Has anyone ever asked you what possession you'd most like to have if you were stranded on a desert island?
Well, I'm taking two housekeeping manuals along on this journey, but one of them by far is my favorite: America's Housekeeping Book, compiled by the New York Herald Tribune Home Institute and published in New York by Charles Scribner's Sons. The first edition dates to 1941, but the copy I have is a reprint from 1945. As far as I can tell, they hadn't revised the book in any way. My copy must have been owned by young woman taking a home economics class. Her name, "Ann Dooley," is inscribed inside the flyleaf along with a syllabus in pencil. She also included notes for her report on "Laundering and Ironing" and some prep towards an exam!
The weekly housekeeping routine laid out by the authors is super detailed, with step-by-step instructions on even the most mundane chores. Here is the first bit of advice they offer for every morning of the week:
The rooms where we sleep should be kept immaculately clean, sweet and fresh at all times.
Here again, a well-trained family can help with the care. If each one carries soiled clothing to the hamper or clothes-chute, hangs up other clothing, puts away personal possessions, turns back the bedding and opens the windows before breakfast, the sum total of saved time really amounts to something for the homemaker or servant.
The authors elaborate a few pages later:
Open windows in bedrooms, top and bottom, on arising, for free circulation of air (except in completely air-conditioned houses). (This should be done by the person occupying the room.)
Throw back bed covers, including top sheet, on all beds. (This too should be done by the person occupying the room.)
So, there it is... my mission for Week One.
Well, I'm taking two housekeeping manuals along on this journey, but one of them by far is my favorite: America's Housekeeping Book, compiled by the New York Herald Tribune Home Institute and published in New York by Charles Scribner's Sons. The first edition dates to 1941, but the copy I have is a reprint from 1945. As far as I can tell, they hadn't revised the book in any way. My copy must have been owned by young woman taking a home economics class. Her name, "Ann Dooley," is inscribed inside the flyleaf along with a syllabus in pencil. She also included notes for her report on "Laundering and Ironing" and some prep towards an exam!
The weekly housekeeping routine laid out by the authors is super detailed, with step-by-step instructions on even the most mundane chores. Here is the first bit of advice they offer for every morning of the week:
The rooms where we sleep should be kept immaculately clean, sweet and fresh at all times.
Here again, a well-trained family can help with the care. If each one carries soiled clothing to the hamper or clothes-chute, hangs up other clothing, puts away personal possessions, turns back the bedding and opens the windows before breakfast, the sum total of saved time really amounts to something for the homemaker or servant.
The authors elaborate a few pages later:
Open windows in bedrooms, top and bottom, on arising, for free circulation of air (except in completely air-conditioned houses). (This should be done by the person occupying the room.)
Throw back bed covers, including top sheet, on all beds. (This too should be done by the person occupying the room.)
So, there it is... my mission for Week One.
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