The Complete Home | by Clara E. Laughlin
Blessed indeed are they who are free to choose where and how they shall live. Still more blessed are they who give abundant thought to their choice, for they may not wear the sackcloth of discomfort nor scatter the ashes of burned money.
| Title | The Complete Home |
| Author | Clara E. Laughlin |
| Publisher | D. Appleton And Company |
| Year | 1912 |
| Copyright | 1906, D. Appleton And Company |
| Amazon | The Complete Home |
Edited By Clara E. Laughlin
New York And London D. Appleton And Company
A $3,400 House.
Chapter I. Choosing A Place To Live- Blessed indeed are they who are free to choose where and how they shall live. Still more blessed are they who give abundant thought to their choice, for they may not wear the sackcloth of discomfort n...
- Renting, Buying Or Building
- But the test is most severe of all when good fortune permits us to choose locality, site, and building plans, and to finish and furnish the house to suit our tastes, even though less in accordance wit...
- Location
- Thought of a location should begin with the birth of the home idea, even if the purchase-money be not immediately available. We should not only take sufficient time to study conditions and scheme care...
- Renunciations
- Living in a flat, or even in a city house, we do not know, nor care to know, who the people above or next door to us may be; and they are in precisely the same position with regard to us. Mere adjacen...
- Schools And Churches
- With ninety-nine out of a hundred families the deciding argument in favor of going to the suburb has just got into short dresses and begun to say Da-da. Already we see pointings to the childish act...
- Transportation
- On the practical side a question of large importance is that of transportation. The fast trains may make the run in twenty minutes, but we shall not always catch the fast trains, and the others may ta...
- The Butcher, The Baker, And The Candlestick Maker
- Not every suburb is blessed with a perfectly healthful water supply. We must make sure of that. We want to find stores and markets sufficient to our smaller needs, at least, and to be within city del...
- The Home Acre
- All these things may be had in scores of American suburbs and smaller cities. But when we have selected the one or more towns that may please us, and get down to the house or lot, our range of choice ...
- Comparative Cost In Renting
- The proportion of income that may be set aside for rent depends on what that payment covers. In a steam-heated city flat with complete janitor service, for instance, the rent at $40 is really no highe...
- Outlook And Inlook
- Though we should not pay too much premium for an east front, it is always most salable, and the difference will come back if we should dispose of the property later. Outlook and protection against bei...
- Trees
- Trees on the lot are a valuable asset, though dislike for sacrificing them, if carried too far, may result in shutting out the sunlight that is more essential than shade to health. Cottonwood, willows...
- Income And Expenditure
- Prices of vacant property in different sections vary so greatly that one cannot safely approximate the cost of a building lot. It is safe to say, though, that if values are figured on a proper basis, ...
- Style
- Now, if we have already set our hearts upon having a house just like that love of a place we saw in Wayout-on-the-Hill the other day, we shall have to reconsider the entire lot proposition. We may a...
- Size
- Should we be somewhat limited in funds, we may have to make a selection between a large house finished in cheaper materials and a small house of the best quality all through. Doubtless much of the ho...
- Plans For Building
- The simplest and in many instances the prettiest cottages are of only a single story. But more than four rooms in one story makes a comparatively expensive house, besides using up a great deal of grou...
- Necessary Rooms
- If paterfamilias is accustomed to depositing his apparel and other belongings rather promiscuously about, expecting to find things where they were left on his return in the evening, it may be better t...
- The Sick Room
- Sickness, too, may come, and the questions of privacy without an unwholesome curb upon both children and adults, of convenience to hot water and the bathroom, of saving steps for the nurse, should be ...
- Room To Entertain
- A. good many of us who have contrived very nicely to live in a six-room city flat seem to think that we cannot get along with that number of rooms in a suburban house, though the latter would be consi...
- The "Living Room"
- In small houses there cannot be great variation in the proportioning of space, but it is important that the use of each room should be well understood and that it should be planned accordingly. If tha...
- The Dining Room And Kitchen
- Vastness is not essential to the dining room. Under usual conditions we are not likely to seat more than a dozen persons at our table, and a dinner party exceeding that number is too large for common ...
- The Sleeping Rooms
- The general well-being of the family is more directly affected by the character of the bed chambers than by any other department of the house. However we may permit ourselves to be skimped in the livi...
- Chapter II. Floors, Walls, And Windows
- Tradition has established the condition of her floors as the prime test of a good housekeeper, and the amount of effort that faithful homemakers have had to waste upon splintery, carelessly laid cheap...
- The Necessity Of Good Floors
- Happily, when we come to floors we find that those which may be depended upon to endure and to give their share of home comfort are also the best to look upon. It would be agreeable to say, further, t...
- Material And Cost Of Laying
- Oak flooring comes in narrow, thin strips of plain- or quarter-sawed. At this writing the plain-sawed costs, laid, usually 16 cents per square foot. It will never be cheaper. Where quarter-sawed is de...
- Ornamental Flooring
- The hall, if large, will permit of rather more elaborate treatment than the rooms which are to be constantly occupied. No part of the house that is in use for hours at a time should be at all over-ela...
