Care of Dining-Room
Suppose a dining-room in which the movable furniture consists of a table, a sideboard, a side-table, a dinner wagon, a screen, and twelve chairs. In the middle of the floor is a large rug which covers all except a polished border of three feet from the walls all around the room. The two windows are draped with curtains, there are pictures on the walls and candelabra and ornaments on the mantel. In one corner of the room is a closet, with glass doors, for glass, and in another corner one similar for fine china. Under the one for glass is a safe for silver, and under the one for china, shelves for some linen. Both safe and shelves are enclosed by doors without glass.
The dining-table is the right size for the family, its extra leaves being in their frame in
the pantry. It stands in the middle of the rug.
The end of the table next to the door is the head; that next the window, the foot.
The sideboard is long enough and broad enough to hold all that need be placed upon it. It stands at the side of the room between the china closet and the pantry door. The side-table has two large drop leaves, one or both of which may be used as occasion requires. It stands at the side of the room between the mantel and a corner. The dinner wagon is made of the same wood as the other furniture in the dining-room. It is made of shelves of the same size, each with a little guard rim of wood or brass, and each large enough to hold easily a large dinner plate. It stands on the polished floor between the window and the corner next to the pantry door. There is no sill under this door, and the wagon is on rubber rollers, so that it can be moved noiselessly and rolled into the space in the pantry which is provided for it. The screen
has two broad leaves and is placed so as to hide the pantry door.
The rug in the dining-room should be brushed up every morning, or swept with a carpet sweeper, and the polished border should be wiped with a dry cloth. Once every week the room should be thoroughly swept.
Roll up the rug ready to be taken out for shaking. Lay on the dining-table either paper or a sheet which is kept for the purpose, to prevent scratches. On this place ornaments, dishes from the sideboard, etc., and cover to keep from the dust. See that all doors and drawers are tightly closed. Open the windows.
If the rug cannot be taken out each time, draw it one side, and move the table into a corner before putting anything on it. Sweep the rug well, being sure to sweep with the nap and not against it. Roll it up as closely as possible. Sweep the floor with a hair brush having a long handle, and use a broom for the rug only, so as to permit as little dust as possible
to rise to pictures and curtains. Take up the dust and carry it away. Shake out the curtains so deftly that you neither tear nor wrinkle them. Take a feather duster with a long handle to brush off the tops of the curtain poles, tops of pictures, and mouldings which are too high to reach with a cloth.
Bring a pail of water and wipe up the floor with a wet cloth. Learn to rub with the grain of the wood, and do not leave lines or streaks. When dry, rub the polished border with crude petroleum, which should be applied with cotton waste, such as is used to clean engines, and polish with clean cotton waste. A very small amount of crude petroleum should be used, and a weekly use of it keeps the polish fresh.
Wash your hands; relay the rug; dust the room. In dusting use a small feather duster where necessary, but depend chiefly upon soft cloths. Dust should be taken up and shaken out of doors, not whisked again around a room.
Replace china and ornaments. Notice carefully
whether any spot or stain needs to be removed. Polish glass doors and glass of pictures. Wash windows.
To keep the polish of the dining-table perfect, rub every three days with a mixture made of equal parts of olive oil and turpentine. Apply with flannel cloth and polish with clean flannel cloth. Dull spots on other furniture may be treated in the same way.
Every morning before breakfast the dining-room must be well aired and thoroughly dusted.
After each meal crumbs must be taken up carefully from the rug.