In Pioneer days (1700’s) the homemaker had no refrigeration and had to be prepared and preserve foods for the coming winter.
The dusting of a room during the Victorian era was serious business.
Here is a systematic list for dusting the parlor courtesy of …
TRIED AND APPROVED.
BUCKEYE COOKERY
AND
PRACTICAL HOUSEKEEPING.
COMPILED FROM ORIGINAL RECIPES
C.1887
The sweeping and dusting of a parlor seems simple enough, but is best done systematically.
“Dusters,” made of old prints, with which to cover books, statuettes, and such articles as are difficult to dust, and larger ones to cover beds, are indispensable in sweeping and dusting.
“Carpet sweepers” are only fit for daily use, when thorough work is not required, a thorough sweeping once or twice a week sufficing even the tidiest of housekeepers.
Before sweeping open the blinds and let in the light, and open the windows if it is not storming or too windy.
Look on the ceiling for cobwebs, and sprinkle the carpet over with moistened bran, salt, damp coffee-grounds, or tea-leaves.
Clean the corners and edges with a sharp-pointed stick and stiff whisk-broom.
Brush down with the feather-duster all picture-cords, frames, and curtains, and remove all cobwebs; then clear one corner of furniture and begin sweeping toward the center with a short, light stroke, going slowly and carefully so as to raise no dust, and drawing, not pushing, the broom.
The second time over, increase the length and force of the stroke, and the third, brush with long and vigorous strokes, using care as the dirt at the center of the room is approached.
In this way it will take twenty minutes to sweep a large room, but it will be clean, and the carpet will wear, bright and fresh, much longer than if the dirt were allowed to grind out the fabric.
After the sweeping remove the “dusters” carefully, carrying them out of doors to shake, and rub, not simply wipe, off the furniture and other articles with a clean, soft, cotton cloth or an old silk handkerchief, or better a soft dusting-towel with fleecy surface which is sold expressly for this purpose, folding the dust in as it soils the cloth, and when it is filled with dust, shake thoroughly out of doors.
Managed in this way, curtains, furniture and carpets will never be loaded with dust, but will remain bright, clean and fresh from one year’s house-cleaning to another’s.
Special tips :
If any spot of dust is too firmly fixed, wash in lukewarm soap-suds, and immediately rub dry with chamois-skin.
If there is open-work carving, draw the cloth through, or dust with a paint-brush; and it will be found more convenient to blow out some of the places which are difficult to reach, for which purpose a small pair of bellows may be used.
To clean and dust a piano, use half a yard best canton-flannel with a nap free from all specks and grit, brushing lightly over to remove the dust; if there are finger-marks or spots, rub up and down over them, always keeping the nap next to the instrument. Dust under the wires may be blown out with a pair of bellows.
Keep the piano closed at night and in damp weather; open on bright days, and if possible let the sun shine directly upon the keys, as the light will keep them from turning yellow.
Tune every spring and fall.
As a last finishing touch to the rearranging of the parlor, leave late papers, magazines, a volume of poetry, or a stereoscope and views, where they will be readily picked up by callers.
THE CLEANING OF ROOMS
In the The American Woman’s Home
Catherine E. Beecher lays out an orderly manner of cleaning a room
General Rules for Cleaning a Room.
Dust and remove or put under cover small articles and bric-a-brac.
Dust or brush furniture; if small, remove from the room, if large, cover with a dust sheet.
Shake and brush curtains and hangings; remove from the room, or pin in dust bags. Roll up small rugs and remove from the room to clean; if large, sweep and fold back the edges towards the center.
Dust ceiling and walls.
Dust window shades.
Clean radiators.
Dust closet floor.
Dust floors.
Dust doors, baseboard, and other woodwork to the floor and baseboard.
Clean windows.
Clean chandelier.
Wash globes.
Wash mirrors.
Wipe pictures.
Polish floor.
Return rugs, furniture and bric-a-brac.
Polish brass and silver unless all are done on a special day.
“In October and November, it will be necessary to prepare for the cold weather, and get ready the winter clothing for the various members of the family. The white summer curtains will now be carefully put away, the fireplaces, grates, and chimneys looked to, and the House put in a thorough state of repair, so that no “loose tile” may, at a future day, interfere with your comfort, and extract something considerable from your pocket.”~ Book of Household Management
“During the week before the “siege” of house-cleaning in spring or fall, look over all garments and articles to be put away, mend, remove all grease spots if possible.”~ Practical Housekeeping
“Fall house-cleaning deserves no less attention, except that white-washing and painting can best be done in the mild days of spring, when the housa may be thrown open to wind and sunshine. The best time is in the constant weather of October; and before beginning, all the dirty and heavy work for the winter, such as getting in coal and wood, should be completed, and the cellar made clean and sweet.”~Practical housekeeping
Although the onset of summer does not begin the same frenzied housecleaning as that of spring it still holds a few choice housekeeping chores of it’s own…
“The summer will be found, as we have mentioned above, in consequence of the diminution of labour for the domestics, the best period for examining and repairing household linen, and for “putting to rights” all those articles which have received a large share of wear and tear during the dark winter days. In direct reference to this matter, we may here remark, that sheets should be turned “sides to middle” before they are allowed to get very thin. Otherwise, patching, which is uneconomical from the time it consumes, and is unsightly in point of appearance, will have to be resorted to.
In June and July, gooseberries, currants, raspberries, strawberries, and other summer fruits, should be preserved, and jams and jellies made. In July, too, the making of walnut ketchup should be attended to, as the green walnuts will be approaching perfection for this purpose.
Mixed pickles may also be now made, and it will be found a good plan to have ready a jar of pickle-juice (for the making of which all information will be given in future pages), into which to put occasionally some young French beans, cauliflowers, &c.”
~Book of Household Management
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“In the summer, clothes may be washed without without any fire by soaking overnight in soapy soft water, rubbing out in the morning, soaping the dirty places, and laying them in the hot sunshine. By the time the last are spread out to bleach, the first may be taken up, washed out and rinsed. This, of course, requires a clean lawn.”
~ Practical Housekeeping
Pertinent Spots
Vintage Patterns
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