THAT SPRING CALL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21910, 20 September 1934, Page 4

THAT SPRING CALL

RENEWING THE HOME It is now, when the bright and sunny days of spring appear, that we realise thai* the time has come for spring cleaning, and although our rooms cannot follow the example of the trees outside and change to freshness and new colours without cost, we can bring about a transformation. Wa can give our rooms a new lease of life, and decide to make the living rooms a little gayer and the bedrooms more attractive and comfortable. It is always a good plan to make a careful tour of the house before spring cleaning time arrives and to note down all the repairs and improvements to be done. Doors, grates and windows should be examined, locks and hinges repaired and oiled, and sash cords renewed. New cushions, curtains and covers can be ordered in cood time, too. Four Steps There are four steps to be remembered if we wish our spring cleaning to be done successfully and thoroughly. To begin with, there are the preparations beforehand; then the collecting of suitable equipment for doing the work; the storing away of winter goods, and the actual cleaning of the rooms. If a room has a coal fire, the first thing is to have your furniture covered in preparation for a visit by the sweep. After he has gone, walls and ceiling should be brushed with a long, soft brush or the vacuum cleaner fitted with the special soft brush attachment. Vacuum cleaners are a veritable joy when spring cleaning has to be done for they save such a lot of time and are wonderfully thorotigh. Wallpapers can be cleaned by rubbing with a stiff dough made with a handful of flour mixed with petrol. Walls treated with a washable pamt or distemper should be washed with pure curd soap and a soft flannel, a small portion being done at a time, and rinsed and dried immediately. Next comes the floor. Carpets should bo lifted and cleaned, boards scrubbed, and if your carpet has no underlay take this opportunity of buving one of the excellent underlays which are dampproof, sound-proof, and moth-proof, and remarkably inexpensive. They give a luxuriously soft and thick tread to your carpet, especially if this has become rather thin. Paintwork

Now for the cleaning of paintwork. If it is done before the floor the paintwork is liable to become splashed. The best way of cleaning paintwork is with warm, soapy water, or, if it iB very dirty, with a solution of tepid water and* borax or a good prepared cleanser. Have your windows washed with warm water "and a little,ammonia, and finally rubbed with a paraffin cloth. Cleaning the furniture comes next. The polished wood can be washed with warm water to which a little vinegar has been added, afterwords it Bhould be dried thoroughly. Any scratches can be made less noticeable by nibbing frith a soft cloth which has been dipped in equal parts of linseed oil and turpentine. Finally, the furniture should be well rubbed" with a clean cloth and a good furniture cream. Your upholstery is best cleaned with the special attachment of the vacuum cleaner. ' Then comes the satisfaction of seeing the spotless furniture back against its clean, bright background and so, room by room, the house gains a new and happy atmosphere. When arranging the spring cleaning of your kitchen do not overlook the sink or cooker See, too, that a good sink cleaner is used, very coarse ones are liable to take off the surface finish and, once this is gone, stains work into the material and are impossible to remove.