THE NICE MACHINERY OF HOUSEKEEPING
"Solomon Grundy,
Born on Monday,
Christened on Tuesday,
Married on Wednesday,
Took ill on Thursday,
Worse on Friday,
Died on Saturday,
Buried on Sunday.
That's the end of
Solomon Grundy."
This little tale serves to show how it simplifies life to have a time
for everything and everything in its time. System was probably a habit
in the Grundy family, and was so bred in Solomon's bones that it never
occurred to him that he could reverse the order observed by the Grundys
for generations back and be married on Thursday, for instance. And yet
there is room for conjecture as to how much difference it might have
made in his life if he had elected to contract an alliance on that day
instead of a fatal illness. System is a fine servant but a poor
master. Simply because custom has decreed that Monday shall be wash
day, Tuesday ironing day, and so on, it does not necessarily follow
that this programme must be strictly adhered to in every family, or
that the schedule of the week's work, once made out, cannot be changed
to meet the unexpected exigencies which are apt to arise. To be sure,
Monday as wash day has many points in its favor; but if it must be
postponed until Tuesday, or the clothes have not dried well and the
ironing has to go over into Wednesday, there is no reason why the whole
domestic harmony should become "like sweet bells jangled, out of tune
and harsh." Although order is heaven's first law, it occasionally
happens that it is better to break the law than to be broken by it.
And so, when the young housekeeper's nicely arranged plans for each day
in the week are suddenly turned topsy-turvy, let her take heart of
grace, remembering that there are whole days that "ain't teched yet,"
and begin again.
MONDAY
The chief objection to washing on Monday is that it necessitates
sorting and putting the soiled linen to soak on Sunday, which not only
violates the religious principles of many households, but shortens and
spoils the flavor of the maid's free Sabbath evening. Then, too, the
sorting of the linen often reveals holes and rents which should
properly be repaired before laundering increases the damage, and a
Tuesday washing makes this possible, with the straightening out and
readjustment generally necessary after Sunday. On the other hand, the
longer the linen remains unlaundered the more difficult it is to
cleanse, with the risk that good drying days may tarry and the ironing
thus linger along till the end of the week, which is inconvenient and
bothersome all round. Therefore it seems quite advisable for Mrs.
Grundy to wash on Monday, and an occasional postponement until Tuesday
will not then be a matter of any great moment. The routine work of
every day--the airing, brushing up, and dusting of the rooms, the
preparation and serving of meals at their regular hours, the chamber
work, dish-washing, in short, all the have-to-be-dones, must not, and
need not, be interfered with by the special work which belongs to each
day. There are hours enough for both, and rest time, too, unless the
housekeeper or maid be cut after the pattern of Chaucer's Sergeant of
the Law:
"Nowher so bisy a man as he ther nas,
And yet he semed bisier than he was."
Wash day is always somewhat of an ordeal, and a long pull, a strong
pull, and a pull all together is necessary to carry it successfully
through. A simple breakfast will give the maid an opportunity to sort
and put the clothes to soak, if this was not done the night previous,
heat water for the washing, and perhaps prepare vegetables for the
day's meals, before breakfast is served; and if her mistress lends a
helping hand with the dishes, dusting, or other regular work of the
day, she can go to her tubs just that much earlier. Getting up in the
wee sma' hours and working by early candle light is misdirected
ambition. The maid needs her rest to fit her for her day's labors, and
washing well done requires the light of day. Set the breakfast hour
ahead half an hour and so gain a little extra time. Foresight and
extra planning on Saturday will provide certain left-overs from
Sunday's meals which can be quickly and easily transformed into
Monday's luncheon. Dinner, too, should be a simple meal, but don't add
to the other trials of the day cold comfort at meal time. A
smoking-hot dinner has a certain heartening influence to which we are
all more or less susceptible. The doors leading from the room in which
the washing is done must be kept closed to exclude the steamy odor from
the rest of the house, and the maid allowed to proceed with her work
without interruption. By eleven o'clock she will probably have reached
a point where she can stop to prepare luncheon. If the family is very
small, she can frequently do not only the washing but considerable of
the ironing as well on Monday, but that is crowding things a little too
much. After the washing is accomplished the line should be drawn at
what _must_ be done, and nothing which is not absolutely necessary put
into the few remaining hours of the day, for the maid's back and arms
have had quite enough exercise for the time being. If a laundress is
employed, the cleaning of the kitchen floor and the laundry and the
ironing should be about accomplished by night, unless it seems best to
have her clean and do other extra work after the washing is finished.
