Equitable Aid Union Advocate from Wyandotte, Kansas • 11

8 The Equitable Aid Union Advocate. KDITBD BY MRS. SARAH A. KICHART, WYANDOTT, KAK. other room take the "guest chamber," and so on until all the rooms have all been subjected to the ordeal known as "spring cleaning." All this takes a little longer I know, but at the last you are not all worn out, peevish, fretful and thoroughly miserable, perhaps have a headache and all manner of rheumatic pains, or worse, idle hands lying on the counterpane of a sick bed, a doctor's bill, a cheerless home, (if it is clean) and worse of all, little neglected children.

All the result of too much capital squandered in the "spring cleaning." I am aware that vermin, or more properly, bugs in beds, is rather a delicate subject to touch upon, but knowing from experience how hard they are to keep out in this western climate where they thrive under the bark of certain kinds of decaying wood, I will venture to tell you how I keep the disgraceful pests not only at bay but entirely out of my house. It matters not whether I have a suspicion of their presence or not. Twice a year I take the beds that are used, off the bedsteads, take the bedsteads down and brush them well with a stiff brush, I then wash all unvarnished parts in either hot, strong, salt water, or hot water in which a little concentrated lye has been dissolved, (to keep the water from injuring the hands tie a rag firmly on to a short stick.) After the washing I apply the following solution with a feather, touching all places where the dreaded bug would be likely to make hlihome afterward dust your beds and apply once a month in warm weather, and my word for it you will never see one of the pests in your, house. You can get it put up at any drug store, and as it is a deadly poison you must be careful about leaving it where children can get at it BED-BUG POISON. Alcohol, i pint.

Corrosive sublimate, 1 oz. Spirits Turpentine, i oz. Tincture Bed Sanders, pint. Mix. In case of an accident, (which never should occur) you will find this an antidote for the above poison.

Flour mixed with water or milk, the whites and yolks of raw eggs. Vomiting is produced by drinking freely of either of these antidotes. A friend has just given me another bed-bug remedy, simple and not dangerous. After dusting and thoroughly cleaning the bedsteads, grease the ends of SPRING CLEANING. It is March.

Though the winds are jjhill ing, and all nature still wears "old winter's garb," the lengthening days denote the near approach of more genial weather, and suggest to the thrifty housewife the necessity of "spring cleaning." "Squandered capital," in a financial sense, is the high road to insolvency. Now, good mother, your health is your capital, which ought to be guarded as a miser guards his gold, not only for your own comfort but for the good of the dear ones who daily look to you for all that cheers and brightens life, so don't "put your foot down" and say, "this house shall be cleaned from garret to cellar this week, rain or shine," for you would very likely squander more oapital than you could well afford to before the week was ended. I consider this a good way to clean house, and I know by experience that it is quite agreeable to the male members of the household, from the fact that their usual quiet is not much disturbed by it, and of course the house must be cleaned from "garret to cellar." If there is a spare-room or guest chamber, the occupants of one apartment can occupy the guest chamber, while their room is being renovated. (You see I don't believe in going through a room in one day, or having the house all taking up at once.) I would take everything out of the room to be cleaned, wash windows, floors, and wood-work, leave the windows open, hang the carpet out and leave it out all night if the weather was pleasant and I considered it safe to do so. With a little help this could be done in half a day, better of couuee in the forenoon.

In the afternoon rest, so as to be fresh and strong for the next day. The following floor of the room being dry, have the carpet put down, furniture replaced, and by noon the room will be "all to rights." You are all ready for another quiet afternoon, a room cleaned satisfactorily, not hurried over, with the feeling that some part of it might have been a little better done, and what is still more important, not too much previous capital squandered. Next day occupants of an.