Cleaning the Cellar.
In no part of the house is it so important that the cleaning be thoroughly done as in the cellar. Not a corner should be slighted. Begin with the furnace. Have the registers closed in every room. Remove all the cinders and ashes, and clean out all the flues and pipes. Many housekeepers have the pipes removed, but the smoke-pipe is really the only one that it is necessary to take down. This pipe is liable to rust, because of the moisture it gathers from the chimney; nevertheless, if there be no way of heating and drying the house during a cold, damp period in summer except by building a fire in the furnace, it would be cheaper to renew this smoke-pipe every few years than run the risk of having the family made ill from receiving a chill. While the men are in the house to clean the furnace, it would be economy to have them clean the flues in the range, and also the chimneys. Open the cellar windows to bring everything into the light. Have the coal bins cleaned. Brush everything free from dust. Now sweep the ceiling and walls as well as the floor. Brush the walls once more. Wash the windows and any closets, shelves, or tables there may be in the cellar.
Do not Omit Whitewashing.
Now have the walls whitewashed. Before the various articles stored in the cellar are put back in place, brush them again. Sweep the floor once more. Paint with black enamel varnish the iron parts of the furnace, and also any iron pipes that may be exposed to moisture. An excellent whitewash may be made by putting eight quarts of unslaked lime into a large tub, and pouring over it enough boiling water to make a paste. Stir well, and cover until cold, stirring occasionally, that the wash may be smooth. Dissolve one quart of salt in two quarts of hot water. Dissolve also half an ounce of indigo in about a pint of hot water. Add these substances to the slaked and cooled lime. Now beat well, and add enough cold water to make the mixture the consistency of thin cream. The wash will then be ready to use.
A tub of charcoal and another of lime are excellent things to keep in the cellar. They make it sweeter and dryer, and the charcoal is, of course, very convenient to have on hand for fuel. The unslaked lime should be put in a tub or barrel, with space for it to expand to twice its bulk. It slakes in the air and expands rapidly during the process.
From Cellar to Attic.
After the cellar is cleaned, the next move is to begin at the top of the house and work down. It is not safe in these days, when houses are kept almost as warm in winter as they become in summer, to take it for granted that anything is perfectly free from carpet-bugs, moths, and other insects. Every article in the storeroom should be examined, brushed, and shaken. All the boxes, drawers, and closets should be brushed, wiped, and lined with new paper. As a measure of safety all receptacles should be saturated with naphtha just before their contents are replaced. Woollen goods, furs, and feathers should be wet with naphtha and folded in old cotton or linen sheets. They will be perfectly safe for a year or more, provided they have been thoroughly shaken and brushed, so that no insects’ eggs remain in them. Pieces of carpets and other large articles should be hung out of doors, on lines, before being put away.
Having taken care of the closets, drawers, boxes, and stored goods, the next thing will be to clean the room. Brush the articles of furniture and set them outside the room. Brush the walls, ceiling, and windows. After sweeping the floor wash the windows and woodwork, and also the floor, wiping very dry. Let the room air for an hour or more; then return all the articles to their places.
Taking up and Cleaning Carpets.
Have two strong sheets made of unbleached cotton. Remove the carpet tacks with a tack-lifter, being careful to put every one of them in a box or bowl. It is not only extremely painful, but also dangerous, to step on a rusty tack, and the housekeeper should make it a matter of conscience to see to it that none are left lying about. When all the tacks have been removed fold the carpet carefully, lengthwise; then roll it up and put it in one of the sheets, tying this. Put the linings in the other sheet. Take both sheets into the yard or some field near by, and after spreading the linings, sweep them on both sides, pile them up, and cover with the sheet. Spread the carpet and beat with a rattan or long switch. Sweep it, and then turn it over and beat again. Let it lie on the grass, wrong side up, until the room is ready.