we spent there, rummaging among its treasures, soothed by its twilight
quiet, and a little awed by the ghosts of the past which seemed to
hover about each old chest and horsehair trunk and gayly flowered
carpet bag; each andiron and foot warmer and spinning wheel and warming
pan! Roof and floor of wide, rough boards, stained by age and leaks;
tiny, cobweb-curtained windows; everything dusty, dim, mysterious!
Where is it now? Gone--pushed aside by the march of civilization;
supplanted by the modern lathed and plastered attic, with its smoothly
laid floor, which harbors neither mice nor memories. And though we
sigh as we say so, the attic of to-day _is_ a better kept, more
compact, more hygienic affair than its ancestor; for we have grown to
realize that sentiment must sometimes be sacrificed to sense. Whatever
comes we must have hygiene, even at the expense of the little spirit
germ which seems sometimes to develop best in the "dim religious
light." For we cannot forget Victor Hugo and Balzac and Tom Moore in
their attics.
ORDER AND CARE OF ATTIC
Frequently so much of the attic space is finished off for bed and other
rooms that what remains is somewhat limited, and cannot be turned into
a catch-all for the may-be-usefuls. Indeed, only such things as have
true worth should go into it, whatever its size, these to be carefully
stowed away, like things together--boxes, furniture, winter stovepipes
with their elbows, piles of magazines systematically tied together by
years, trunks, etc. In each trunk place its own special key and strap,
and when garments or other articles are packed therein, fasten to the
lid a complete list of its contents. Upholstered furniture must be
closely covered with old muslin or ticking. The family tool chest
seems to fit into the attic, as well as the small boxes of nails, rolls
of wire, screws, bolts, and the hundred odds and ends of hardware which
the lord of the house must be able to lay his hand on when he wants to
do any tinkering about the place. A semiannual sweeping, mopping, and
dusting will keep the attic in good condition if thoroughly done, with
the help of the "place for everything, and everything in its place," a
precept as well as an example which has entered prominently into the
upbringing of most of us. Here is another spot where corners and
cobwebs like to hobnob, and such intimacy must be sternly discouraged.
If old garments are kept in the attic, they should be either packed
away in labeled boxes or trunks, or hung on a line stretched across the
room and carefully covered with an old sheet. This line is also
serviceable when rainy days and lack of other room make it necessary,
to dry the washing here. The modern attic is for utility only, and so
its story is soon told.
CLOSETS
If woman's rights would only usurp one more of what have hitherto been
almost exclusively man's rights--the profession of architecture--she
would in truth become the architect, not only of her own fortune, but
of the fortunes of a suffering sisterhood, whose great plaint is, "So
many things and no place to put them!" For who ever knew a mere man,
architect and artist of the beautiful though he were, who had even the
beginning of a realization of the absolute necessity for closets--large
ones, light ones, and plenty of them? In his special castle, boxes,
bundles, and clothing seem to have a magic way of disposing of
themselves, "somewhere, somewhen, somehow," and so it does not occur to
him that his own particular Clorinda is conducting a private condensing
plant which could put those of the large packers to the blush. But let
him have just one experience of straightening out and putting to
rights, and then only will he appreciate that closets are even more
essential than cozy corners and unexpected nooks and crannies for
holding pieces of statuary and collecting dust. If a woman could be
the "& Company" of every firm of architects, there would be an
evolution in home building which would lengthen the lives and shorten
the labors of "lady-managers" in many lands. When that comfortable
wish becomes a reality, let us hope that "Let there be light" will be
printed in large black letters across the space to be occupied by each
closet in every house plan, for the average closet is so dark that even
a self-respecting family skeleton would decline to occupy it, evil
though its deeds are supposed to be. The downpour of the miscellaneous
collection of a closet's shelves upon the blind groper after some
particular package thereon, gives convincing proof that absence of
light means presence of confusion; while it also invites the elusive
moth to come in and make himself at home--which he does.
