The Library of Work and Play: Housekeeping

Chapter IX: Part III: My Heritage (7)

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Juicy pies must not be filled quite full, that they may not boil over in the oven. Openings cut in the crust help to prevent this; an inverted tea cup put into a deep pie is also a preventive. I am told that if the top crust is just laid over the pie and not fastened at the edges, the juice of the filling is less apt to run out.

3. THE SEQUENCE

Going into the kitchen to make one dish; or getting a supper for which much of the food has been previously prepared, gives no suggestion of one of the chief difficulties in getting meals. This difficulty is the sequence of work. Unless thoughtful and orderly arrangements are made, one dish will be done too early, another too late, the cook may find she is required to perform two pieces of work at once and the last moments before the meal will be crowded with more things than can possibly be done.

The time required to cook different articles of food often furnishes a sort of schedule for getting the meal. Additional time must be allowed, however, for preparations before cooking and for finishing touches after cooking.

Except when a gas range is used the fire is the first thing to attend to.

The other things to be arranged for naturally fall into three groups with intervals between in which work may be done which does not have to be timed.

The first group contains things which take long to cook, such as baked and boiled meats, oatmeal, some puddings, old vegetables, and vegetables which are cooked slowly like stewed tomatoes. These things are prepared and put on the fire as soon as the fire is ready for them.

Between this and the second group is an interval which may be used for preparing the second group and for setting the table, arranging salad, putting dishes to warm, etc. Sometimes a dessert has to be prepared in this interval, in that case the food of the second group may have to be made ready and the table set at the very beginning of things, before the fire is looked after.

The second group contains vegetables and desserts which cook in from thirty to forty-five minutes, soup which is to be warmed, eggs which are to be boiled hard to accompany vegetables, anything which takes a half or three-quarters of an hour to cook or which is needed in the concluding preparations of the other food.

After this second group is on the fire comes another interval in which things may be done which were left over from the other interval and in which cold food such as bread, butter and milk may be put on the table. In this time also preparation must be made for the cooking necessary to the third group. Some of these are, mixing thickening for gravy, shelling hard-boiled eggs for spinach, and collecting on the kitchen table seasonings, butter and milk for the cooked vegetables and meat.

The third group contains things which must be done a very brief time before the meal. These are broiling meat, preparing cooked vegetables for the table, making sauces and gravy, putting beaten egg or vermicelli in soup and getting everything arranged in dishes.

Then there are three last things for the housewife to do before the meal: to see that the fire is in condition to leave, that soiled pots and pans are filled with water, and last of all to take an instant to wash her hands, remove her apron and make herself tidy.

There are one or two ways in which preparations for meals may be simplified. For any large meal but especially for dinner served late in the day, as many preparations as may be, should be made in the morning or at luncheon time. When making the menu for a meal do not select things which conflict; for instance, a roast of meat and a delicate pudding cannot be baked at the same time. Likewise, it is inconvenient, not to say unappetizing to have the meat and vegetables and dessert for a meal all boiled or all baked or all fried. Try not to have two things for the same meal which will be spoiled if they are not served the instant they are cooked.

At the end of this chapter about food, I have the desire to put a little verse which often runs in my head when I am getting meals.

"_Though o'er the board the constellations shine,
Austere the feast for time's retainers spread;
Laughter the salt of life, and love the wine,
Sleep the sweet herbs, and work the bitter bread._"

A TIME TABLE

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

3 teaspoonfuls, dry = 1 tablespoonful.
4 teaspoonfuls, liquid = 1 tablespoonful.
4 tablespoonfuls, liquid = 1 wineglassful = ½ gill.
2 wineglassfuls, liquid = 1 gill = ½ cup.
16 tablespoonfuls, liquid = 2 gills = 1 cup.
12 rounded tablespoonfuls, dry = 1 cup.
½ pint, liquid = 1 cup.
4 wineglasses = 1 cup.
¼ lb. of flour = 1 cup.
½ lb. granulated sugar = 1 cup.
½ lb. butter, solid = 1 cup.
4 gills = 1 pint.
2 cups = 1 pint.
2 pints = 1 quart.
4 quarts = 1 gallon.

1 tablespoonful, heaped, granulated sugar = 1 ounce.
1 tablespoonful, rounded, butter = 1 ounce.
1 tablespoonful, liquid = ½ ounce.
1 tablespoonful, rounded, flour = ½ ounce.
1 tablespoonful, rounded, coffee = ½ ounce.
1 tablespoonful, rounded, powdered sugar = ½ ounce.
16 ounces = 1 pound.
4 cups of flour = 1 pound = 1 quart.
2 cups butter, solid = 1 pound.
2 cups granulated sugar = 1 pound.
2½ cups powdered sugar = 1 pound.
2 cups or 1 pint water or milk = 1 pound.
1 pint chopped meat, solid = 1 pound.
10 eggs = 1 pound.

