HOUSEHOLD HINTS. RUTH GORDON. About the hardest and most Sweeping. tiring of all a housekeeper's duties is that of sweeping. When one has any heart affection or asthmatic trouble this portion of the work, if possible, should devolve on some one else. It is also very hard on a person with weak lungs, as shortness of breath causes quantities of the tiny, poisonous dust particles to be inhaled, which clog the lungs, and usually bring on an exhaustive fit of coughing. Have plenty of fresh air circulating through an apartment while sweeping it. In this way you get rid of the greater quantity of dust, and freshen and purify the atmosphere of the rooms at the same time. Some persons have the mistaken idea that they lose so much heat, if it be cold weather, that it is wasteful to sweep with open doors and windows. They do all their sweeping during the cold season with everything hermetically sealed. Ventilation is an unheard-of thing. You can, in consequence, detect in their houses in the spring the odors created by the fall cookery. They don't, or won't, realize that a room that has been thoroughly ventilated will heat in less than half the time it takes to heat one with a foul, dead atmosphere. They are, indeed, a great strengthsaver. In a room where a thorough sweeping is required but once a week, or once in two weeks, they answer an excellent purpose for sweeping up the middle. It is a good plan to run them over the floor even after using the large broom. You will be surprised at the amount of dirt they will glean after you think you have done a pretty fair job with the broom. It is true they are not very musical, even the best of them, while some of them sound like a combination sawmill and steam thresher. This is not hard work, like Dusting. wielding the broom, but it is one that is tampered with to a remarkable degree. It is something that should be done not only often, but well. If allowed to accumulate, or only partially be removed, the dust will become so ground into the article of furniture that the polish is injured. For this reason the plainly finished wood-work and furniture of the last few years come as a positive blessing to the particular housekeeper. This is a good place to initiate the little ladies of the household. Temper the work to the wee lambs, though, and don't give them too much of it to do. See that what they do they do well, if it be nothing but the table. But they will enjoy the work, as well as the responsibility, much better if you give them something to dust that requires the handling and rearrangement of numerous small articles or knick nacks. Let them use their individuality, too, in doing this, even though it doesn't exactly suit your taste. So long as the work is done well you can change the arrangement some a little later on. But don't make the change too noticeable, or it may have a discouraging effect. Chamois should be used for dusting furniture that is highly polished. A soft cloth, moistened with kerosene, is an excellent thing to use occasionally on varnished or ordinary oil-finished articles. Worn-out gingham aprons, or breadths from a worn-out calico dress make the best kind of dust cloths. Some use cheese cloth, and even buy it on purpose for this use. My experience is it is liable to prove too linty. I did know of a lady who bought ninecent silkaline for dust-cloths. But it struck me that she had more money than But to return to the subject. Never under any circumstances use linen for this purpose. One reason, you can put it to better use, and another, it has too firm and unyielding a finish, unless it is fine handkerchief linen. Ventilation. provided for. Fresh air should be admitted during the night. An opening can be made by either lowering the upper sash or raising the lower sash of a window, taking due precaution to arrange some way to shut off any draft from the sleepers. For this reason it is better to raise the lower sash. I should like to speak further on the subject of ventilation. It is such an all-important subject I do not like to touch thus lightly upon it and let it go. It is an especially important matter when the sleeping and living apartments are adjoining or open into one another. There should be some means of letting out the steam and cooking odors that are constantly pervading the atmosphere of the kitchen. A lowered window or a partially opened transom is a necessity in a kitchen almost the entire time during waking hours, if one is desirous of promoting the comfort and well-being of the household. In many cases the sleeping room is heated from the sitting or living room, if, indeed, the latter may not be called upon to do double duty. Where this is the case, ample ventilation should be room. Never wear during the day any garment that you sleep in. The body at night is inactive, and at this time does its purifying work by throwing off poisons. If we retain on our bodies the same clothes in which we sleep, we at once, as soon as the body resumes its activity, commence to absorb again these impurities. Remove your daytime underwear and hang it over some article of furniture to air. Likewise, in the morning hang up to air the garments worn while sleeping. There are those who are perfectly oblivious to the fact that these are needful observances if we hope for the best results. They use the same underwear on the body from Sunday morning till Saturday night, simply removing the outer clothing at night and rolling in. The beds are made up hot, to save an extra trip up stairs, and to keep the warmth in for the next night. thus economizing on animal heat. It is an excellent plan, on bright, sunny days in winter, to occasionally good where a young grown person sleeps with an old person. As soon as baby's tender years will permit of it, separate sleeping quarters should be found for the wee mite. The bed or cradle may be drawn within arm's length of mother, but it should be distinctly baby's own couch. hang the heavy bedding, such as blankets and comforts, out on the line for a couple of hours. This gives them such a fresh, clean smell, much the same as washed clothes from the line. Pillows, too, should, where it is possible, be treated likewise. Where a feather bed is used, which, by the way, is not conducive to health, it should be sunned and aired frequently. A good beating administered with the butt end of the broom, is to be recommended for occasional treatment. Too Many in One Room. It is to be lamented that in many instances it is necessary to over-crowd the sleeping apartments. Where the family is poor and circumstances demand cramped quarters, it sometimes becomes necessary to violate all the laws of health, though they themselves may not deplore such a state of affairs from that point of view. But most of the readers of this article can, in all probability, observe the most of them along the line of fresh air and ventilation. Too many children should not be allowed to sleep in the same room, nor in the same bed. Neither should they sleep with older persons. The grown person, especially if it be one who is not strong, is sure to sap strength and vigor from the child. This, too, holds The Child's Night-Wear. Until the child is of a pretty good size or age, say ten or twelve years, he or she should wear night drawers and not gowns. This prevents exposure to cold if the covers happen to be kicked off which they very often do. If these be made of tennis flannel, or some other goods with weight and warmth in it, all other articles of wear may be removed and the child sleep in this alone. Do not make feet to this garment, as I have seen at times. The feet want no covering other than that afforded by the bedding. The pores of the feet, especially, are busy during the night unloading impurities. Give them all the opportunity possible. A habit of sleeping in stockings, indulged in by some few, who certainly never take the trouble to consider the matter, so far violates the laws of health, and is so averse to personal cleanliness, that I shall do nothing more than merely allude to it. Tiny tucks are much used on soft fabrics, such as silks and crepe de chine, henriettas and other soft textures. 23 Accordeon pleating and box pleating our attention toward some way of appears on the latest skirts. spending our long evenings. House gowns can be very easily made and we surely will feel some satisfaction in wearing a gown which has been designed and made by our own fingers. While wrappers are worn by many, still we find the fancy dressing sacque is by far the more popular. Fancy Blouse. The very prettiest shade of gray crepe de chine, finely tucked, was used in the bodice seen in Fig. I. A white satin front on which rows of narrow black velvet ribbon appear, render the blouse quite fanciful and becoming to a slender, girilish figure. A vivid red blouse in the same lovely material now so popular will render some brunette's coloring more brilliant and attractive. Some of the sacques are veritable works of art, lovely flannel embroidered in most elaborate designs. Others choose eider-down and embroider only the edges. Sometimes we see a large collar on which silk appears in applique design. Innumerable pretty little sacques are made from inexpensive materials such as fleece-lined serges and outing flannel. A good quality of eider-down was chosen to develop the one seen in Fig. III. The large collar of eider-down is ornamented by white silk stretched on so as to resemble applique. This will require careful work so that it will be perfect in every respect. A large bow of ribbon is used at the neck and holds the collar in place. |