Home Conditions.—The Bedroom.—We spend about one third of our total time in our bedroom. This room, therefore, deserves more than passing attention. First of all, it should have good ventilation. Two windows make an ideal condition, especially if the windows receive some sun. Such a condition as this is manifestly impossible in a crowded city, where too often the apartment bedrooms open upon narrow and ill-ventilated courts. Until comparatively recent time, tenement houses were built so that the bedrooms had practically no light or air; now, thanks to good tenement-house laws, wide airshafts and larger windows are required by statute.
Care of the Bedroom.—Since sunlight cannot always be obtained for a bedroom, we must so care for and furnish the room that it will be difficult for germs to grow there. Bedroom furniture should be light and easy to clean, the bedstead of iron, the floors painted or of hardwood. No hangings should be allowed at the windows to collect dust, nor should carpets be allowed for the same reason. Rugs on the floor may easily be removed when cleaning is done. The furniture and woodwork should be wiped with a damp cloth every day. Why a damp cloth? In certain tenements in New York City, tuberculosis is believed to have been spread by people occupying rooms in which a previous tenant has had tuberculosis. A new tenant should insist on a thorough cleaning of the bedrooms and removal of old wall paper before occupancy.
Sunlight Important.—In choosing a house in the country we would take a location in which the sunlight was abundant. A shaded location might be too damp for health. Sunlight should enter at least some of the rooms. In choosing an apartment we should have this matter in mind, for, as we know, germs cannot long exist in sunlight.
This map shows how cases of tuberculosis are found recurring in the same locality and in the same houses year after year. Each black dot is one case of tuberculosis.
Heating.—Houses in the country are often heated by open fires, stoves or hot-air furnaces, all of which make use of heated currents of air to warm the rooms. But in the city apartments, usually pipes conduct steam or hot water from a central plant to our rooms. The difficulty with this system is that it does not give us fresh air, but warms over the stale air in a room. Steam causes our rooms to be too warm part of the time, and not warm enough part of the time. Thus we become overheated and then take cold by becoming chilled. Steam heat is thus responsible for much sickness.
Lighting.—Lighting our rooms is a matter of much importance. A student lamp, or shaded incandescent light, should be used for reading. Shades must be provided so that the eyes are protected from direct light. Gas is a dangerous servant, because it contains a very poisonous substance, carbon monoxide. "It is estimated that 14 per cent of the total product of the gas plant leaks into the streets and houses of the cities supplied." This forms an unseen menace to the health in cities. Gas pipes, and especially gas cocks, should be watched carefully for escaping gas. Rubber tubing should not be used to conduct gas to movable gas lamps, because it becomes worn and allows gas to escape.
During the summer all food should be protected from flies. Why?
Insects and Foods.—In the summer our houses should be provided with screens. All food should be carefully protected from flies. Dirty dishes, scraps of food, and such garbage should be quickly cleaned up and disposed of after a meal. Insect powder (pyrethrum) will help keep out "croton bugs" and other undesirable household pests, but cleanliness will do far more. Most kitchen pests, as the roach, simply stay with us because they find dirt and food abundant.