XIII

WASHING AND IRONING

THE day when we wear paper clothes and rarely wear them twice has not yet come. Meanwhile washing and ironing must be done, either in the home or elsewhere. Even when this work has been banished to a laundry or a house on a back street, it is yet desirable to have some knowledge of its processes, that when something goes wrong we may be able to tell what the trouble is.

The laundry, like the kitchen, should be light coloured, cleanly, orderly and furnished only with articles needed for the work. I was taken in to see a laundry not long ago which had pale green walls and two sunny windows. It contained appliances for the work, a substantial laundress and a highly coloured picture of the _Madonna_. There was also a cricket, not the kind you sit on, but the kind that chirps.

1. APPLIANCES

As the appliances for washing and ironing are many, and some of them for uses not entirely obvious, a list with a few comments on each item may be useful.

_Tubs._--Two are needed, three are more convenient. When the washing is finished, the tubs should be scrubbed, rinsed and dried before the covers are closed. Portable wooden tubs also need scrubbing and rinsing, but must not be allowed to get very dry. If they are kept in a warm, dry place, put a little clean water into each one. When allowed to dry, the staves shrink and the tubs leak. That tubs are called portable does not mean they should be carried. About one woman in a dozen is really able to carry a tub with water in it. It is not the weight but the attitude in which one is compelled to lift it that makes the trouble. If there is no one to help to carry the tub, empty it by the pailful; it takes less time than being laid up with a strain.

_A washboard._--Washboards are made of corrugated glass or metal and wood. They should be rinsed when the rubbing is finished and kept dry when not in use. Before putting the board into the tub, see that it has no rough or sharp places which may tear clothes or hands.

_A washboiler and a washstick._--Keep the boiler scrupulously dry when not in use. A speck of rust the size of a pinhead can make serious trouble. The stick is a fairly long, smooth, clean one with which to move and lift scalding hot clothes.

_A wringer._--Rinse and dry it carefully before putting it away. At some other time than in the midst of washing, it is well to study out the contrivance which regulates the width of the opening between the rollers, that one may be able to change it easily and quickly for the wringing of thick or thin articles. The opening should be narrow enough to make turning the handle quite active exercise, but wide enough to prevent any wrenching or dragging of wringer or clothes.

_A clothesline._--A length of clean rope which can be put up and taken down each time it is needed is probably the most satisfactory clothes line. Permanent lines of twisted wire are good, if one may have permanent lines. These must be wiped with a damp cloth before the clothes are hung out. This rule also holds good for any line which is left out in the weather, but rope lines should not be left out if it can be avoided, for they soon become blackened and sodden. When buying a clothesline, see that it is not too thick nor too thin for average clothespins.

_Clothespins._--These must be kept clean, either by frequently getting new ones, or by scrubbing the old ones, and also by keeping them, when not in use, in a covered box or basket.

_Clothes poles._--These are sticks eight or ten feet long, and notched deeply in one end. When the line sags between its supports with the weight of the clothes, it is raised with one of the poles. The notch holds the line and the other end rests on the ground.

_A clothes basket._--This article is used for carrying clothes from place to place. If it is used only for purposes connected with washing and ironing it will remain for a longer time fit for those purposes.

_A laundry stove._--This stove is not necessary when the washing and ironing are done in the kitchen, yet it is more convenient to have one if the size of the kitchen permits. Set on its top, the wash-boiler is at a convenient height; irons heat more evenly upon it, and are not in danger of being splashed from the cooking.

_An ironing board._--This appliance is frequently wider at one end than at the other, because the width of the larger end is convenient to iron on, and the narrowness of the other end is easily put through the top of a skirt or other garment which is slipped over the board for ironing. The board is first padded with several thicknesses of blanket or felt stretched smooth; a clean, white cotton cloth is then stretched over it and sewed or tacked very neatly along one edge and at the ends. All the coverings must be stretched and fastened very tightly to prevent wrinkles which would mark the clothes. The padding keeps the edges of the board from cutting through or marking the clothes, it furnishes a smooth, elastic surface for the sliding movement of the iron, and it makes it possible to iron embroidery, lace or tucks in relief, by pressing them into the padding with the iron.

Some boards are made with folding legs which are a convenience if substantial and well braced. Besides a large board, it is well to have a small bosom board; they are not merely for shirts but are convenient also for ironing small articles at other times than on a regular ironing day. A sleeve board is likewise a helpful addition to the laundry fittings.