- Waxed, Varnished, And Oiled Floors
- Unless there are small children, expert opinion and the demands of beauty favor waxed floors. Ordinarily the floor must be rewaxed about every three months, but a pound of wax, that will cover two ord...
- Carpets
- The floors would not be quite so important if we were planning to entirely cover up their beauties or their uglinesses with another kind of beauty or ugliness in the form of carpets. But experience ha...
- Linoleum And Mats
- Where a very small vestibule is substituted for the reception hall a parquetry or tile flooring would be left uncovered. Over a cheap floor a good quality of linoleum, costing about 50 cents per squar...
- The Stairway
- For appearance' sake, if our stairway is well constructed of good woods, we should forbear to hide it. But there is no place in the house where little Willie can more effectively proclaim to all the h...
- Rugs
- The Biglow Bagdad domestic rug in 27 by 54 and 36 by 63-inch sizes is inexpensive but looks and wears well in the hall. The first size costs about $4 and the second $7. A little better quality in Angl...
- Oriental Rugs
- The subject of oriental rugs, to be intelligently discussed, would require an entire book, and there are books that may be and should be studied by those who can afford orientals. Most of us cannot. T...
- Kitchen And Upper Floors
- In the kitchen, and perhaps in a rear vestibule, unless the floor is of a sort to be easily wiped up, linoleum may be demanded. The upper hall will require a continuation of the stair runner, with per...
- Matting And Cordoman Cloth
- Next in choice would be to spend 25 or 30 cents a yard for matting and cover the entire floor, adding one or two rugs to head off the shivery feeling that arises from a contact of bare feet with cold ...
- Children's Room And "Den"
- For the children's room linoleum will probably stand the wear and tear, prove more hygienic, and do as much toward deadening noise as anything short of an impossible padding could do. On the porch a c...
- Uses Of The Decorator
- If we have not done so before, when we take up consideration of the walls we will, if we can afford it, call in a professional decorator. First, of course, we will make sure that he really may be of s...
- Wood In Decoration
- It seems that with the steady increase in cost of lumber we have grown more and more to appreciate the beauty of our woods. At any rate, wood is being used more extensively than ever in interior finis...
- Panels And Plaster
- This plaster effect is less expensive than 40-cent burlap or ordinary white calcimine or paper. The picture molding may be at the bottom of the cornice. Sometimes the cornice is dropped to a level wit...
- The Beamed Ceiling
- In the dining room the beamed ceiling has been found so appropriate that it continues popular. It is simple, easily maintained, and has the broad, deep lines that put one at ease. Here it is advisable...
- Paint, Paper, And Calcimine
- For the kitchen, painted walls, which can be easily wiped off, and resist steam, are preferable to calcimine. Tiling halfway up will be found still better, but tiling paper, which costs more than pain...
- Shades And Curtains
- We have not advanced much in the production of window shades that will let in light and air, shut out the gaze of strangers, hold no shadows, match interior and exterior, fit properly, work with ease,...
- Leaded Panes And Casements
- Leaded or art glass is attractive if not overdone. Small panes are difficult to keep clean, of course; but we can probably endure that if all else be equal. In living rooms the upper sash should be ma...
- Storm Windows
- Storm windows should be carefully fitted or they will come far from serving their purpose. If they are of the right sort they will soon repay their cost in easing up the furnace. Preferably they shoul...
- Chapter III. Lighting And Heating
- If common sense has governed our proceedings to date, the new house we are building, or the ready-built one we have chosen, will have full advantage of the one perfect light - that afforded by the sun...
- Necessity Of Sunlight
- The health-giving properties of sunlight are so well known to all of us that we wonder why so many otherwise sensible folk seem to shun it, with trees and vines, awnings and blinds denying access to t...
- Kerosene
- Notwithstanding there are some points in favor of the old reliable kerosene lamp, even when put in the scale with other illuminants, few people of the younger generation regard it as other than someth...
- Gas And Matches
- Few communities of respectable size are now without gas or electricity, and even in the country the latter is almost everywhere obtainable. If not, an individual gas plant, of which there are several ...
- Electric Light
- In seeking to secure sufficient light we often go to the extreme of providing a glare that is trying to the eyes and would test the beauty of the loveliest complexion that ever charmed in the revealin...
- Pleasing Arrangement
- For the dining-room and library table some form of drop light is essential. There are arrangements that will transform the banquet or student lamp into an electric drop light, or the special outfits f...
- Adaptability
- Electricity's strong card is its adaptability. It can go wherever a wire may be carried, and into many places where gas or oil lights would not be safe or practical. The only thing lacking is to make ...
- Protection
- A very useful light may be provided for the veranda, just outside the door, illuminating the front steps and path to the sidewalk. This light may be turned off and on by a switch key inside the door. ...
- Regulated Light
- In halls, closets, and bathroom lower-power lamps, or the hylo, which may be alternated from one- to sixteen-candle power, will prove an economy. The hylo is also useful in bedrooms where children...
