Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 April 1918 — HOME ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT [ARTICLE]

HOME ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT

House Cleaning “The scrubbing’s dope; my kitchen stands arrayed In shining tins and order reigns supreme.” “The successful housekeeper,” home management experts tell us, “ajroids that long siege of house cleaning which makes life a burden to each member of the family. She has reduced house cleaning to scientific principles and to business

principles. S'he is able to' plan the renovation of her house so systematically that it does not interfere with the business of living.” This, of course, is the ideal way to keep house and with the advent of hardwood floors, vacuum cleaners and other labor saving devices, ’ simple curtains, a minimum amount of bric-a-brac, a few good pictures, plenty of closets, etc., it is possible to attain this ideal. The average housekeeper, however, still has her semi-annual ‘house cleanings when ' she feels the whole house must be ( £one over, especially in the spring, | when Nature is blossoming out in all her freshness and beauty. Then . every woman turns instinctively to> the renovating and beautifying of < her home. She longs for crisp, | snowy curtains, fresh cretonnes, 1 fresh paint, new wall paper, and all , of those accessories that tend to | make her house more livable and, inviting; the most 'pleasant place in' the world for her family and friends. For, as Frances Willard . says: “The mission of the ideal woman is to make the whole world homelike.’’ i. Tn planning for the bouse cleaning campaign the other work should be arranged so that the business of living is not interfered with, for nothing disconcerts a family more than the general upheaval of the house. Care, too, should be taken not to remove the stove at too early a date, unless there is a fire place or other means of heating. ! ‘‘The chief advantage of house I cleaning lies in the fact that at I this time a year's accumulation are I looked over and many of them rejected. To leave woodwork and floors and closets for a yearly cleaning as many people do is inexcusable. Once a week, in dusty regions, or perhaps once a month in the clean country or seaside,’’ says Dr. L. L. Wilson. System in doing the work is just l as important as good equipment ' and the housekeeper whose work “is never done” is often one who never stops to plan out her work to save time nor tries to prevent unnecessary steps by thinking ahead. The cleaning equipment should first be piit in order and needed supplies of cleaning materials provided. These should consist of a good vacuum cleaner, if possible, sweepers, ceiling and wall brushes, oil mop and dusters, floor oils, kerosene, ammonia, Bon Ami. turpentine, soaps, etc. Some good disinfectants and plenty of clean, so>t cloths. . . The Home Economics Division or the Department of Agricultural Extension recommend the following formulas for oiled floors, mops and dust cloths:,,' Floor oil—a. Turpentine. Linseed oil. Paraffin. Equal parts; heat over hot water. b. 1 lb. paraffin. 1 gal. boiled linseed oil. For dustless dusters and mops—--3 parts boiled linseed oil, 1 part turpentine or % cup kerosene 2 qts. hot water. Saturate thoroughly, wring or dry. Extension Leaflet No. 69, which can be secured by writing ta thExtension Department, Purdue University, will give further help on floor coverings. Tn the order of house cleaning a systematic cleaning of one or two rooms at the same time is recommended rather than the wholesale tearing up of the entire house, 'for a little cleaning done often is far more economical than to let dirt accumulate. Accumulation necessitates hard rubbing, the use of more water and often the use of alkalies, all of which man endanger the finish of woodwork and floors. The old adage “A little at a time and that done well, Is a very good rule, as many can tell.” applies very well indeed to house cleaning. An excellent housekeeper who always keeps her home in exquisite order, cleans her attic and store room first,'quite early in March before the sun gets really hot, since it is more comfortable to work there at that time. She then cleans one or two bedrooms each week, having the curtains laundered with the weekly household laundry. She continues this until all the bedI rooms are done, then she goes to the living room, dining room and kitchen and does the basement last of all. By the time the fine weather of spring open up, her house is arrayed in a fit manner to meet ; this most lovely of all seasons, and besides there is ‘‘the supreme satisfaction in knowing the beauty of cleanliness, the restfulness of order, the reflex moral influence of a clean body in a clean house among clean surroundings. Demonstration in Hanging Grove Township Tuesday, April 23, a demonstration will be given on the use of substitute flours at the home of Mrs. John Jordan near McCoysburg. Thursday, April 25, the same demonstration will be given at the home of Mrs. Robert Jordan near McCoysburg. Every one is welcome to both these demonstrations.