If the housewife is her own laundress, she must acquire the gentle art
of letting things go on the hard days, for she cannot possibly be
laundress, maid, and house-mother all in one, and her health and
well-being are of prime importance.
TUESDAY
The washing being done on Monday, it naturally follows that Mrs. Grundy
irons on Tuesday, after the regular routine work has been dispatched.
The first thought is the fire, if the ironing is done by a coal range.
After breakfast is prepared the fire box should be filled with coal to
the top of the lining, and draughts opened, to be closed as soon as the
surface coal begins to burn red, the top of the stove brushed off, and
the irons set on to heat. This is a good place to sandwich in a little
baking, before the fire becomes too hot for cakes or delicate pastry.
If the maid feels that she must devote this time to the preparation of
vegetables, or to other work which is liable to interfere with her work
later on, madam may choose to step into the breach and try her hand at
sundry delectables for the ironing-day luncheon or dinner, both meals
being as simple as consistent with comfort and health. The ironing,
once commenced, should continue uninterruptedly until time to prepare
luncheon, when the irons are pushed back and the fire shaken or raked
and replenished. By this time the clothes bars should begin to take on
a comfortable look of fullness. It is well to keep them covered with
cheesecloth as a protection from dust and soot and, in summer, fly
specks. If any frying is to be done, set the bars in another room
until it is over and the kitchen thoroughly aired, otherwise the odor
will cling to the clothes. After luncheon the range is cleaned and the
irons drawn forward to heat for the afternoon session; and by the time
the table is cleared, dishes washed, and kitchen brushed up, both they
and the maid are ready for the renewed onslaught. Though it may
occasionally run over into the next day, the average ironing ought to
be completed during the afternoon and remain well spread out on the
bars overnight to dry and air. Tuesday, though a full day, is so clean
and neat that there is no reason why the maid should not keep herself
equally so and be ready to serve the table and attend the door without
further preparation than slipping on her white apron--and cap, if she
wears one.
WEDNESDAY
On Wednesday Mrs. Grundy mends and puts away the clean clothes and
picks up some of the household stitches which had to be dropped on the
two preceding days. The kitchen must be put in order, the refrigerator
must have its semiweekly cleaning, and the ashes which have accumulated
in the stove removed, a new fire built, and the hearth washed. While
the oven is heating for the mid-week baking there are vestibules and
porches to wash, walks to sweep, the cellar to investigate, and a dozen
little odds and ends to attend to which, with the baking, make a busy
morning. The cleaning of silver dovetails nicely with the Wednesday
work, and during the canning season the preserving of fruit can be done
at this time with the least interference with the other work of the
house, though when it becomes a case of the fruit being ripe, other
work must give way for the nonce. In short, Wednesday is the general
weekly catch-all into which go all the odd jobs for which room cannot
be found elsewhere.
THURSDAY
It is Mrs. Grundy's theory, strengthened by practical experience, that
it is better to extend the weekly sweeping and cleaning over two days
than to condense it all into one; and so Phyllis takes the bedroom
cleaning as her special Thursday work, and armed with broom, dustpan,
pail, and cleaning cloths, she ascends to the upper regions as soon as
she has reduced the lower to their everyday nicety. The daily brushing
up with broom or carpet sweeper removes the surface dirt, but sweeping
day means a good "digging out." She commences operations by sweeping
out the closet and wiping off the floor with a cloth wrung out of hot
borax water. Then she brushes down, rolls or folds all curtains and
draperies, and fastens them up as near the pole as possible, perhaps
slipping a case over each as a protection from the dust. If the bed is
hung with a valance, that, too, is pinned up. All small toilet
articles and knicknacks are dusted and placed on the bed, and covered
with a dust sheet of coarse unbleached muslin, or calico; bowl,
pitcher, and other crockery are washed and dried, inside and out, and
placed in the closet, with dresser and stand covers, which have been
shaken out of the window. These, if soiled, are relegated to the
clothes hamper, to be replaced by fresh ones. Chairs and easily moved
articles of furniture are dusted and set outside of the room. If there
is a fire the ashes are carefully removed and brushed from the stove;
the windows are opened unless there is a strong wind, when they are
opened a little after the cleaning is done, and the sweeping begins.