- The Two Sure Ways Of Heating
- There is only one efficient and healthful method of heating a house, and that is with a hot-air furnace. I have that on the authority of a man who sells hot-air furnaces, and he ought to know. Substi...
- The Hot-Air Furnace
- The hot-air furnace costs least to install. (We leave stoves out of consideration.) It is also supposed to be easiest to manage. That, in a sense, is true. A good furnace will act pretty well even und...
- Direction Of Heat
- If any mistake in selection of size is to be made, it should be in favor of excess. Most authorities urge the choice of at least a size above that indicated by the heating area. A chimney with suitabl...
- Registers
- There are arguments in favor of side-wall registers. They save floor space and obviate some dust. On the other hand, they are not quite so effective in heating as the other sort, since the pipes for f...
- Hot Water And Steam Heat
- Hot water and steam heat cost more for installation, but have many advantages over the furnace. Their chief drawbacks are the space usurped by radiators, lack of ventilation, and the possibility of an...
- Indirect Heating
- Indirect heating is provided by passing air over radiators attached to the ceiling of the basement, thence to the upper rooms. In the direct-indirect system the radiators are placed in the partition...
- Summary
- With no prejudice against good furnaces, it may be said that hot water apparently affords the greatest possibilities for comfort and regularity of heating, and that there are usually no reasons why it...
- Chapter IV. Furniture
- Much of good sense and more that is nonsensical has been written about furniture. observation tends to justify belief that in general effect the nonsense has proved more potent than its antithesis. T...
- Ancient Designs
- Some very eminent authorities assure us that many of the objects of our admiration in museums and in private collections are remnants of the furnishings of the common households of the olden times. ...
- The Arts And Crafts
- What is known in America as the arts and crafts movement has, in its sincere developments, sought to adapt the better qualities of the old designs of furniture to the demands of modern conditions, art...
- Mission Furniture
- Others have set themselves to reproducing the so-called mission furniture which the good priests of early California would have rejoiced to exchange for the convenient modern furniture at which the fa...
- Comfort, ÆSthetic And Physical
- The first consideration of the home is comfort. Let no one dispute that fact. But there is such a thing as being aesthetically as well as physically comfortable. Conceptions of physical comfort differ...
- Older Models In Furniture
- Study of the older models of furniture is bound to prove suggestive, and it is better to secure from the library or bookseller a book by some authority than to depend upon dealers' catalogues, which a...
- Mahogany And Oak
- Mahogany and oak are the best materials for furniture. The former is cleverly imitated in a mahoganized birch, which presents a pleasing appearance and sometimes deceives those who are not familiar wi...
- Substantiality
- To insure satisfaction there must first of all be substantiality - a quality which affects both comfort and appearance. A chair may be beautiful, it may be comfortable, at the time of purchase, but if...
- Superfluity
- California, with its pretty little bungalows, not only has pointed out to us the possibility of living satisfactorily in a small number of rooms, but has shown us something in the way of simple furnis...
- Hall Furniture
- In a hall of the simpler sort the only requirements are a high-backed chair or settee, a table for cartes de visite, an umbrella receptacle, and a mirror wall hanger with hooks for the use of guests. ...
- The Family Chairs
- Some good folk would banish the rocker unceremoniously from the living room, and we might not miss it so much as we think. It is the adaptability of the rocker to comforting positions, rather than a l...
- The Davenport
- The davenport in mahogany or oak, in a plain or striped velour tapestry, felt filled, with good springs, built on straight lines with claw feet, broad arms, and heavy back, is a good article and will ...
- The Dining Table
- For the dining room the sensible preference seems to be for a round table with straight lines of under construction. The pillar base gives least interference with personal comfort, but even at that se...
- Discrimination In Choice
- A great deal of the factory-made furniture of the day is the veriest trash. The best feature of it is that it cannot last long and will not survive to disgrace us in the eyes of a later and perhaps mo...
- Chapter V. Household Linen
- Most Of Us Women Folk have some one dear pet hobby which we love to humor and to cater to, and which variously expresses itself in china, bric-a-brac, books, collections of spoons or forks, and othe...
- Linen, Past And Present
- Linen is a fabric with a past: it clothed the high priests of Israel for their sacred offices, and comes as a voice from the tombs of Egypt, where it enwraps the mummies of the Pharaohs, telling of a ...
- Bleached And "Half-Bleached"
- Belfast, Ireland, is the home of linen and damask. There are manufactories in both Scotland and France, but it is in Belfast that the fabric attains to the highest perfection, and Irish linen has co...
- Damask
- Damask, by the way, takes its name from the city of Damascus where the fabric was first made, and is simply linen so woven that a pattern is produced by the different directions of the thread, plain...
- Design
- Styles in table linens change from time to time and render it difficult to say what may or may not be used with propriety, except that the general principle of coarse, heavy-looking designs being in p...
- Price And Size
- Before our housekeeper starts a-shopping she must lock up her zeal for economy lest it lead her away from the straight and narrow way of good taste into that broader path which leads to the bargain co...
- Plain, Hemstitched, Or Drawn
- Cloths bought by the yard must be evened at the ends by drawing a thread, and hemmed by hand, never stitched on the machine. The inch hem of a few years ago has been superseded by the very narrow one ...
