Every-day Duties.
As there are many routine duties that must be performed every day, I will treat of them here. Special work will have a day assigned to it. It is almost appalling to look at the list of daily duties of the household, when one remembers that it frequently happens that there is but one pair of hands to do all the work; yet there are thousands of women who are well and happy in passing their lives that way, knowing that they contribute to the health and comfort of their families. If there be system in doing the work, the burden will be materially lightened. Each member of the family has his or her duties. Habits of order and punctuality should be cultivated. Being late at meals and leaving things out of place will increase the burdens of the housekeeper in a marked degree.
What to do in the Morning.
First, make the kitchen fire; take up and sift the ashes. After brushing all the dust from the range, wash off the surface with a cloth and soap and water; then polish it with stove blacking. Rinse out the teakettle, and after the water has been running from the cold-water pipes for about five minutes, fill the kettle and place it on the fire. Sweep and dust the kitchen. Put the breakfast dishes on to heat. Air the dining-room and set the table; then prepare and serve the breakfast. Clear the breakfast table, assorting the dishes and freeing them from scraps of food. Soak in cold water any dishes that are soiled with mush, milk, or eggs; put the silver in a pitcher of warm water.
Go up stairs and open the chamber windows, if they were not opened the first thing in the morning. Take the clothes from the beds, one piece at a time, and spread over chairs or a low screen, so that the air shall pass through them freely. Beat the pillows and bolsters, and place them in a current of air. Turn the mattresses so that they shall be aired on all sides. Leave the rooms to air for an hour, or longer if possible.
Return to the kitchen and wash the dishes; then put them away at once. Wash the dish-towels in plenty of soap and water, and rinse thoroughly; when possible, dry them out of doors. Air, brush, and dust the dining-room; then draw the shades. Make the beds, empty the slops, and wash and wipe the bedroom toilet china. Put the rooms in order and dust them. Next wash the basins and the bath-tub, if necessary, and dust the bath-room.
Dust the halls and sitting-room, and any other rooms that may require it. Collect the lamps and trim them. Prepare the dinner or luncheon. If you live in the city, the vestibule and sidewalk must be swept, and perhaps washed. The earlier this work is done, the better, as there will be less annoyance from frequent passers early in the morning. If the home be in the country, the front and back steps and the piazzas should be swept at the hour most convenient for the housekeeper. In freezing weather do not, of course, attempt to wash the piazza, steps, or sidewalk, as the result would be an icy surface, dangerous to limb and life.
Special Work for Special Days.
On Monday, as soon as the water is warm, put the clothes to soak in strong suds. After the breakfast dishes have been washed, begin to wash the clothes. While one boilerful is being scalded and a second batch of clothes has been prepared for the boiler, put out the line. Now put the scalded clothes in the rinsing water. Take nearly all the hot suds from the boiler, and replace with clean cold water, putting the second batch of clothes to scald in this. Rinse the first lot and put on the lines to dry; continue the work until everything except the flannels and colored articles have been washed. While the coarse towels are being scalded, wash and hang out the flannels; next wash the colored things. When all the clothes have been hung out, empty the boiler and wash and wipe it until perfectly dry; also clean the laundry. Now take a luncheon. Do the chamber-work, and then prepare the family luncheon or dinner. The brushing up and dusting must be omitted to-day. After the noonday meal, wash the dishes and clean up the kitchen. Bathe, and change your clothes; and after resting, take the clothes from the lines and sprinkle and fold them. Flannels must be taken in while they are still slightly damp. Iron the flannels, and after that prepare the evening meal. In the short winter days it will be best to wash the flannels and colored clothes before the white articles, as the more rapidly a woollen or colored fabric dries the better it will look.
On Tuesday, directly after the breakfast dishes have been washed and the dining-room put in order, begin ironing, starting with the plain pieces, such as sheets and pillow-cases. As soon as the irons work smoothly, iron the starched clothes. In about two or three hours the fire must be replenished. When this is done, and while it is burning up, do the chamber work. If all the ironing cannot be done in the forenoon, finish it, if you can, in the afternoon. The meals for washing and ironing days should be as simple as possible.