_Irons._--To do a family ironing at least six irons are needed. Do not keep them on a stove with fire in it except when they are in use. They are spoiled by being constantly heated and cooled, and they get dirty. Water is not good for them. If they are splashed or smoked they must be washed, but it is better not to wash them regularly. Cooling a very hot iron by immersing it in a pail of water is bad for the iron, and is a careless practice besides; it is rectifying a neglect with a violent remedy.

If irons are rough or troublesome about sticking, scrape and wipe them clean, then rub their bottoms and sides with a piece of beeswax tied in a cloth. In the country, rub them on a sandy place in the garden path. I am told that it is good--and pleasant--to rub them on pine-needles. When irons are put away, turn the bottoms up. If they are put away for a long time, it is well to give them a thin coating of beeswax.

If you have ever seen any one test an iron with a wet finger to see if it is hot, you will only need the courage to try to be able to do it. Wet your finger in your mouth and strike quickly and lightly on the bottom of the iron; if it--_spits_, to put it elegantly, the iron is right for average ironing. Rub it on a paper or a cloth and judge from the effect whether it is clean and of the right temperature for the work you are doing.

_Iron holders._--It is well to have two or three of these articles. Those made of asbestos covered with bed ticking are excellent. Even when irons have a detachable handle, an iron holder will be needed for a holder rests and spares the hand. They are sometimes made with a little pocket into which the ends of the fingers can be thrust; it is a good arrangement, for finger-ends have to be so near the iron that they sometimes get scorched.

_An iron stand._--A stand is necessary to rest the iron on when the laundress needs both hands to arrange the article she is ironing. If one is hard put to it for a substitute, a horse-shoe, or a piece of fire-brick will serve, the latter is especially good because it holds heat.

_A clothes horse._--The more closely it folds up and the more rungs it has when unfolded, the better the clothes horse. Its chief use is to provide a place close at hand where newly ironed articles may be hung. Such a place is necessary because the articles are still a trifle damp and because one does not wish to walk any great distance to dispose of each piece.

_Wax, cloths and paper._--The use of these articles has already been mentioned. Pieces of wax can be bought already covered and attached to a convenient little handle. Cloths and paper come from the housewife's store of useful things.

_Soap._--From the thousands of kinds of soap one can only make a choice by means of personal experiment, or by accepting the recommendation of some one who has already experimented. The kind preferred once settled upon, it is best to buy enough at a time to last several months and to keep it exposed to the air, for unless soap dries a little before it is used, it wastes.

Many preparations are sold to whiten clothes and make washing easy. To use them is a risk, and I have yet to see one which produced even as good temporary results as intelligent washing done with good soap and followed by thorough rinsing.

_Starch._--Starch--the raw material--should be protected from dust in a closed box or jar and not exposed to strong light, as this in time makes it slightly yellow. It is on this account that starch boxes are frequently lined with dark blue paper.

Cold starch is merely starch dissolved in cold water. The proportion is a tablespoonful of starch to a pint of water. Stir until it seems dissolved, but stir again before dipping each article as it settles quickly. This starch is used just before ironing. Articles starched with it should be squeezed out well and folded in a dry cloth for ten or fifteen minutes, then ironed.

To make boiled starch, moisten three tablespoonfuls of starch with cold water. Stir and press out the lumps until it is smooth as cream. Then begin to stir it fast and pour on quickly a quart of boiling water. Allow it to boil about twenty minutes. Toward the end of the time put in a piece of spermaceti as big as a walnut and stir until it is mixed with the starch. Substitutes for this are a bit of lard or a bit of butter. When clothes come home smelling of kerosene, it usually indicates that the laundress has used a dash of that oil as a substitute for spermaceti. If candles are used in the home, it is well to save the ends for the starch. Wax or oil added to starch makes it smooth and keeps it from sticking to the irons.

_Bluing._--The purpose of bluing is to give white clothes a bluish tinge instead of the yellowish tinge they are apt to acquire. Substances for the purpose can be bought in several forms and are used greatly diluted. Two or three squeezes of a bluing ball, or a teaspoonful of liquid bluing is often a sufficient quantity for a tub of water. Bluing must be thoroughly stirred into water. If this is not done before clothes are put in, they will be streaked. Some people put a few drops of bluing in starch.

2. THE PROCESS

Where soiled clothes are to be kept during the interval between wash days is often a difficult question. A closet in the laundry made especially for the purpose is one solution; a hamper set in some ventilated but secluded spot in the house is another. It is unfortunate that often the bathroom is the only refuge for a clothes hamper. Articles like bed linen, which are only changed once a week should be changed as near the wash day as possible, but I do not think this matter so important that the change of linen should be made on Sunday.