- Doilies And Table Dressing
- The pretty present-day fashion of using individual plate doilies on a polished table at breakfast and luncheon is also labor-saving. The plate doilies, either square, oval, or round, and of plain dama...
- Centerpieces
- Styles in centerpieces are fleeting; just now all-white holds sway, and of a surety there is nothing daintier. Although pretty centers can be purchased all the way up from $1, here again the mistress'...
- Care Of Table Linen
- Table linen, like friendship, must be kept constantly in repair. Look out for the thin places and darn before they have a chance to wear through. Ravelings from the cloth should be kept for this purpo...
- Ready-Made Bed Linen
- Buying bed linen is not so very serious a matter. Drygoods stores offer sheets and pillowcases ready made to fit any sized bed or pillow at prices little, if any, greater than the cost of those made a...
- Price And Quality
- The 2 3/4-yard length in an average sheet of good quality costs 90 cents for a double bed, 75 cents for a three-quarter bed, and 45 cents for a single bed, with hemstitched sheets of corresponding qua...
- Real Linen
- Though not everyone likes the feel of linen, most housekeepers are ambitious to include a certain amount with their other bed linens, for use in the summer or during illness, because of its non-abso...
- Suggestions About Towels
- Towels are best purchased by the dozen, huck of Irish bleached linen being best for all-around use. These have good absorbent qualities, plain or hemstitched hems, measure from 18 by 36 inches to 24 b...
- Chapter VI. The Kitchen
- The old condition of queen-anne-in-the-front-and-mary-ann-in-the-back in the home furnishing, when the largest outlay of money and taste was put into the front room and the kitchen took the hinder...
- The Plan
- The kitchen of our grandmothers was a large, rambling affair, with numerous storerooms, closets, and pantries, the care of which involved a stupendous outlay of time and strength. But the demands of o...
- Location And Finish
- For some reason best known to themselves architects almost invariably give to the kitchen the location with the least agreeable outlook, sun and scenery being seemingly designed for the exclusive use ...
- The Floor
- Despite the fact that we are enjoined to look up, not down, the floor seems to be the focal point to anyone entering the kitchen, and it becomes a source of pride or humiliation to the occupant acco...
- The Sink
- The sink, unless it is porcelain-lined, should be kept well painted and enameled, white being preferable to any color. Faucets can be kept bright by rubbing with whiting and alcohol, followed by a vig...
- The Pantry
- The same treatment accorded the kitchen in decoration and care must be bestowed also upon the pantry, which should be dry and well ventilated. After a thorough scrubbing with soap and water, with the ...
- Insects And Their Extermination
- It is not just pleasant to associate cockroache and ants with our kitchens and pantries, but wher heat and moisture and food are, there insects will be also, for they seem to enjoy a taste of high lif...
- The Refrigerator And Its Care
- The refrigerator may or may not stand in the pantry, according to convenience, or as there is sewer connection for it. Some authorities maintain that there is grave danger from sewer gas where the ref...
- Furnishing The Kitchen
- And now, having cleaned and decorated our kitchen and pantry, and provided for the refrigeration and partial disposal of our food, suppose we turn our attention to the fascinating task of selecting th...
- The Stove
- Of paramount importance is, of course, the stove, and what kind it shall be, whether gas, coal, or oil. Those of us who have grown accustomed to the immunity from those inevitable accompaniments of a ...
- The Table And Its Care
- The table should stand on casters and be placed in a good light as far from the stove as may be. The latest product of the manufacturer's genius in this line contains two drawers - one spaced off into...
- The Chairs
- The first aid to the cook should be at least one comfortable chair, neither a rocking chair nor one upholstered, both of which are out of place in the kitchen; but one low enough to rest in easily whi...
- The Kitchen Cabinet
- Occasionally it happens that a house is built with such slight regard for pantry room that we are constrained to wonder if, at the last minute, the pantry was not tucked into a little space for which ...
- Kitchen Utensils
- In selecting dishes and cooking utensils it is well to remember that cheapness does not always spell economy, and that one buys not alone for the present, but for the future as well. Utensils which re...
- Chapter VII. The Laundry
- What visions of dampness and disorder, of air malodorous with steam and soap, of meals delayed and hurriedly prepared, of tempers ruffled and the domestic machinery all disarranged and the discomforts...
- Laundry Requisites
- The home laundry must be well ventilated and lighted, and in the basement if possible, for obvious reasons, the chief being the relief thus afforded to the otherwise congested kitchen and overburdened...
- The Stove And Furnishings
- The stove for laundry use may be either gas, oil, or coal, the latter being considered the most economical of fuel, while it often comes in very handy in the preparation of foods which require long st...
- Irons And Holders
- If the ordinary flatirons are preferred, they may be had at 5 cents a pound. They require, of course, the use of a good, stout holder, asbestos covered with ticking affording the best protection to th...
- Preparing The "Wash"
- With all the properties in readiness, the fire burning well, and plenty of hot water to draw upon, the curtain rises on the laundress sorting the flannels, table linen, fine underwear, towels, and b...