The broom should be of about medium weight, held almost perpendicularly
and passed over the carpet with a long, light stroke and steady
pressure which will not scatter the dirt, and turned every few strokes
that both sides may receive equal wear. Steps can be saved by sweeping
to a central point, going with the nap of the carpet, never against it,
taking special care to dislodge the dust which gathers between the
edges of the carpet and the baseboard. Shreds of dampened paper, or
damp bran scattered over the carpet facilitate its cleaning; or in lieu
of these the broom may be wet and shaken as free from water as possible
before using. Any method of keeping down the dust saves much cleaning
of woodwork, walls, and pictures. Rugs are swept in the same way as
carpets. After they are cleaned the edges are turned up and the bare
floor gone over with a long-handled hair brush, or with a broom covered
with a Canton-flannel bag. If the floor is painted, follow the duster
with a damp cloth; if hardwood, rub well with a flannel slightly
moistened with crude oil and turpentine. Small rugs are taken out of
doors and shaken or beaten. They must be held by the sides, never by
the ends. Matting should be swept with a soft broom and wiped over
with a damp cloth, using as little water as possible, and no soap,
which stains and discolors it. Rubbing with a cloth wrung out of hot
water will usually take out the spots which the regular cleaning has
failed to remove, while grease spots yield to the application of a thin
paste of fuller's earth left for three days and then brushed off.
Rooms not in daily use do not need a thorough sweeping oftener than
every two weeks, a whisk broom and carpet sweeper sufficing between
times.
While the dust is settling put a fresh bag or a clean, soft duster on
the broom and brush off ceiling and walls, using a straight downward
stroke for the latter. The cloth must be renewed when it becomes
soiled. A long-handled feather duster is handy for cleaning moldings
and cornices. This, by the way, is the only legitimate use to which a
feather duster can be put, in addition to dusting books and the backs
and wires of pictures. Instead of taking up the dust, it simply sets
it free to settle elsewhere, making a lingering trouble, long drawn
out; for though one may whisk around with it and then enjoy the
conscious virtue which comes with having "one more thing out of the
way," the complacency is short-lived and the cheesecloth duster finally
has to come to the rescue. All dusters should be hemmed, otherwise the
ravelings are apt to catch and pull down the bric-a-brac. After the
walls Phyllis dusts the woodwork and goes over it with a clean, damp
cloth, not omitting doorknobs, and looking out for finger marks in
likely places. If these are stubborn, a little kerosene in the
cleaning water will help on the good work. She brushes and wipes off
the window casings and gas fixtures, dusts and replaces the furniture,
polishes the mirrors, and washes the windows the last thing, provided
the sun is not shining on them at this time. If so, the work will have
to be deferred and slipped in with special work of some other time. In
localities where there is little smoke the weekly washing may be
dispensed with, dusting off each pane with a soft cloth being all that
is necessary. In freezing weather this is the only cleaning possible,
though if the glass is much soiled it can be gone over with a sponge
wet with alcohol; or with whiting mixed with diluted alcohol or
ammonia, followed by much the same rubbing process employed in cleaning
silver, with a final polishing with soft paper, tissue preferably,
which gives the finest possible shine to any vitreous surface. If
there are inside or outside blinds, they must be well brushed, and
casings and sills which are much soiled washed, before the glass is
cleaned. The requirements for successful window cleaning are a third
of a pail of hot water containing a little ammonia or borax, plenty of
clean, soft cloths free from lint, a complete absence of soap, and a
decided presence of energy--aye, there's the rub! The less water used
the better. Instead of allowing it to run down in tears, squeeze the
cloth out nearly dry, going quickly over one pane at a time, following
immediately with a dry cloth, and then polishing. Wrap the cleaning
cloth around a skewer and go into the corners and around the edges of
the glass. Nothing is more productive of distorted vision than looking
through a glass darkly. Wherefore, for the sake of the mental as well
as the physical eye, see that Phyllis's window cleaning is a success.
After the bedrooms are in order the halls and passages on the same
floor, and the bathroom, are swept and cleaned.
FRIDAY
On Friday Mrs. Grundy's living rooms and first-floor halls are treated
to their weekly renovation, which is similar to that which the bedrooms
receive, only there is more of it. The preparation of the drawing-room
for sweeping is more elaborate, containing, as it does, more pieces of
furniture and bric-a-brac to be cared for. All movable pieces are
dusted and taken from the room. Upholstered furniture must be well
brushed, going down into the tufts and puffs with a pointed brush
similar to that used by painters, and pieces which are too large to
move covered with a dust sheet. A vigorous brushing with a whisk broom
will be necessary around the edges of the carpet, in the corners, and
under the heavy furniture. Mirrors must be polished, glasses, frames,
backs, and wires of pictures wiped off, and fancy carving which the
duster will not reach cleaned out with a soft brush.
If the room contains a marble mantel, it can be cleaned with sapolio or
almost any good scouring powder, and tiles washed with soap and water.