THE LINEN CLOSET
But after all, it is a blessed good thing to have some closets, even
dark ones, and proper care and attention will go a long way toward
remedying their defects. Clothes closets we must have, china closets
we usually have, and linen closets we sometimes have, not always. To
the housewife who possesses a linen closet it is a source of particular
pride, and the stocking and care of it her very special pleasure. Its
drawers should be deep and its shelves wide and well apart--not less
than eighteen inches, and even more in the case of the upper ones, for
the accommodation of the reserve supply of blankets, quilts, and other
bed coverings. Arrange on the lower shelves the piles of counterpanes,
sheets, and pillowcases in constant use, linen and cotton in separate
piles, and those of the same size together. Washcloths and towels,
heavy, fine, bath and hand, have each their own pile on shelf or in
drawer, according to room. Shams and other dainty bed accessories go
into the drawers, one of which may be dedicated to the neat strips and
tight rolls of old linen and cotton cloth, worn-out underclothing,
etc., as they gradually accumulate. Where no provision is made for a
linen closet, a case of the wardrobe type, built along the inner wall
of a wide hall, answers the purpose very well, and is not unpleasing to
the eye if made to harmonize with the other woodwork. A closet of this
kind may vary in width from four to six feet, with swinging or sliding
doors, preferably the latter, and drawers and shelves, or shelves
alone. Or there may be a cupboard above and shelves below, or vice
versa.
CLOTHES CLOSETS
Clothes closets of this description can also be built against
unoccupied bedroom walls, the objection to the number of doors thus
introduced being offset by the great convenience of having one's
clothing immediately at hand, exposed to light and to view directly the
doors are opened, for we find things by sight here, not by faith.
Angles and recesses which have no special excuse for being are easily
converted into closets, one to be used as a hanging place for the
various brooms, brushes, dustpans, and dusters in use about the house.
Brooms, by the way, must never be allowed to stand upon their bristles,
but must either stand upside down or hang. Another nook becomes a
convenient place for hanging canvas or ticking bags filled with odds
and ends of dress goods, white and colored, news and wrapping papers,
balls of twine, and other pick-me-ups.
THE CHINA CLOSET
The china closet is designed for the accommodation of everything in use
on the dining table, with drawers or cupboards for linen and silver,
and shelves for dishes. The latter should be arranged with an eye to
artistic effect as well as to convenience, platters and decorative
plates standing on edge and kept from slipping by a strip of molding
nailed to the shelf, pretty cups hanging, and those of more common
material and design inverted to keep out the dust. Stand the large and
heavy pieces, vegetable dishes, and piles of plates on the bottom
shelf, and on the next cups and saucers, sauce dishes, small plates,
etc., placing the smaller dishes in front, the taller ones behind. The
third shelf may be devoted to glass alone, with tumblers inverted and
bowls and odd pieces tastefully arranged, or to both glass and silver.
On the fourth shelf place such pieces of glass and silver as are only
occasionally brought into service. Personal taste and convenience
dictate to a great extent the placing of the dishes, but absolute
neatness and spotlessness must hold sway. No other closet is more
prone to disarrangement than the china closet, where the careless
disposal of one dish seems to invite the general disorder which is sure
to follow. For this reason it demands the frequent rearranging which
it should receive. Its walls should harmonize in color with those of
the dining room. Small, fringed napkins or doilies on and overhanging
the shelves help to impart an air of daintiness and make a pretty
setting for the dishes. When the china closet does not connect with
the dining room, but is a "thing apart," its shelves may receive the
same treatment accorded those in the pantry--white paper or oilcloth
covering and valance.
While well-filled linen and china closets appeal to the aesthetic side
of the housewife, clothes closets speak directly to her common-sense,
managerial side. If she had a say-so in the matter, their name would
be Legion, but she must not think over-hardly of the few she has, for
they are invaluable developers of her genius for putting "infinite
riches in a little room"; while the constant tussle in their depths
with moth and dust induces a daily enlargement of her moral biceps--and
her patience. May their shadow never grow less (perish the thought!).
CLOSET TIGHTNESS
Before anything goes into a closet see that all the cracks in the floor
are entirely filled with putty, plaster of Paris, or sawdust, for
otherwise dust and lint will accumulate in them, and there the beetle
will find a house and the moth a nest for herself. Whiting and linseed
oil mixed well together until the paste is smooth will make the putty.
