With this new onslaught of bedbugs some age old wisdom might come in handy. Do read on…

• Bedsteads and mattresses require vigilant care to keep them clean and free from dust or vermin, and protected against spotting of any sort.

• The whole character of any housekeeping is unmistakably stamped by the appearance of the bedsteads and the mattresses when they are uncovered.

• Mattresses once soiled are very difficult to clean without taking them apart. They should never be left uncovered for any great length of time, and when in use ought to have slip covers of strong muslin that can be removed and washed periodically.

• When not so protected mattresses should be swept monthly with a whisk broom, and all of the tufts thoroughly brushed free from dust which may get around or in them during the intervals between the regular cleaning days.

• Twice a year, in fine weather, mattresses should have a good sunning, in the open air, hanging over lines; while they are outside is a fitting time to have them well thrashed with a bamboo rug whipper. This need not cause an upsetting of all the rooms at once. They can be done, one or two at a time, gradually but methodically, in order not to overlook any one.

• Once a month bedsteads should be washed in every unseen part. A little carbolic acid in the water is good for the purpose or, if disliked, household ammonia is efficacious. If there are slats each one should be lifted and wiped as well as the places where they fit in. This practice faithfully carried out will forbid the ” red rover “from ever gaining a foothold in the beds. That pest is only kept away by immaculate cleanliness and strenuous care. The name usually given to that insect is so suggestive of abominable uncleanliness I object to its use on the pages of this book. My readers will recognize the particular species of insect now under consideration, as few people reach years of discretion without becoming aware of its existence. Those who travel much make its hateful acquaintance early and learn its peculiar ways, which are dark, and its artful tricks which are not vain. In houses of families that journey a great deal, watchfulness is most important to destroy the first invaders and prevent their incalculable propagation. Some student of their obnoxious possibilities declares that they become ” great grandfathers in twenty-four hours ! “

• It is a safe rule never to allow those who have been in public conveyances to lay their garments on a bed. Exceptionally nice housewives observe this rule at all times, even with persons who have only been walking, for, with their outside wraps they also deposit dust gathered while out.

• No one can keep a bed nice who is indifferent in these particulars. A white bedspread soon shows soil and a colored one becomes dirty even if it does not show it.

~House and Home: a practical book on Home Management