The fireplace should be cleaned out before the sweeping is done, and
the hearth brushed, with a bath afterwards. Brass trimmings and
utensils in use about the grate can be easily kept clean by rubbing
first with kerosene and then with red pomade; but if neglected and
allowed to become tarnished, it is somewhat of an undertaking to
restore them to their pristine brightness. In an extreme case rub with
vinegar and salt, wash off quickly, and follow with some good polish.
Results obtained in this way are not lasting, and the vinegar and salt
should be resorted to only after other well-tried means have failed.
Another home cure for tarnished brass and other metals is a mixture of
whiting, four pounds; cream of tartar, one quarter pound; and
calcinated magnesia, three ounces. Apply with a damp cloth.
The dust will settle while the brasses are being cleaned, and then the
carpet or rug should be brushed over a second time, lightly, and may be
brightened once a month or so by rubbing, a small space at a time, with
a stiff scrubbing brush dipped in ammonia water--two tablespoons of
ammonia to a gallon of water--and then quickly wiping over with a dry
cloth. The chandeliers and gas fixtures should be wiped with a cloth
wrung from weak suds, the globes dusted or washed as required, and a
doubled coarse thread drawn back and forth through the gas tips, if gas
is in use. Registers should be wiped out and dusted every sweeping day
to prevent the accumulation of dust. All woodwork, if painted, is
dusted and then wiped down with a damp cloth; if hardwood, use the
crude oil and turpentine, going into grooves and corners with a skewer,
and rub hard with a second clean flannel. Hardwood floors receive the
same treatment after being swept, and it is a good plan to go over all
the furniture in the same way to preserve the life and fine finish of
the wood, but it is imperative that the wood be rubbed _absolutely dry_.
When the windows have been washed, furniture replaced, and everything
is in apple-pie order in the drawing-room, each of the remaining rooms
is cleaned in like manner, ending with the hall, where each stair is
brushed with a whisk broom into the dust pan, and carpet, walls,
ceiling, and woodwork attended to as in the other rooms. The dusting
cloths and broom bags should go regularly into the weekly wash. It is
far better to do one room complete at a time than to have a whole floor
torn up at once. Just because it is sweeping day is no reason for
turning the family into a whole flock of Noah's doves, with no place
for the soles of their feet. It is very easy to transform black Friday
into good Friday by a little judicious manipulation of the household
helm. The cleaning, in addition to the routine work, is about all
Friday can hold, without crowding. A few anxious thoughts for the
morrow's baking will provide all things necessary to it, so there will
be no delay about commencing it; for--
SATURDAY
Saturday Mrs. Grundy devotes to providing for the wants of the inner
man. The heaviest part of the day's work is the preparation of food
for two or three days. Then the refrigerator must have its second
cleaning, and the pantry, too, probably requires renovating by this
time. Entries must be cleaned, a second tour of inspection of the
cellar made, and the house put in trim for the "day that comes betwixt
a Saturday and Monday."
HOUSE CLEANING
This is not the domestic bugbear it used to be, when one mighty spasm
of cleanliness shook the house from garret to cellar and threw its
inmates into a fever of discomfort and dismay. The modern
house-cleaning season is one of indolence and ease compared with what
it once was, when not only the cleaning and living problem, but the man
problem as well, had to be solved; when the master sighed for a spot in
some vast wilderness, vaguely wondering, as he dined lunch-counter
fashion and then gingerly wound his weary way through a labyrinth of
furniture, boxes, and rolls of carpet to his humble couch set up behind
the piano or in some other unlikely place, if marriage were a failure,
while contact with the business end of a tack gave point to his
thoughts. No, indeed! The spring and autumn of his discontent are
made glorious summer now by the more civilized system which, beginning
at the attic and working downward, cleans one room, or perhaps two at a
time, as a day's work, restoring everything to order before a new
attack is made.
PREPARATION
The task of cleaning a house in which the regular work is
systematically carried on is not so very arduous, and follows the
general plan of the weekly cleaning. Before the real work begins have
a general overhauling and weeding out of cubbies, boxes, and trunks,
scrub out drawers and reline with clean paper, and clean
clothespresses, wardrobes, and closets. In the spring, there will be
furs and flannels to shake, brush, and put away, and in the fall,
summer clothing. Before the spring cleaning the stoves must be taken
down and cleaned out, stovepipes cleaned and rubbed with boiled oil to
prevent rust, and both put away in the attic. Chimneys, too, must be
cleaned, and if the heating is by furnace, it should be put in order
and all its parts swept free from soot, covering the registers during
the operation. This is better done in the spring so the summer winds
cannot scatter the dust and soot through the house. The supply of coal
and wood for the ensuing year should be put into the cellar, and then
the preliminaries are over. The fall cleaning must be delayed until
the canning and pickling are all done, and the "busy, curious, thirsty
fly" is pretty well extinct. Now is the best time for painting,
whitewashing, papering, and other decorating and repairing. If done in
the spring, its freshness is bound to be more or less spoiled by
insects during the summer, be as careful as one may.