The first step in the process of washing is to sort the clothes, separating white, coloured, woollen and silk articles. The white division always, sometimes the others, must be divided again into articles which have been put to personal uses, such as garments, bed linen and towels, and those which have not, as table linen, and dish towels.

Notice in sorting the clothes whether anything is stained, and if so, put it aside to be especially cared for. It is often impossible to remove stains after they have been soaped.

Some people soak clothes over night; some put them to soak the first thing in the morning; some do not soak them at all. In any case, only white cotton or linen articles may be either soaked or boiled. Clothes are put for soaking into a tub of water, each article crushed together, not folded. They may be soaped or not, as one pleases. Linen which has not been put to personal uses should be laid in a separate receptacle, or else not soaked.

When the time has come to begin the washing let the water out of the tub in which the clothes are soaking, then cover them with clean, hot suds. Put in the wash board with its legs firmly planted against the side of the tub opposite to you. Soap and rub each article inside and out, and little or much, according to need. Attend especially to seams, hems and very soiled places. As the articles are washed, put each through the wringer, folding it with buttons in and narrow enough to go easily between the uprights of the wringer. Put them then either directly into the boiler, or into a basket which can be carried over to the boiler when the other pieces are ready. If some piece is still soiled after the rubbing, soap the soiled places again before putting it into the boiler.

As soon as these articles of personal use are in the boiler, begin to wash the other white clothes in clean suds. Rub and wring them and put them into a tub of rinse water. By the time these are finished, the clothes can be turned out of the boiler into the tub just emptied, and the white things in the rinse tub put into the boiler for their boiling.

Rinse the boiled clothes, preferably twice, then prepare the bluing, put unstarched articles through it and lay them in the basket for hanging out. Articles to be starched must be left in the second rinse water until the starch is ready, because no clothes may safely lie in bluing. After being washed, rinsed, or blued, clothes must be well wrung, otherwise they will be a means of passing soapy water from one tub to another and will never be thoroughly rinsed.

Intervals must be found between some of these performances for hanging out unstarched articles and for making the starch for the others.

When the first boilerful of clothes are hung out or waiting to be blued, empty the second boilerful into the tub. Rinse as the others and when they are ready, blue and starch these and all that have been waiting. Put articles, or parts of articles, which are to be very stiff in the starch first. See that they are well wrung and shaken out beforehand and well squeezed out afterward. Dilute the starch a little for the pieces which are to be less stiff. If napery is to be slightly stiffened, put it into a tub with clean water and two or three large spoonfuls of the starch.

When the white clothes have been hung out, wash the coloured things in clean suds. They are neither soaked, boiled, nor blued, and they should not lie in the wash or rinse water. Wash, rinse twice, and hang out at once in a shady place unless they must first be starched. A little starch of original thickness should be saved for the coloured clothes if any of them must be very stiff. Dark cambrics are better stiffened with gum-arabic dissolved in water, for they are apt to be streaked by starch. Stockings, unless woollen, are washed with the coloured articles. Colour can sometimes be set in wash material by soaking it in salt and water.

Woollens are neither soaked, boiled, blued nor starched, nor should they ever be put into water in which any thing else has been washed or rinsed. The wash water and the rinse water for them should be of the same temperature and should feel neither warm nor cold to the hand. Wash them in suds made with good, white soap, and wash the white ones first. Shake them well before hanging them on the line and shake them every now and then while they are there. Do not rub woollen articles with soap, nor wring them with your hands or a wringer, nor hang them in hot sunshine or close to a fire. Knitted articles must not be ironed, but flannels, after they have dried, may be pressed with a very moderately heated iron.

Silk clothes should be washed and rinsed in tepid water and ironed with a good iron while they are still wet.

It will be found convenient to hang clothes of the same kind together on the lines. One of the reasons for this is that when they are taken down they are already sorted for sprinkling. Sprinkling is done the night before the ironing day, or early in the morning of that day. If the weather is very warm, or there is no cool place in which to keep the dampened clothes, it is better to sprinkle them in the morning, as during the night they may turn sour.

Spread a clean dish towel or cloth on a table, lay the pieces on it one on top of the other and sprinkle water over each with your hand or a clean whisk. In winter it is well to use warm water for this. Fold large pieces into a manageable size. Do not put white and coloured clothes together, nor yet starched and unstarched articles.

When all the pieces of one kind are sprinkled, or enough of several kinds for a roll, roll them tightly, turning in the sides as one does the paper round a package. Thin pieces require less sprinkling than thick ones, and folded pieces need sprinkling on both sides, but directions of this kind are of little avail, for only experiment can show you how wet to make each piece. If clothes are not well dampened they cannot be made smooth with the iron, yet they must not be so wet that they cool the irons and require an exceptional amount of pressing.