- Removing Stains
- The removal of stains from white goods is comparatively easy. Fruit and wine stains are removed by stretching the fabric over a bowl and pouring boiling water through the stain, repeating until it dis...
- Soaking And Washing
- The prologue of sorting the clothes and removing the stains being at an end, we are ready for the real business of the wash day - the washing itself - unless the laundress prefers to soak the clothe...
- Washing Powders And Soap
- If bleaches of any kind are to be used - washing powders, sal soda, borax, and the like - it must be in either the soaking water or the boiler, and very sparingly. Indeed, the use of bleaches at any t...
- Washing Woolens
- Woolens must never hang in the sun nor near the fire, as the too-quick drying causes them to shrink and harden. When nearly dry, press on the wrong side with a moderately hot iron. The rinsing water m...
- Washing The White Clothes
- Next comes the washing of the table linen, then the body linen, and then the bed linen, the process for each being the same, though the table linen requires the least rubbing. Wash in hot water in whi...
- Starch
- Prepare the starch by dissolving one half cup of starch in cold water, pour on this one quart of boiling water, and boil till clear and white, stirring constantly. When nearly ready to take from the s...
- Washing Colored Clothes
- Colored articles must be washed, starched, dried, and ironed as speedily as possible. Prepare warm suds with Ivory or Castile soap and add to it a handful of salt to set the color. Wash each piece thr...
- Dainty Laundering
- The dainty task of laundering centerpieces and doilies usually devolves upon their owner, unless the laundress has demonstrated her ability to cleanse and iron them properly. Wash in warm Ivory or Cas...
- How To Wash Silk
- Put white and light-colored silks and pongees through strong, tepid white soapsuds, then through a second weaker suds, rinse, press out the water with the hands, shake out all wrinkles, spread on a cl...
- Washing Blankets
- Do not allow blankets to become very much soiled before laundering., When this becomes necessary, put to soak for fifteen minutes in plain warm water - soft, if possible. Then prepare a jelly with one...
- Washing Curtains
- Curtains and draperies should be shaken and brushed free from all the dust possible, before washing. Lace curtains, and especially those which are very fine or much worn, need dainty and careful handl...
- Tidying Up And Sprinkling
- The last article being hung on the line, each implement used in the process of washing must be cleaned, dried, and put in its place, the laundry floor scrubbed, and everything made spick and span; the...
- Care Of Irons
- When not in use, irons can be protected from dampness and resulting rust by covering with mutton fat or paraffine, rubbed on while slightly warm. It is easily removed when the irons are wanted for use...
- How To Iron
- Before beginning to iron have everything in readiness - beeswax, a heavy paper on which to test the iron, a dish of water, and a soft cloth or a small sponge for dampening surfaces which have become t...
- Chapter VIII. Table Furnishings
- The mistress no doubt has a housewifely taste for receipts, and may, perhaps, find the following formula of service to her in her home-making: ...
- Dining-Room Cheer
- One set of fine, spotless table linen sprinkled - not too thickly - with pretty glass, china, and silver, and well lightened with brightness tempered to the right consistency not to dazzle. To this ad...
- Stocking The China Cupboard
- Of its component parts the more substantial ones are perhaps the most easily acquired; not in hit-or-miss, anything-to-get-it-done fashion, but with a view to carrying out some definite idea of table ...
- The Groundwork
- There is so much exquisitely patterned and inexpensive china, glass, and porcelain turned out these days that one cannot wander very far afield in buying unless she gets lost among the intricacies of ...
- Course Sets
- When it comes to the purchase of course sets, different tastes can find instant gratification in numberless colorings and designs. Overdecoration and large floral devices must be avoided, but any deli...
- Odd Pieces
- Japanese and Chinese ware is steadily gaining in favor - another instance in which imitation is permissible, for the real thing is undoubtedly costly. The quaint conceits in creams and sugars, choco...
- Silver And Plate
- Of the purchase of silver there is little to say. Unless her friends have been very generous in their gifts of solid ware, the mistress usually acquires it a little at a time, contenting herself with ...
- Glass
- Cut glass is another of the can-do-withouts, except, perhaps, the carafe, now used instead of the old-fashioned water pitcher, at $3, $3.50, etc.; cruets for vinegar and oil, simply cut and in good st...
- Arrangement
- To put all our pretty things on the table in such a way that the result shall be a picture of daintiness, grace, and symmetry is seemingly a simple matter, but the trick of good taste and a mathematic...
- Duties Of The Waitress
- The maid stands behind the master or mistress to serve the plate of meat, the bowl of soup, and so on, taking it on her tray and placing it with her right hand from the right of the person served. All...
- The Breakfast Table
- The breakfast table is usually laid with centerpiece and plate doilies these days, and it may not be ill-timed to suggest that every effort be made to have this meal cheery and attractive, for it is, ...
- Luncheon
- Luncheon is the simplest, daintiest, most informal meal of the day - just a little halting place between breakfast and dinner, where one's pretty china comes out strongly. The setting of the doily-spr...
