Housekeeping chores of the past
Spring housecleaning….a thing of the past? Perhaps it is, and that may be a good thing. Housewives - or maids if there were any, would take a good week or more to prepare the house in spring for a fresh outlook for summer.
As is mentioned in more than one article in the Wright County Monitor, on “proper cleaning”, the women would usually start at the top of the rooms and work their way down. In the days of wood burning stoves, this often included washing the walls in each room. A bucket of water and vinegar were the cleaners of choice. Drapes were taken down to be washed, which involved a tub and soap for hand washing, and taking the curtains to a clothes line for drying. What pictures the family may have had were removed and furniture moved, or even taken outdoors. Rugs were taken outside to beat the dust and grime out. Chimney ducts & flues were cleaned out - a critical job as a chimney fire would be devastating.
Windows were scrubbed until they shined. Bedding - not the mattresses we are fortunate to have - but cloth mattresses stuffed with straw, had to have the straw replaced, and cloth was washed and dried. Wood bed frames were wiped down with a mixture of cooking oil and varnish to kill bed bugs. No corner of the house was forgotten,as an attic and basement (if the home had them) were also cleaned, dusted, shined and made ready for spring.
Wood floors would need waxed. Now this task was half very hard work, and half fun. The hard part was putting the wax down - a paste wax that took a few hours to apply and then had to dry a bit. The fun part was making it shine - children could put on old socks and start sliding around until the floors were gleaming. One ad in the 1920’s offered a wax that you could shake onto the floor and then invite your friends in to dance until the floors were shiny!
Well, maybe SOME spring cleaning events should make a comeback! (copper kettle shown below would hold heated water.)
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