Ann Fraser Tytler

“ When it is necessary to taste anything before giving it to a sick person, take a clean spoon, which you should immediately put aside to be washed, but never put your lips to the cup or glass. In giving anything to the sick, spread a napkin, for the moment, on the upper sheet, that no drop, should it fall, may give an untidy look to the bed. The washing and arranging the necessary things should not be done in the patient’s sight, but in some quiet corner of the room; to witness continued movement, or even occupation of any kind, is often most fatiguing to a sick person. ”

“ A fine worked collar, with expensive lace, may be torn or frayed, the very first time it is done up, by improper management, and it is seldom that fine muslins or lace have the elegant appearance they should have, or last the proper time, from ignorance, or the want of due attention in getting them up. Nothing spoils the appearance of dress more than torn lace, battered and stiff, and fine muslin with the starch clouded upon it or frayed and ironed awry. ”

“ It is very evident that more attention is given to dressing up her own person, than to doing her mistress’s work, and that she prefers a bright ribbon, or gaudy artificial flower, to the power of occasionally helping an old father and mother, or a sick sister, or relation, or if no such claims are upon her, of putting what she can spare from necessary articles of clothing into the savings’ bank, so as to ensure a small fund for times of sickness or for her own old age. ”

“ If there are portraits in the room not glazed, which appear to require cleaning, they might be gently washed over with cold water without being injured, but on no account touched with soap; it is however safer merely to dust them, and even this should be with a feather-brush, and very lightly done; it is impossible to take too great care of such precious possessions; an injury given to a valuable portrait or painting no money can repair. ”

“ A housemaid’s duties are various, and by no means easy of attainment; for she has to contend against a host of enemies—dust, soot, smoke, rust, insects of various kinds, and bad smells innumerable; let her, however, not be discouraged; all difficulties will give way before early rising, habits of activity, an acute nose, frequent open windows, and a teachable spirit; let us therefore proceed without further preface to give our best advice as to cleaning a house thoroughly after the six winter months of smoke and dust. ”

“ It is astonishing what a difference there will be, even in a very short time, in the appearance of a room where there is carelessness in lighting the fire; the curtains, the books, everything in the room, gets a soiled appearance, and is unpleasant to the touch. ”

“ It is not cleaning a room once a week, and giving to it little time and trouble, that will give it a clean, fresh appearance; it is attention in doing a little daily, and in doing that little in a proper manner. A carpet had better not be brushed at all, than touched with a dirty brush, and the chintz covers are less injured even by the dust lying upon them, than by having it rubbed off with a soiled duster, which may have been used the moment before in rubbing the furniture, or in wiping the fire-irons. ”

“ Where there is no French polish, dust the mahogany well, and with cold drawn linseed oil, mixed with a little turpentine, wash it over with a sponge, and rub briskly and well with a soft woollen or linen cloth; the rubbing does more, in polishing the wood, than any mixture you can use. Many people mix bees’-wax [16] with the oil, and this makes the furniture look well at the moment, but it gives a fictitious brightness, which every finger-touch or drop of water will dim; the polish produced by rubbing is superior to French polish or any other. ”

“ One cannot see a servant dressed in this modest and becoming manner, without feeling respect for her, and forming a good opinion of her general conduct and character; in her daily work there will probably be the same spirit of cleanliness and regulation, and in her mind also. A mistress has been heard to observe, that in looking out for housemaids, her mind always turns to the remembrance of a young girl, who was with her but for six weeks, during the illness of her own servant. ”

“ A knife, fork, or spoon, which has not been properly cleaned, cannot be taken into the hand without being discovered, and leaving a disagreeable impression; a visitor may not have the courage to send it away, but the comfort of his dinner is destroyed. Having cut some slices of bread rather thick, cut each slice into four, and with a fork, put a piece all round for each person, leaving the loaf in the room in case more may be required; when more is called for, hand some additional pieces in the bread-basket. ”

