The Daily Work
"The easiest way to plan the daily work is to divide it into three parts. The first is tidying up and quick cleaning, including airing and putting straight all the rooms and parts of the house in daily use, removing surface dirt and dust, bed making, attention to fires, central heating apparatus and water heaters if any, and sanitary fittings such as bath, hand basin and lavatory pan. The time required for this work will vary greatly according to the type of home and family, but it will be less troublesome if such jobs as airing and straightening of living rooms, emptying ash-trays and putting away books and papers are done overnight".
The second job is the preparation, serving and clearing away of meals. Careful planning is of great help here, so that the time and effort spent in shopping is minimised and the amount of cooking done is not excessive.
The Weekly Turn Out
The third job is the weekly or thorough turn out of some part of the house. This may sound a contradiction of terms, but every day except perhaps Saturday and Sunday, part of the home in turn must be thoroughly cleaned, though not necessarily every part every week. Rooms not regularly used may only need turning out occasionally, others perhaps every two or three weeks, though bathrooms, lavatory and kitchen are among the three weekly 'musts'. If regular cleaning is done conscientiously the occasional or 'spring' cleans will be less formidable, and may not be necessary at all except when redecoration is required."
It is so lovely to read this and think about how important it was in 1950. Then part of me thinks ' yeah, but she never had Lego, slot cars and pokemon cards to deal with'. Having a small house also means that we live in every inch of it! I really need a 'parlour' where guests come into and sit. A room that is always kept tidy and inviting. The only problem is that we have a cottage style house where you walk in the front door and off to the side from the hallway are all the rooms. Two bedrooms are at the front of the house and then you walk into the lounge room on your right and kitchen on your left.
Do you have a 'special' area of your house or do you live in it all ?
April Theme: Re-organise and Transition
In the Southern Hemisphere, April is in Autumn. The days here are still warmish, but there is a sneaking whisper in the wind. That whisper ...
-
When I first start blogging in 2007 - no-one knew what a blog was. I can remember showing someone once who said 'oh that's ridicu... -
I was lucky enough to be interview recently by Gavin from 'The Greening of Gavin'. It was so much fun chatting with Gavin an... -
“Do not ask your children to strive for extraordinary lives. Such striving may seem admirable, but it is the way of foolis...
5 comments:
Wow, that's fascinating! (And no, I'm not being sarcastic lol). I love reading how people used to live - I know I could learn a lot from it!
We live all over our house - and it looks like it!
What a great book to have found! I am enjoying your blog very much.
We use every inch of a remodeled schoolhouse from the early 1900's.
We live in all our house, but I do have one room in which no toys or kid art supplies are allowed to linger. There is a small room that's been designated as the "play room" which also houses our television and mayhem is permitted there. Our "parlour" is not pristine but it is free of legos and cars and crayons and I manage to keep the rug swept and the shelves dusted. We sit and read there if there's no company or listen to music or chit chat but I get my mommy face on if toys start to creep across the threshold.
We have an old home which we recently added to in size. As a result, we have an 'old room' at the front of our home which seems to remain looking ok most of the time.
I feel good when I am able to walk through this room and feel satisfied that all is in its place. Even though the kids (teenagers) sit here and watch tv if the family room is being used, it still seems to look neat and inviting most of the time!
Thank you so much for sharing this 50s stuff with us. I LOVE reading it. Half of me wants to be Bree Vandercamp without the family problems. I'd love to be one of those glam ladies who had spotless houses and visited the beauty parlour once a week;-). Of course, the other half of me hates housework and wants a satisfying career too!
I am glad you liked my vintage cooking post. That is one of my favourites. I had so much fun writing it.
Kate
Post a Comment