SPRING CLEANING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22708, 22 October 1935, Page 17

SPRING CLEANING

To commence with, we must have a plan of attack so that the first procedure will he to make a tour of the house, noting down every minor repair that may he required, and where the interior can he improved upon to give greater comfort and convenience.

Perhaps castors on furnishings are loose and require fo he tightened, or some may even he broken and have to he renewed. Upholstered seats that have begun to sag can he made comfortable again by renewing the webbing underneath, or the floors my require rcstaining, and so on. In every home there are a number or these minor repairs that require attention, such as tightening a screw, oiling movable parts, such as door hinges and castors that have begun to squeak or locks that do not work smoothly, preventing windows from rattling, waxing drawers that are inclined to stick, or lacquering furniture that has begun to look worn and shabby. Of course, many of these are quickly rectified, but in some cases it will be necessary to call in the services of a tradesman.

But it is these small items that show the properly cared for home and upon them depend the smooth running of the house, because, with everything in good working order, the daily and weekly cleaning requires much loss effort, as well as considerably reducing the general wear and tear.

A complete overhaul of the equipment must be made at one time or another, so that now is the time to have all the odd jobs about the house attended to, which will immeasurably increase domestic comfort.

Then another important item at this time is the rearrangement of the furniture in the various rooms. There are few homes that could not be brighter and better and would not benefit enormously by a complete change round of the objects with which wo have become so familiar for months on end.

The change gives a new interest to any object of use or beauty, because when we are familiar with even the most beautiful work of art or exquisite design in the same position all the time, we fail to, notice it daily.

In the living room, probably, the chairs and settee have been grouped around the fireside for the cold winter nights; but now, with summer approaching, this position is not che best. Perhaps there is a bay window, in which case we can arrange the grouping so that in the hot summer evenings we can remain at ease near the open windows. Such a change would giye an entirely new atmosphere to the room, bringing new life to the decorative scheme. Then the element of change in brightening the home can be further enhanced by reducing the number of pictures, ornaments, and so forth, which will look far more effective if surrounded by plenty of background, with nothing to detract from their beauty. But this does not mean that any surplus is dispensed with entirely, because articles can be stored away and from time to time brought out to replace those in use, and thus bring added interest to the pieces. Change also can be effective in the dining room, where the table has probably occupied the centre of the room during winter; but now for summer it will be much better nearer the windows, with other equipment moved appropriately. In bedrooms, moving the furniture, such as beds, wardrobes, and chairs to new positions will give an impetus to the decoration; although here the dressing table is generally best in its usual place near the windows.

And even in rooms of limited space, where each piece has its appropriate position and cannot practicably be moved elsewhere, it is possible to obtain a new aspect in minor ways. In place of the heavy winter materials, light curtains, covers, etc., will give the necessary tonic. But, so far, we have not considered the question of redecoration, which is too often shelved from year to year because of the dreaded invasion of painters and paperhangers, with their inevitable mess. Modern methods and expert workmanship. however, involve only a minimum of discomfort, and the results more than pay for the slight inconvenience of turning over-a room or two at a time. In this manner fresh colour and new decorative effects can be obtained with a great variety in treatments, whether paper, paint, or kalsomine. With such work undertaken, it will achieve a spring clean really worthy of the name. Then, perhaps, alteration© could be made which not only create a new interior, but also reduce the amount of routine cleaning. The decorative mouldings on doors, frames, and skirtings have always been apt to collect the dust; yet it is far from difficult and not very expensive to remove the elaboration and have only plain surfaces. This can be achieved with plywood covering all the panels of the doors; while the mouldings can be cut off the skirtings and architraves to leave only a thin strip, which is just as effective and gives a very modern effect. The old-fashioned fireplace also may be quite inefficient and replacement with a modern grate will give added comfort in winter, while greatly increasing the appearance of the room. The reason for having this alteration carried out now instead of just before the winter is to allow time for the new work to settle before a fire is lighted. And it will certainly lessen housework, because the old fireplaces are difficult to keep clean; but with the mantel and ornamental surrounds removed altogether, plain surfaces present no troubles. Again, the stained and polished floors have always been a source of worry because they are apt to wear quickly, becoming shabby and detracting from the rest of the room. This trouble can bo permanently solved by laying on top a parquet or wood-block flooring, which is no longer a luxury, and costs, laid complete and polished, not much more than a good-quality linoleum. And it is an economical method of flooring in the long run, as it will last a lifetime, with the added advantage that it is hygienic, easy to keep clean, and goes with either period or modern furniture. The spring clean now becomes an interesting and absorbing task of replanning our homes for warmer days.—Sydney Mail.