“ The housemaid, before leaving her room in the morning, should throw open the window, draw off the bed-clothes and hang them over a couple of chairs, at the foot of the bed, and then carefully shut the door on leaving the room. Wherever there is a window to open to air the bed-room, the door should never be left open, as nothing is so untidy as for any one passing by to see the beds unmade, and the washhand-stand in disorder. She should next go round the lower rooms and drawing-rooms to unclose the shutters, and open the windows, that all may be properly aired ”

“ As directions have been given with regard to cleaning mahogany in the bed-rooms, it is needless so particularly to repeat them here; the rubbing is at first the great matter, and cannot be done too often; very little oil and a great deal of rubbing is the root of the business; it is not enough to rub the furniture of a room with a view to polish it on the great cleaning days, a little every day makes, in time, a great impression ”

“ If a friend steps in at breakfast or tea, the maid, after having announced him, should not leave the room till she has put a seat for the guest, and should immediately return with a cup and saucer, plate, and small knife, and not wait till the mistress of the family has had to desire the bell to be rung to order these things. Should it be while dinner is going on that a guest is announced, then the soup, meat and vegetables should quickly be brought back if still warm, if not, immediately warmed up, and replaced on the table. ”

“ In arranging all this on the table, attention should be given that all that is necessary has been brought into the room; that each person has, besides his cup and saucer, a plate, knife, and fork; that there is a large knife for cutting bread, a butter-knife, and a spoon for each egg-cup, the salt-cellars filled with salt, and a couple of small breakfast-knives and of tea-spoons laid upon the table, which last articles may at first appear to be the property of no one, but which are generally of essential service, in making it unnecessary for the servant to be rung for during breakfast ”

“ How differently does one feel towards a girl flaunting about in vulgar finery, with bright ribbons, and coarse artificial flowers, mimicking her mistress in manners, and attempting to outshine her in dress! ”

“ Let no one think that a shilling, or even a much smaller sum, is not worth the laying up, and that it may therefore be as well made use of in the indulgence of some piece of dress or amusement, and that those presents of money which a servant may occasionally receive from her mistress’s visitors, may lawfully be employed in the purchase of imitation lace, or some such piece of useless finery. ”

“ All the brass in the room comes next to be polished; the plates and handles of the doors and of the bells, the castors, &c., &c., should be cleaned with rotten-stone and oil, and rubbed with leather till quite bright; care should be taken not to soil the paint in doing this; there is nothing so ugly as a black rim round the handle, or to see the mark of dirty fingers on the door itself, giving evidence that the housemaid’s mode of shutting the door is not by turning the handle, but by pulling the door itself. ”

“ Much smoke and discomfort may be avoided by the housemaid regularly, once a week, when the room is thoroughly done out, sweeping the soot from the vent, as high as the arm can reach; it is not possible to get a brush with a very long handle up the vent, but in the bed-room story, where the vents are shorter, the top almost may be reached by putting up first a short hearth brush, then tying it to a longer handle, and to another and another, as you raise it in the vent. ”

“ The brushing the carpet, and removing and rubbing the furniture, are not in general required to be done more than once a week; but as every day cleaning the grate, making the bed, wiping everything on the washhand-stand, and dusting everything in the room, are necessary, most of this work will have to be done in the early part of the forenoon, for probably before one chamber even is finished, the housemaid will be rung for to take away the breakfast-things. ”

“ Neatness and economy are the points most necessary to be attended to. Nothing gives a more unpleasant idea of a servant, than to see her flaunting about in dirty finery. Muslin dresses, artificial flowers, &c., &c., are all unbecoming in her station in life. In a gown neatly made of cotton-cloth [91] or stuff, a tidy white apron, and a neat little clean cap of bobbin net, with coloured worsted drawn through the cases, she will be genteelly and well dressed, for she will be dressed according to her station. ”

“ It is a dirty practice to clean the candlesticks on the kitchen dresser (as is sometimes done) , for even if the paper be spread beneath them, particles of tallow may be left on the dresser, which are not perceived, and may be mixed with the food preparing for dinner; it is also an exceedingly bad practice to place the candlesticks on the upper bar of the kitchen-grate to melt the tallow; a most disagreeable smell is raised in the house by the tallow dropping into the fire, and the japan of the candlestick is often injured by the heat. ”