CLEANING DRAPERIES, RUGS, CARPETS
The first step in the real cleaning is to take down draperies, shake
well, hang out on the line, right side under, and beat out the dust
with a dog- or riding-whip. Follow with a hard brushing on the wrong
side and wipe down quickly with a damp cloth, following the nap, if
there is one. Lace and muslin curtains are repaired, if necessary, and
laundered, or sent to the cleaner. If only slightly soiled, they can
be freshened by folding, after shaking, and sprinkling all the folds
thickly with magnesia. Let this remain three or four days and then
brush out thoroughly. Next rugs and carpets come out and are well
swept on both sides, then hung on the line and beaten with a flail--one
of two feet of rubber hose partially slipped over a round stick and
split lengthwise into four parts, being the best--until no vestige of
dust remains. Heavy carpets, Brussels, velvets, Wiltons, Axminsters,
and Moquettes, need not be lifted oftener than every two or three
years, unless the presence of moths about bindings, corners, or seams
is detected, when they must come up at once. The ravage of moths can
be prevented by drawing the tacks occasionally, turning back the edge
of the carpet half a yard or so, laying a cloth wrung out of hot water
on the wrong side, and pressing with a very hot iron, holding the iron
on until the cloth is dry and then moving on until all the edges are
thoroughly steamed and dried. This will not injure the carpet and
kills the eggs and larvae. Follow this up by washing the floor with
hot borax water, dry thoroughly, sprinkle with black pepper, and retack
the carpet. Sometimes small pieces of cotton batting dipped in
turpentine and slipped under the edges of the carpet will keep the
moths away. If there are cracks at the juncture of baseboard and
floor, pour in benzine and fill with plaster of Paris. Three-ply or
ingrain carpets can be steamed and ironed without removing the tacks.
CLEANING MATTINGS AND WOODWORK
Mattings must be lifted, shaken, swept, wiped off with a cloth dampened
in borax water, and left on the lawn to sun. No soap should be used on
linoleum, and but little water. Clean by rubbing with a damp cloth
till no soil comes off, and polish with a very little linseed oil. All
upholstered furniture should be taken out, covered with a cloth, and
thoroughly beaten with a rattan, shaking the cloth as it becomes dusty.
Before rugs and carpets go down, walls, woodwork, and floors are
cleaned. Walls, if painted, are washed with hot water containing a
little kerosene, a square yard at a time, which is dried before moving
on to the next area. Rubbing down with the inside of the crust of
bread a day old will clean papered walls. Painted woodwork is best
cleaned with whiting mixed to a thick cream with cold water, rubbed on
with a cloth wrung out of hot water, following the grain of the wood.
Wash off the whiting with a second cloth, rub dry, and polish with
flannel. Painted walls may also be treated in this way, beginning at
the top and working down. If soap is preferred, use the suds, rubbing
the soap itself only on very much soiled spots. Kerosene in the water
obviates the necessity for soap. Enameled paint requires only a cloth
wrung out of hot water, followed by a rubbing with a dry cloth. Avoid
using water on hardwood, boiled oil or turpentine and oil being best
for woodwork and floors. Now is the time to scrub floors, if pine,
with hot borax suds, and to rewax or varnish hardwood floors if they
require it.
CLEANING BEDS
Beds come to pieces and go out of doors, where the slats are washed
with carbolic-acid water, and springs and woodwork thoroughly brushed
and sprinkled with corrosive sublimate and alcohol, if traces of bugs
are found. If the beds are enameled, they are washed entire, with the
exception of the brass trimmings, with hot water and ammonia, and wiped
dry. Bedclothes, mattresses, and pillows are hung out and sunned,
mattresses and pillows both beaten, and the former carefully brushed,
going into each tuft and crevice. Shades which have become soiled at
the bottom can be reversed. House cleaning is not an unmixed joy, but
if done systematically, one room at a time, it is soon accomplished and
becomes a part of that biography which all housekeeping is at last--a
biography which should be written in characters of gold, its pages
richly illumined with crosses, and palms, and laurels, and at its end a
jeweled crown bearing the inscription:
"She hath done what she couldn't!"