As the rolls are made, lay them in the clothes basket. When they are all finished put a cover over them, lest the outermost pieces dry before the time comes for them to be ironed.

Time and strength are wasted in attempts to use cool irons, therefore allow them time to get thoroughly heated before you begin to iron. Set up the board in a place where it will not be in a draught, as this quickly cools the irons. Place the iron-stand at the right-hand end of the board, and with it a paper, a cloth and a piece of beeswax. Under the board spread a clean cloth, that when long pieces are being ironed they may rest on the cloth instead of on the floor.

The order in which ironing is done is a matter of preference. Some women say, do the heaviest and most difficult pieces first. Others prefer to alternate the hard and easy ones. Women who do their housework without assistance usually make a roll of little unimportant things which they iron in the intervals of getting luncheon or of other necessary work.

Large articles like tablecloths and sheets are folded down the middle and first ironed on one side, then on the other. They must be folded evenly and perfectly straight. Things like pillow cases, which cannot be slipped over the board, are also ironed double and on both sides. Fine pieces, such as tablecloths and shirtwaists, should be ironed until entirely dry. On the contrary, the pieces known as flat-work--sheets, towels, etc.--may be ironed, carefully folded, and allowed to dry on the clothes horse.

The object of ironing is to make things smooth and the shape they are intended to be. By keeping this in mind, and taking pains to accomplish it, one can soon teach oneself to iron acceptably.

3. SPECIAL WASHING

The time and care required for washing some articles is so much more than can well be given them in the regular wash, that it is better not to attempt to do them on the wash day. Such articles are blankets, curtains, embroideries, lace, chamois gloves or any very delicate fabrics.

_Blankets_ are successfully washed by the method given previously for woollens, though the water used may be warm if preferred. In that case, the rinsing water must be equally warm. In washing both wool and silk it is very necessary not to change their temperature.

If _curtains_ are torn or stained, they must be mended, and must have the stains removed before they are washed. Put them in good, hot suds and do not rub them or wring them, or lift them heavy with water, but instead, pat them and knead them gently with your hands for a good while, then press as much water out of them as possible and throw them into rinse water. Rinse again and again until they do not discolour clean water.

Bluing and starch are absorbed by lace and delicate fabrics to an unusual degree, therefore if you wish to use either for curtains, use very small quantities.

When the washing is finished, put the curtains on stretchers. Set white curtains in the sun to dry, others in the shade. An expedient which may be employed if stretchers are not obtainable, is to pin the curtains to the carpet in a room which need not be used for two days. Cover the carpet with sheets, then stretch the curtains into shape and pin them down tightly. This is a troublesome method, but it produces better results than ironing. If curtains are washed and ironed in the way ordinary articles are done, care must be taken not to stretch them out of shape when they are hung on the clothesline. Hang them with the length of the curtain running in the same direction as the length of the line.

The following is a good receipt for washing curtains:

Into a pail of boiling water put one-half cup of kerosene, two tablespoonfuls of pearline. Stir for fifteen minutes. Put in the curtains, let them stand twenty minutes. Rinse twice in lukewarm water without rubbing or wringing. Rinse once in cold water. Blue, and starch and put on a stretcher.

Wash _embroideries_ in lukewarm suds made with white soap. Do not soap or wring them. Press and move them about with careful hands and only leave them in the water as long as is necessary. Rinse thoroughly and iron on the wrong side while still wet. Spread several thicknesses of flannel or thick folds of cotton cloth over the ironing board, this padding will bring the embroidery out in high relief. These directions apply to either silk or cotton embroidery with the exception that the latter, if white, may be soaked or hung in the sun without injury.

If there is the slightest need, _lace_ should be mended before it is washed. Precious old lace should also be basted on strips of muslin with a very fine needle and thread.

Soak lace for a half-hour in lukewarm suds made with very good white soap, then press it and pat it and lift it up and down in the suds until you think it is clean. Press the water out of it between your hands, and rinse it several times. Then, if it is basted on pieces of muslin, clip the threads on the back of the pieces and with the utmost care separate lace and muslin. Pin the former out on a pillow, using small pins and exercising much patience. Every little point must be fastened down, and pins woven into the straight edges in the direction in which the edges run. Lay the pillow in the sun and do not remove the lace until the next day.

If lace is to be ironed, pad the board beforehand in the way recommended for embroidery. Use a very moderate iron for the lace must slowly and gently be pressed into its original shape.

Everybody who has read "Cranford" remembers with delight that lace may be whitened by soaking it in milk. It may also be made tan-colour by dipping it in coffee or tea. The latter is better because it leaves no odour. A weak solution of gum arabic will stiffen lace when stiffness is desired. Starch is not usually satisfactory.