- Dinner
- limner is a more solemn mailer, On goes our immaculate tablecloth now, over a thick pad, 1Kb one crease exactly in the middle of the table, and all wrinkles and unevenuesses made smooth and straight. ...
- Washing Glass
- And after this, the deluge - of dishwashing! The cleansing of the glass opens the session. If much fine or heavily cut glass is to be washed, cover the draining board and the bottom of the pan with a ...
- Washing And Cleaning Silver
- The silver comes next, careful washing obviating the necessity for cleaning oftener than once a month. Knives, forks, and spoons, which were separated into piles when taken from the table, are washed ...
- How To Wash China
- China washing requires a pan nearly full of water of a temperature not uncomfortable to the hand, beaten into a good suds with a soap shaker: Very hot water, or a sudden change from cold to hot, is ap...
- Care Of Knives
- Bone-, wood-, or pearl-handled knives should never go into the dishpan, but be stood, blade down, in a pitcher containing a little water and soda, the blades having first been wiped off with paper, an...
- Chapter IX. The Bedroom
- The bedroom is very like an old familiar friend: it sees us as we really are, tempting us to throw off all veneer of pretense or worldliness and rest in just being ourselves - a rest so sweet and whol...
- Light And Air
- Of first importance, of course, are light and air; these we must have, and sun if possible. One good warm ray of sunshine is a more effective destroyer of disease and dumps than all the drugs on the...
- Carpets Versus Rugs
- Beginning with the base, as becomes a good builder, and working upward, floor coverings which cover without covering, if one may indulge in an Irishism, are far preferable to those which extend from w...
- Wall Covering
- Passing from floor to walls, we reach that portion of the room which gives it its real atmosphere and supplies a background for all that it contains, of both things and people. The bedroom seems to ...
- Bedroom Draperies
- In selecting bedroom draperies, two don'ts must be strictly observed: don't use flowered drapery with a flowered wall, and don't buy heavy, unwashable hangings of woolen, damask, satin, or brocade, ...
- Bedroom Furnishing
- The bedroom furniture must be chosen rather with a view to fitness than to fashion. Sets are no more. How stereotyped and assertive they were, and undecorative! Bed, dresser, and wash-stand, forcibl...
- Toilet And Dressing Tables
- Simplicity must be the keynote of all bedroom furnishings. The middle course in price is the safe one to follow, leaning toward the greater rather The Bedroom. than toward the lesser cost. If the...
- Further Comforts
- In addition to what is considered the regulation bedroom furniture, there should be a small table at the head of the bed for the glass of water, the candle or night lamp, and books of devotion; a couc...
- The Bedstead
- And now to the piece de resistance of the room, the ... delicious bed! That heaven on earth to the weary head! Furnished complete it represents a considerable sum, but here again it is well not to ...
- Spring, Mattress, And Pillows
- Those two friends to nightly comfort, a first-class spring and a hair mattress, are vastly important. If the still, small voice of economy whispers that other mattresses are just as good, stifle it....
- Bed Decoration
- There remains yet to be found anything more airily, chastely dainty than the all-white bed with its plain or fringed Marseilles spread and its ruffled pillows. Though drapery has a picturesque effect,...
- Simplicity
- When two persons occupy a room, twin beds furnished exactly alike are preferable to the double bed. An exclusively man's room demands somewhat different treatment, though the general principles of fur...
- Care Of Bedroom And Bed
- Much of the refinement of the bedroom depends upon its daily care. This begins with its airing the first thing in the morning. The bed is stripped of its coverings, which are spread over two chairs pl...
- Vermin And Their Extermination
- Though it seems indelicate to suggest the possibility of a bug in a well-kept, charming chamber, even the best housekeeping is not always proof against feeling things at night. Metal beds are rather...
- Chapter X. The Bathroom
- With the subject of the bathroom before us, it would seem to be in order to promulgate the only really true theory of bathing. but this is not a treatise upon hygiene, and the world already has been f...
- Plumbing
- The bathroom is the heart of the plumbing problem, and it is not necessary to declare that the plumbing is the most important feature of the house, so far as health is concerned. Did we examine an old...
- Bathroom Location And Furnishing
- Usually the bathroom is placed in a central location on the second floor, accessible, if possible, by both rear and front stairways. In a small house the upper floor is always advisable, as the bathro...
- The Tub
- The tub may be of enameled iron or of porcelain. The former costs very much less and is almost as satisfactory as the latter, though in the cheaper sorts at least the enamel will eventually crack. Of ...
- The Lavatory
- Anything that is all of one piece is likely to prove more lasting than the other kinds, in the lavatory. There are various combinations, some of them including handsome marble tops, but basin and top ...
- The Closet
- So far as the health of the family is concerned, the most important feature of the bathroom is the closet. Here it would be simply folly for us to let any consideration of dollars prompt us to substit...
- Hot Water And How To Get It
- We have named the essentials for use in a bathroom. But there are other features that add much to its convenience and attractiveness. Some of these need not be purchased at once; in fact, it is better...