The plaster of Paris is easily prepared by mixing the powder with cold
water till it is of the right consistency to spread, but it hardens so
quickly that only a little can be made ready at a time. Or, dissolve
one pound of glue in two gallons of water, and stir into it enough
sawdust to make a thick paste. Any of these preparations can be
colored to match the floor, put into the cracks with a common steel
knife, and made smooth and even with the boards. A better way,
however, seems to be to omit the coloring and give the entire floor two
coats of paint after the cracks are filled. There are those who prefer
covering the floor with enamel cloth; but try as we will, it is all but
impossible to fit it so closely that dust and animal life cannot slip
under it.
CLOSET FURNISHING
The floors attended to, next see that there are plenty of hooks screwed
on the cleat which should extend around three sides of the closet.
They must be at a convenient height, say five feet, and three inches
below the first of two or three shelves, to be not over fifteen inches
apart, thus making at least two available for use. On the under side
of this first shelf screw double hooks, and additional hanging room can
be made by suspending a movable rod across the closet on which to hang
coat hooks holding garments. Skirts, waists, and coats hold their
shape far better when disposed of in this way, and can be packed
closely together. A twelve-inch piece of barrel hoop wound with
cambric or muslin, and with a loop at the center, is a good substitute
for the commercial hook. On the shelves go hat and other boxes, and
various parcels, each to be plainly labeled. A chest of drawers at one
end of the closet is handy for the disposal of delicate gowns, extra
underwear, furs, summer dresses, etc., while a shoe bag insures
additional order. The soiled-clothes hamper belongs, not in the
clothes closet, but in the bathroom. Too much emphasis cannot be
placed on this. The odor from the linen pollutes the naturally close
air of the closet and clings to everything it contains.
CARE OF CLOSETS AND CONTENTS
Wash the woodwork, drawers, floor, and shelves of all closets
thoroughly with water containing a few drops of carbolic acid--not
enough to burn the hands--and wipe dry. Painted walls which can also
be washed are most desirable; if calcimined, the tinting must be
renewed each year. If furs are to be put away, brush and beat well,
and then comb to remove possible moths or eggs, sprinkle with camphor
gum, wrap in old cotton or linen cloth, then in newspaper, and tie
securely. Moths, not being literary in their tastes, will never enter
therein. All woolens should be put away in the same manner. The
closet is clean and sanitary now, and the main thing is to keep it so.
All garments ought to be thoroughly brushed and aired before hanging
away, particularly in the summer time, with a special application of
energy to the bottoms of street gowns, the microscopic examination of
one of which revealed millions of tubercular germs--not a pleasant
thought, but a salutary one, let us hope.
It seems such a pity that the sun, that great destroyer of bacteria,
cannot shine into our closets; but until the new architect comes to our
rescue with a window, all we can do to sweeten them is to remove the
clothing and air by leaving doors and adjacent windows open for a
couple of hours. An annual disinfecting with sulphur fumes will
destroy all germs of insect life. Use powdered sulphur--it is far more
effective than the sulphur candles which are sold for the same purpose.
Stand an old pie plate or other tin in a pan of water; on it build a
little fire of paper and fine kindling, pour on the powdered sulphur,
and leave to smudge and smoke for twenty-four hours. The closet must
be sealed up as tight as possible, every crack, crevice, and keyhole
being stuffed with newspaper to prevent the fumes from escaping, the
entering door, of course, being sealed after the fumes are started. If
one desires the sealing to be doubly sealed, newspaper strips two
inches wide and pasted together to make several thicknesses, can be
pasted over cracks in doors and windows with a gum-tragacanth solution,
prepared by soaking two tablespoons of the gum in one pint of cold
water for an hour, then placing the bowl in a pan of boiling water, and
stirring till dissolved. This is easily washed off and will not stain
or discolor the woodwork. Although there is an impression to the
contrary, clothing may be left in the closet with entire safety during
the smoking, provided it is well away from the fire. Indeed, clothing
needs purifying as much as closet, and an occasional disinfecting will
help on the good work of sanitation. After the closet is once rid of
moths, tar paper specially prepared for the purpose and tacked on the
walls, is effectual in keeping them away, for they seem to "smell the
battle afar off."