Water in which fine fabrics are washed must either be soft by nature, or must be made soft with borax.

_Chamois gloves_ can be washed successfully with cold water and good soap. Some people recommend putting a few drops of sweet oil into the water. Wash them until they are clean, soaping and squeezing and rubbing them. Rinse them once. Squeeze them out hard and then gently stretch and press each glove into the shape and size it was when it was new. Hang them up to dry, but not in the sun, or near a heater, or in a place where you may forget them. For at least three or four times while they are drying, they should be again gently rubbed and stretched. Upon the care with which this is done, depend the softness and shape of the gloves. When they are almost entirely dry, put them on your hands, then take them off and again gently stretch them into shape.

Things which may not be washed in water are sometimes cleaned with naphtha or with some kindred fluid. I hardly think this should be done unless one can do it out of doors. It is extremely dangerous work, not only to oneself but to the lives and property of other people.

At least try other methods before such washing is resorted to. More things can be washed in soap and water, if they are washed cleverly, than is generally realized. Articles of delicate colour and texture can often be dry-cleaned with potato flour, powdered French chalk, or powdered magnesia. Rub the flour or powder gently into the fabric, and allow it to remain there several hours. Then shake it out and repeat the process. It is also a good method to put the article to be cleaned into a box, powder it all over with one of these substances and then shut it up for two or three days. Several times each day shake the box well.

Light coloured articles, which may not be wet, such as walls, furniture, rugs, fur, curtains and worsted shawls, may sometimes be improved by rubbing flour and corn meal into them and then shaking and brushing it out again. I am told that white fur can be made clean if it is rubbed with plaster of Paris, shaken, and then rubbed with a damp cloth. I cannot vouch for plaster of Paris, but I can for corn meal and flour, for with it I once successfully cleaned a white kitten.

4. ALLEVIATIONS

Housewives make various arrangements by which the family wash may be done with less expenditure of time and strength on the part of the household than it usually requires. Some have a woman in to do this work; some have the clothes washed out of the house and sent home rough dried for ironing; others send the flat pieces to a laundry and have the others done at home; others yet send the elaborate pieces out and do the flat wash in the house. A somewhat different sort of compromise can be made if the woman of the house realizes that light washing is pleasant, skilful work. She can considerably lessen bills for washing and ironing if she will herself do the handkerchiefs, napkins, doilies, stockings, and other small pieces.

5. EMERGENCIES

A word or two may well be said in regard to a few of the commonest difficulties that arise in this work.

A rainy or violently windy day is probably the most frequent emergency. If one has an attic or a cellar, temporary lines can be put up in either or both; if one has not, there may be room for a line or two in the kitchen and the clothes horse must help out. If there is no place where clothes can be hung in the house, either put the washing off, or get all the white clothes to the stage of the second rinsing, then put them into the tubs with clean water and leave them till the storm is over. The coloured things must wait, the woollens also, unless there are so few that they can be washed and hung up in a bedroom, or some equally unusual place.

There is not much that can be done when the wash water is muddy. Fill as many receptacles with it as possible, the night before the washing day and in the morning pour the water off, disturbing the settlings as little as possible. Its muddy colour will remain unchanged, but it will contain less actual mud.

If one makes the mistake of getting clothes too blue, it will save time eventually to rinse and dry them again. For several washings are sometimes not sufficient to remove colour which has been ironed in.

In freezing weather, it is a good plan to have a short length of line on which small pieces can be pinned in the house. Line and clothes may then be carried out and put up at the same time, and can be brought in together when the pieces are dry.

Clothes frozen to the lines are easily torn unless they are carefully removed. Therefore wrap up well before going out to do this work, that you may not be in a hurry. Also put on heavy gloves or mittens and crush the frozen corners of the clothes hard in your hand before trying to detach them from the line.

A scorch will sometimes disappear if it is sponged gently with a wet cloth. To hang the scorched garment in strong sunshine is also a good remedy. Dip a serious scorch in soapsuds or borax and water before hanging it in the sun, if, however, the texture of the material is injured, the misfortune can only be remedied with a darn or a patch.

Sometimes starch will stick and coat the irons. In such a case, it is an assistance to sponge the starched pieces all over lightly with cold water and a clean cloth, and to scrape the irons thoroughly and rub them with beeswax. If, after this, the starch is still unmanageable, rinse the clothes in clear water, and if they are then too limp stiffen them with cold starch. This really takes no more time and strength than struggling to iron sticky clothes; it also prevents garments from being torn, which is an invariable part of the vexation and anxiety occasioned by starch which sticks.