- Bathroom Fittings
- Of soap holders there are innumerable designs: nickel plated or rubber. The latter will hardly be chosen. A sort that will come as near as any to permitting one to grasp the soap without sending it to...
- Chapter XI. Cellar, Attic, And Closets
- Modern city and town life, with butcher and grocer so conveniently near, has done away to some extent with the cellar of ye olden tyme - dubbed one of the aids to successful diplomacy, the other bei...
- The Cellar Floor
- In country places, where there is no sewage to contaminate the soil, a hard, well-beaten dirt floor is not particularly objectionable, except that it cannot well be cleaned. Boards raised from the gro...
- Ventilation
- One who owns his home can adopt preventiv measures, such as outside area ways or air spaces impossible to the renter; but certain ounces of pre vention are available to all. For instance: if drai: pip...
- The Partitioned Cellar
- The cellar which is partitioned off into small rooms is more easily cared for and kept in order than that which consists of just the one large space. Rough pine-board partitions cost very little, and ...
- Order In The Cellar
- The cellar is primarily a storing place for food and not an asylum for hopelessly maimed an decrepit furniture. If there is any which is mend able, mend and use it; if not, consign it to the kindling ...
- Shelves And Closets
- A swinging shelf - double or single - held by supports at the four corners, securely nailed to the joists of the floor above, is almost indispensable to the convenience of the cellar. It should be abo...
- The Attic
- It is with a lump in our throats and an ache in our hearts that we turn our thoughts wistfully backward to that place of hallowed memories, which is itself becoming simply a memory - the attic! What h...
- Order And Care Of Attic
- Frequently so much of the attic space is fir ished off for bed and other rooms that what re mains is somewhat limited, and cannot be turne into a catch-all for the may-be-usefuls. Indeed only such thi...
- Closets
- If woman's rights would only usurp one more of what have hitherto been almost exclusively man's rights - the profession of architecture - she would in truth become the architect, not only of her own f...
- The Linen Closet
- But after all, it is a blessed good thing to have some closets, even dark ones, and proper care and attention will go a long way toward remedying their defects. Clothes closets we must have, china clo...
- Clothes Closets
- Clothes closets of this description can also be built against unoccupied bedroom walls, the objection to the number of doors thus introduced being offset by the great convenience of having one's cloth...
- The China Closet
- The china closet is designed for the accommodation of everything in use on the dining table, with drawers or cupboards for linen and silver, and shelves for dishes. The latter should be arranged with ...
- Closet Tightness
- Before anything goes into a closet see that all the cracks in the floor are entirely filled with putty, plaster of Paris, or sawdust, for otherwise dust and lint will accumulate in them, and there the...
- Closet Furnishing
- The floors attended to, next see that there are plenty of hooks screwed on the cleat which should extend around three sides of the closet. They must be at a convenient height, say five feet, and three...
- Care Of Closets And Contents
- Wash the woodwork, drawers, floor, and shelves of all closets thoroughly with water containing a few drops of carbolic acid - not enough to burn the hands - and wipe dry. Painted walls which can also ...
- Chapter XII. Hangings, Bric-A-Brac, Books, And Pictures
- Step By Step is a good thought to hold when we reach the fancifying of the house, as we only do after days of planning, nights of waking, over the must-be's. and, after all, these last accessories ar...
- The Charm Of Drapery
- Hangings have a considerable share in making the home atmosphere, their mission being to soften harsh angles and outlines and warm cold, stiff plainness into comfort. Window curtains act as an equaliz...
- Curtains
- Windows must be curtained with relation to their shape and position and the nature of the room. The lower floor of the house, being naturally the heavier, can be curtained in a statelier manner than t...
- Portieres
- Portières must serve their purpose, which is most emphatically not that of drapery in the sense in which the word has been so much used, but of convenience and utility, beauty, of course, being the ...
- Bric-A-Brac
- The old-fashioned whatnot with its hungrily gaping shelves is responsible for many crimes committed in the name of bric-a-brac, and calls to mind sundry specimens with which proud owners were wont t...
- The Growth Of Good Taste
- The germs of the capacity for good taste are born in most of us, but must be sedulously cultivated before they can rightly be called taste, and bric-a-brac presents the best of possibilities for their...
- Usefulness With Beauty
- While all bric-a-brac should be beautiful, some certain kinds, such as lamps, clocks, and jardinieres, are also essentially useful, and these have undergone a wonderful transformation during recent ye...
- Considerations In Buying
- There are so many vases, jugs, bronzes, medallions, jars, and bowls that one must needs walk steadfastly to avoid buying just for the pleasure of it, whereas each piece must be chosen with reference t...
- Books
- A spirit of friendliness and companionship radiates from a good book - a geniality to be not only felt, but cultivated and enjoyed. The friendship of man is sometimes short-lived and evanescent, but t...
- Pictures
- So many homes combining taste and elegance and refinement in their furnishing, still impress one with the feeling that somewhere within the lute there is a rift which destroys its perfect harmony, and...
- Art Sense
- Mrs. Lofty, who never has to stop to count the cost, loses the valuable art education which our housewife all unconsciously acquires in the months which necessarily pass between her picture purchases ...
