Leaving the kitchen in order, the bedrooms will come
next. Turn the mattresses dail}-, and make the bed
smoothly and carefully. Put the under sheet with the
wrong side next the bed, and the upper one with the
marked end alwa3^s at the top, to avoid the part where
the feet lie, from being reversed and so reaching the face.
The sheets should be large enough to tuck in thoroughly,
three 3'ards long by two and a half wide being none too
large for a double bed. Pillows should be beaten and
then smoothed with the hand, and the aim be to have
an even, unwrinkled surface. As to the use of shams,
whether sheet or pillow, it is a matter of taste ; but in all
cases^, covered or uncovered, let the bed-linen be daintily
clean.
Empty all slops, and with hot water wash out all the
bowls, pitchers, &c., using separate cloths for these pur-
poses, and never toilet towels. Dust the room, arrange
every thing in place, and, if in summer, close the blinds,
and darken till evening, that it may be as cool as possible.
Sweeping days for bedrooms need come but once a
week, but all rooms used by many people require daily
sweeping ; halls, passages, and dining and sitting rooms
coming under this head. Careful dusting daily will often
do away with the need of frequent sweeping, which wears
out carpets unnecessarily. A carpet-sweeper is a real
42 THE DAY'S WORK.
economy, both in time and strength ; but, if not obtaina-
ble, a light broom carefully handled, not with a long stroke
which sends clouds of dust over every thing, but with a
short quick one, which only experience can give, is next
best. For a thorough sweeping, remove as many articles
from the room as possible, dusting each one thoroughly,
and cover the larger ones which must remain with old
sheets or large squares of common unbleached cotton
cloth, kept for this purpose. If the furniture is rep or
woolen of any description, dust about each button, that
no moth may find lodgment, and then cover closely. A
feather duster, long or short, as usually applied, is the
enemy of cleanliness. Its only legitimate use is for
the tops of pictures or books and ornaments ; and such
dusting should be done before the room is swept, as well
as afterward, the first one removing the heaviest coat-
ing, which would otherwise be distributed over the room.
For piano, and furniture of delicate woods generally,
old silk handkerchiefs make the best dusters. For all
ordinar}^ purposes, squares of old cambric, hemmed, and
washed when necessary", will be found best. Insist upon
their being kept for this purpose, and forbid the use of
toilet towels, always a temptation to the average servant.
Remember that in dusting, the process should be a wiping ;
not a flirting of the cloth, which simply sends the dust up
into the air to settle down again about where it was
before.
If moldings and wash-boards or wainscotings are
wiped off with a damp cloth, one fruitful source of dust
will be avoided. For all intricate work like the legs of
pianos, carved backs of furniture, &c., a pair of small
bellows will be found most efficient. Brooms, dust-pan,
THE BAY'S WOBK. 43
Page 20
Presented as published in 1881. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Leaving the kitchen in order, the bedrooms will come next. Turn the mattresses daily-, and make the bed smoothly and carefully. Put the under sheet with the wrong side next the bed, and the upper one with the marked end always at the top, to avoid the part where the feet lie, from being reversed and so reaching the face. The sheets should be large enough to tuck in thoroughly, three yards long by two and a half wide being none too large for a double bed. Pillows should be beaten and then smoothed with the hand, and the aim be to have an even, unwrinkled surface. As to the use of shams, whether sheet or pillow, it is a matter of taste ; but in all cases, covered or uncovered, let the bed-linen be daintily clean.
Empty all slops, and with hot water wash out all the bowls, pitchers, &c., using separate cloths for these purposes, and never toilet towels. Dust the room, arrange every thing in place, and, if in summer, close the blinds, and darken till evening, that it may be as cool as possible.
Sweeping days for bedrooms need come but once a week, but all rooms used by many people require daily sweeping ; halls, passages, and dining and sitting rooms coming under this head. Careful dusting daily will often do away with the need of frequent sweeping, which wears out carpets unnecessarily. A carpet-sweeper is a real
42 THE DAY'S WORK.
economy, both in time and strength ; but, if not obtainable, a light broom carefully handled, not with a long stroke which sends clouds of dust over every thing, but with a short quick one, which only experience can give, is next best. For a thorough sweeping, remove as many articles from the room as possible, dusting each one thoroughly, and cover the larger ones which must remain with old sheets or large squares of common unbleached cotton cloth, kept for this purpose. If the furniture is rep or woolen of any description, dust about each button, that no moth may find lodgment, and then cover closely. A feather duster, long or short, as usually applied, is the enemy of cleanliness. Its only legitimate use is for the tops of pictures or books and ornaments ; and such dusting should be done before the room is swept, as well as afterward, the first one removing the heaviest coating, which would otherwise be distributed over the room. For piano, and furniture of delicate woods generally, old silk handkerchiefs make the best dusters. For all ordinary purposes, squares of old cambric, hemmed, and washed when necessary, will be found best. Insist upon their being kept for this purpose, and forbid the use of toilet towels, always a temptation to the average servant. Remember that in dusting, the process should be a wiping ; not a flirting of the cloth, which simply sends the dust up into the air to settle down again about where it was before.
If moldings and wash-boards or wainscotings are wiped off with a damp cloth, one fruitful source of dust will be avoided. For all intricate work like the legs of pianos, carved backs of furniture, &c., a pair of small bellows will be found most efficient. Brooms, dust-pan,
THE BAY'S WOBK. 43