“ A good mistress will esteem the possession of a perfectly faithful and attached servant as a blessing which no money can either purchase or repay; in times of sickness, particularly (for sickness will come in all families) , what comfort and alleviation have been experienced from the unwearied, watchful care of an attached servant; and though the care of the sick does not usually fall to the housemaid’s duty, yet a few words on this subject may one day or other be found useful. ”

“ The oil should not often be put on, and never while the slightest dampness remains on the mahogany. Some servants use a great deal of oil and very little rubbing, the consequence of which is, that little or no lasting polish is acquired; the dust sticks to the furniture, and gives it a dull soiled look. Nothing gives one a greater idea of care and cleanliness than to see all the mahogany looking bright and clear ”

“ By attention and forethought almost every noise which is hurtful in a sick-room can be avoided. If you have creaking shoes let them immediately be changed for light slippers. If the door has a rusty lock, or creaking hinges, let them be oiled. Avoid the noise of throwing small coal upon the fire (which often rattles down upon the hearth) , by lifting small pieces of coal with the tongs; or, have an old glove to hand, and lift them with your hand; and, when the fire requires to be poked, use a bit of wood, so as to avoid all clatter of poker and tongs against the grate. ”

“ Care should also be taken that the buttons or strings for each pillow-slip are complete; it is most desirable that the housemaid should be a good darner of table-cloths, and also of stockings, for where there is no ladies’-maid the darning of the ladies’ stockings will be part of her work; and even where there is, the charge of the gentleman’s stockings generally falls to her care; but anxiety to get on with her work must not lead her to forget when the time for laying the cloth for dinner shall have arrived. ”

“ Such observations may be thought trifling and too minute, but the neglect of many such trifles occasions much discomfort, particularly to those who may be only occasional guests in a family; they may be days in the house without seeing the housemaid to explain their wishes, and even if they have the opportunity, they feel a delicacy in giving orders as to how their fire should be lighted, or their bed-room comfortably arranged, yet much silent annoyance, particularly to the invalid, has been occasioned by a careless housemaid. ”

“ The chimney should each day be cleaned and made bright as a mirror—if smoked or dirty, the light can never be clear; the shade should be washed once a week with soap and water, and during the day it is well to have the lamp covered over with a paper cap, or a towel put over it, as the dust flying into the works makes it difficult to clean. ”

“ Body linen should be changed even oftener in sickness than in health, and no clothing worn during the day should be continued to be worn during the night; every article should be hung up, so as to be completely aired before morning; in the same manner, what has been used during the night should be left off in the day. When the patient is able to sit up long enough to have it done, the bed-clothes should be regularly carried out, and aired before an open window in another room, and the bed left uncovered, and the mattress turned ”

“ Attention also is required in filling it quite full; a lamp often, after some hours, begins to burn quite dim for want of sufficient oil, yet the servant declares it cannot be for this reason, as she filled it completely. An air-bubble often rises in pouring in the oil, which gives the appearance of its being full, and deceives them—they must wait for a moment till this subsides, and then continue gently to pour in the oil till it is quite full. It is not necessary to pour out any oil which may remain from the night before ”

“ If there are two drawing-rooms, the chairs and lighter furniture should be removed into the one while the other is being cleaned; if there is but one room, and there is not space on the landing-place, the chairs should be placed, one turned down upon another, in the most convenient corner of the room that can be found for them; the carpet and rug should be taken up to be beaten, and the window-curtains taken down to be well shaken in the court below, then spread upon a table and thoroughly brushed, and if winter curtains, folded up and laid aside, or, if summer muslin curtains, washed. ”

“ If part of the ashes are left in a slovenly way in the bottom of the grate, so as to prevent the air from passing up, the wood thrust in without arrangement, a mass of cinders put on the top, and the window and door kept carefully shut, what is to be expected but that, as soon as the paper below the wood is lighted, the room should fill with smoke, and the fire go out before even the wood is burned away? ”