- The Influence Of Pictures
- The picturing of the home should be undertaken in no light humor, for better no pictures at all than poor ones. Little, trivial, meaningless nothings are like small talk - uninspiring and devitalizing...
- Oil Paintings
- Really fine oils are costly, and no house can stand more than one or two at most, because of the impossibility of giving them the correct lighting and the distance they require, without which their be...
- Engravings And Photographs
- Engravings and photogravures most satisfactorily reproduce paintings, as hand work always has more life than the photographic copy. All reproductions, however, bring the works of world-famous artists ...
- Chapter XIII. The Nice Machinery Of Housekeeping
- 'solomon Grundy, Born on Monday, Christened on Tuesday, Married on Wednesday, Took ill on Thursday, Worse on Friday, Died on Saturday, Buried on Sunday. That's the end of Solomon Grundy. This little...
- Monday
- The chief objection to washing on Monday is that it necessitates sorting and putting the soiled linen to soak on Sunday, which not only violates the religious principles of many households, but shorte...
- Tuesday
- The washing being done on Monday, it naturally follows that Mrs. Grundy irons on Tuesday, after the regular routine work has been dispatched. The first thought is the fire, if the ironing is done by a...
- Wednesday
- On Wednesday Mrs. Grundy mends and puts away the clean clothes and picks up some of the household stitches which had to be dropped on the two preceding days. The kitchen must be put in order, the refr...
- Thursday
- It is Mrs. Grundy's theory, strengthened by practical experience, that it is better to extend the weekly sweeping and cleaning over two days than to condense it all into one; and so Phyllis takes the ...
- Friday
- On Friday Mrs. Grundy's living rooms and first-floor halls are treated to their weekly renovation, which is similar to that which the bedrooms receive, only there is more of it. The preparation of the...
- Saturday
- Saturday Mrs. Grundy devotes to providing for the wants of the inner man. The heaviest part of the day's work is the preparation of food for two or three days. Then the refrigerator must have its seco...
- House Cleaning
- This is not the domestic bugbear it used to be, when one mighty spasm of cleanliness shook the house from garret to cellar and threw its inmates into a fever of discomfort and dismay. The modern house...
- Cleaning Draperies, Rugs, Carpets
- The first step in the real cleaning is to take down draperies, shake well, hang out on the line, right side under, and beat out the dust with a dog-or riding-whip. Follow with a hard brushing on the w...
- Cleaning Mattings And Woodwork
- Mattings must be lifted, shaken, swept, wiped off with a cloth dampened in borax water, and left on the lawn to sun. No soap should be used on linoleum, and but little water. Clean by rubbing with a d...
- Cleaning Beds
- Beds come to pieces and go out of doors, where the slats are washed with carbolic-acid water, and springs and woodwork thoroughly brushed and sprinkled with corrosive sublimate and alcohol, if traces ...
- Chapter XIV. Hiked Help
- The difficulty of dealing with the subject of hired help is about as great as the dealing with the help herself, who is so often not a help at all. the appellation is the one insisted upon by the grea...
- The General Housemaid
- It is almost impossible to get a competent girl for general housework these days, and viewed in the light of past experiences with the able but unwilling, the willing but unable, the stupid, the disho...
- How To Select A Maid
- And now, how shall we find this person to assist us in making domestic life one grand, sweet song - we hope! The usual way is to apply to a reputable agency where you will find the better class of g...
- Questions And Answers
- Question her about her housework experience, her ability to do plain cooking and baking, make beds, serve, wash, and iron. She cannot possibly be an expert along each of these lines, perhaps not on on...
- Agreements
- The term of service is determined by an agreement between mistress and maid. The usual custom is to take the applicant for a week's trial; if, at the expiration of that time, both are satisfied, the a...
- The Maid's Leisure Time
- Her times of leisure vary somewhat, according to circumstances; but one week-day afternoon and evening, and Sunday afternoon and evening of each week are usually allowed her, though she may be given o...
- Dress And Personal Neatness
- The maid's uniform consists of three print gowns, with a gingham apron for morning wear, and for afternoons a white apron with white collar or kerchief and cuffs, cap, or whatever additional touches h...
- The Maid's Room
- Remove from the servant's room all traces of its last occupant, and put it in order for the new maid, with the bed freshly made up with clean blankets, linen, and spread. The room should be comfortabl...
- How To Train A Maid
- Set thine house in order, and have everything - pantry and kitchen in particular - as you expect your maid to keep it. First impressions are truly the most lasting, and if she comes into a littered,...
- The Daily Routine
- The day's routine of work varies in different households and makes it impossible for one to offer an infallible system. The keeping of but one servant does not admit of an elaborate mode of living, an...
- Duties Of Cook And Nurse
- Each additional servant complicates the planning of the work. When there are two they are usually cook and waitress, the former having entire charge of her own special domain, the kitchen, with all th...
- Servant's Company
- The vexed question of the lady help's gentleman company usually has to be faced by the housekeeper. Since yours is your maid's only; home it is better to allow her to receive her friends there than ...
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