A sentence containing two words like vexation and anxiety may not be allowed to end a chapter. I will put here, instead, that well-worn reproach of housework, that it is ephemeral--work done merely to meet passing necessities. For this reproach is a great source of contentment in the work. Most thankfully I can remind myself that things over which I could cry with weariness to-night will not exist to-morrow; most thankfully I realize that this day's work is only one of hundreds like it, and in all those days, even I can learn to do the work acceptably.

XIV

HOUSE CLEANING

JOKES about house cleaning have somewhat decreased in number, which makes one hopeful that the miseries of house cleaning have also decreased. Certainly there has been an earnest effort on the part of many housekeepers to make the performance an inconspicuous piece of work instead of an orgy.

House cleaning is of two classes: that which is done when the house is continuously occupied, and that which is done when a house is opened or closed after a season of absence or of occupation.

For either class, a careful preparation removes half the difficulties and for both ample time should be allowed.

One should especially beware while house cleaning of what Bishop Hall calls the "lust of finishing." Try to clean only as much each day as can be put back into habitable order by the time the men of the household come home. One room a day is all a woman unaided should try to do. Mankind are pleased to make jokes about house cleaning and glad am I that they can take it that way, for really it is a trial of character to come home tired and hungry and find the house cold, the rooms in disorder and a picnic supper spread in the kitchen by an overwrought wife.

Preparation for either class of house cleaning includes, for one thing, a decision as to what renewals and repairs are to be made. Painting, papering, floor renovation, carpet and wall cleaning, upholstering and whitewashing are all matters to be decided before the cleaning begins, that they may not conflict, and that those which make dirt and litter may be done before the actual cleaning of the rooms.

Another sort of preparation is the cleaning of cupboards, closets, desks, bureau drawers, book-cases--everything which can be tightly closed or covered. A little time devoted to this work every day for several weeks helps to make brief the period of necessary disorder. A day or two before a room is cleaned, ornaments and pictures can be taken down, cleaned and put away until their places are ready for them again. One must of course be careful not to remove comforts or conveniences.

House cleaning is merely an especially thorough and complete periodical cleaning, such as has been described in Chapter Six, to which are added certain works of renovation and the packing and unpacking of possessions which are used only during a part of the year.

_Renovations._--Renovations which are made by professionals merely require of the housekeeper that she appoint a time for the workers to come, that she see that they do come and that they do their work well.

It may happen, however, that the housewife wishes or is compelled to make some renovations herself, and though there is no way to find out how to do the work except by doing it, yet a few suggestions may help.

_Whitewashing._--The cleaning of the cellar usually involves whitewashing. Perhaps you think anybody can whitewash. Truly, anybody can, but often it's himself he whitewashes instead of the cellar.

The amount of lime which can be bought in most places for ten cents will make four or five pails of whitewash. A friend of mine said, when I asked her how much lime she bought for whitewashing her cellar, "Oh, two lumps about as big as my head." When I asked, "Head with puffs or without?" She changed it to, "about half a bucketful."

A firkin or a large pail which does not leak and which can be devoted to the purpose is needed for slacking the lime. Put in the lumps, then pour half a pail of water on them, carefully because you do not want to splash your surroundings with lime nor burn yourself. Do not be alarmed at the commotion you thus unwittingly create; when the lime has thumped and hissed and gurgled a few minutes, put on another half-pailful of water. When the lime gets more quiet, add water enough to fill the keg, and stir until it is smooth, then cover to keep out dust and leave it until it is cool.

When you look at it again it will probably be smooth and thick like sour cream. If there is water on the top stir it in. Then dip out some of the lime into a pail and dilute it with water until it is like good milk. Stir it thoroughly.

Surfaces which are to be whitewashed should be well brushed to remove dust and loose flakes of old whitewash. Apply whitewash with a broad brush and do not put it on very thick. It will look gray and unpleasant until dry.

The whitewasher should prepare herself carefully for the work. Lime is injurious to clothes, shoes and skin. Wear old shoes and clothes which can be washed, and protect your head and hands. Professional whitewashers usually appear in hats or sunbonnets; it is not a badge of their profession, but a means of protecting their eyes when they whitewash above their heads. Protection for hands is even more necessary, a day's work without protection means hands too sore to use for anything. One might think that rubber gloves would be perfect for this purpose, but in a few hours the lime eats through the rubber. Old rags which one can tie round one's hands and replace with others when they get wet are I believe the most effectual protection.

Lime once slacked can be kept from one whitewashing to another and from year to year merely by keeping it always wet. It should also be kept covered, for dust discolours it.

_Painting._--Surfaces which are to be painted should first be made clean, dry and smooth. Sweep and wipe walls and ceilings, scrub woodwork with soap and water, remove stains and grease spots, sandpaper rough places and fill dints, cracks and scratches: those in the walls with plaster of Paris, those in the woodwork with putty. When woodwork receives two coats of paint, the putty should be applied after the first coat has dried.

Surfaces which have not before been painted always require two coats of paint. The first must be thoroughly dry before another is applied.

Amateurs succeed better if they use already mixed paints, rather than those of their own mixing. If after it has been long and well stirred paint is thicker than light cream, it should be thinned with turpentine. Because in thick paint the places where the strokes of the brush began and ended are apt to show; likewise, because thickly painted surfaces are easily scarred.

Paint with long, light strokes; it is a motion like waving a flag, not like scrubbing.

For wide surfaces, like walls or ceilings, use a fairly wide brush to save time; for narrow places like door and window casings use a small brush. Soak new brushes in water, and keep all brushes in water during intervals when they are not in use. A brush which has dried with paint in it will soften if it is soaked in turpentine.

_Floors and Carpets._--Methods for refinishing hardwood floors were given in Chapter Six.

The directions for beating rugs given in the same chapter apply equally to the cleaning of carpets.

_Papering._--It is not always safe to copy professionals in the matter of putting on wall paper. They do many things which the unskilled cannot. Nevertheless, the first thing to do in this work is to examine the paper already on the walls. Count the full-length strips, then count the short strips and calculate how many full-length strips they amount to.

As a double roll of wall paper is usually 16 yards long, the number of strips a roll will cut can be found by dividing 16 yards by the length of one strip. The length of a strip is obtained by measuring the height of the room from the top of the base-board to the ceiling. Be sure to divide 16 yards by the length of one strip in _yards_, or else to divide its equivalent, 48 feet, by the length of one strip in _feet_.

If a room is not already papered the number of full length strips may be found by measuring the distance round the room, exclusive of the distance across doors and windows, and dividing it by the width of the paper. One must then measure spaces too short or too narrow for whole strips and as before calculate how many full-length strips they amount to.

When the number of full-length strips required for a room has been obtained by either of the foregoing methods, the number of _rolls_ required may be obtained by dividing the number of strips needed by the number of strips a roll will cut. It is always wiser to get one roll more than the number thus obtained; this allows for the waste in matching and for strips which may be spoiled in the putting up.

When the old paper has been examined remove it. Brush it over with hot water and peel it off. Sweep the walls and fill cracks and holes with plaster of Paris wet with water.

Cut the margin from one side of each roll of paper, from the same side in every case. Usually the margin is wider on one side than on the other, which helps one to remember which side to cut. Paper hangers cut off both margins but it is better not to do this until one has acquired some skill in paper hanging. As you unroll the paper to trim off the margin, also roll up again the part which has been trimmed.

On a pasting board or on the floor run out enough paper, face up, from a trimmed roll to make a full-length strip. Make a fold in the paper at the length required and cut it with scissors or a sharp knife. Lay something across the ends to keep the strip from rolling up. Again run out paper from the roll about the length of the strip but this time lay it with the trimmed edge on the untrimmed edge of the strip and if necessary draw it up to make the pattern match. Cut off the few inches which have to be drawn beyond the strip to make the match, then cut a strip from the roll the length of the first strip. Continue to do this again and again until there are as many strips as you need. Then turn them all face down.

Paste each strip with quick long strokes, using a wide paint brush or whitewash brush. Fold the lower end lightly toward the middle, far enough to keep it from touching the floor when you raise the strip by the upper corners. Place these corners against the wall where they belong and press the upper part of the strip against the wall, then brush it lightly downward with a clean brush, unfolding the lower part when you come to it.

Put up all the full-length strips first, beginning beside a door or a window frame where you will have a straight edge for a guide. Put the trimmed edge of the first strip next the woodwork, lap the trimmed edge of the next strip over the margin of the first, and so on. If the distance between the last strip put up and the corner of the room is not sufficient for the width of the strip, either leave that space and put the next strip on the next wall with the trimmed edge close in the corner, or else cut the strip lengthwise and put it up with the cut edges meeting in the corner. When all the full-length strips are up, cover spaces which are too short or too narrow for a whole strip with pieces cut for the purpose from the strips left.

A border is put up last and must be done by two or three people, or else cut into lengths short enough for one to handle.

Good paste is made as follows:--Into an enamelled or new tin saucepan put four quarts of water and bring it to the boiling point. Mix a cup of flour with cold water as if for thickening gravy; beat it smooth. Pour it into the boiling water, stirring all the time until the mixture is thick as cream and has boiled a little. Remove from the stove, and if there is any likelihood that the paste will be kept over night, put into it a piece of alum as big as a walnut. This keeps it from becoming sour.

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The Library of Work and Play: HousekeepingChapter IX: Part III: My Heritage (7)

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