Spring Cleaning

Jean's Journal with Jean Farrell

I spent December getting ready for Christmas and I spent January getting over it all. I sat in my armchair, throughout the last month, thoroughly enjoyed all the great Christmas films I had recorded.

As Calamity Jane rode the Deadwood Stage, I ignored the cobwebs hanging from the lights. As Rhett Butler kissed Scarlett O’Hara, I ignored the dust on the mantelpiece. As the waiters sang Hello Dolly, I ignored clumps of dog’s hair blowing like tumble-weed around the room.

Instead of being ashamed to admit that I sat happily amidst such dust, I’m actually proud of myself. I’m proud that I was able to ‘allow’ myself to sit. Some of you will understand this. After 70 years, I’m finally able to ignore my mother’s message that, ‘One must be busy!’

Christmas took a lot out of me. We forget we’re getting older, sometimes. The house was full for ten days, with meals for many to be cooked. Of course everyone helped, but it was all exhausting. However, I really did love having them here, and I really really did need to sit down for a month afterwards!

February has arrived now and the term ‘Spring Cleaning’ comes to mind.

A reader, Theresa O’Neill, posted this book to me. She told me that they used it in Saint Peter’s School, long ago, before my time there.

According to the preface, ‘The health of a nation depends on the management of the houses of the people. Therefore housewifery is of the utmost importance.’

The subject ‘Housewifery’ was called ‘Domestic Science’ when I was in secondary school. It is now known as ‘Home Economics.’

A whole page, in this old book, is devoted on how to prepare for ‘Spring-Cleaning.’ Number 2 point is, ‘Make arrangements with your tradesmen in advance.’

A lot of the information is plain common sense and a lot of it is gone right out of fashion. We can buy our cleaning agents in supermarket, nowadays. Not so, in the past.

There are pages and pages of how to make different mixtures suitable for cleaning different objects. Mentioned are, ‘one gill of ammonia, half a gill of turpentine, sand, onion water, paraffin, linseed oil, methylated spirits, vinegar, petrol and beeswax. Detailed examples of how to clean each item are given. ‘Tapestry may be cleaned by rubbing it all over with heated bran.’

There are pages and pages on how to clean a range, with much mention of ‘black leading.’

Instructions on how to stop moths eating your clothes are given. ‘’Pack blankets, furs and clothes in newspaper with camphor, naphthalene balls or pepper.’ Can’t you just smell those camphor balls?

There is a page on how to make various poultices. These were to sooth pain and reduce inflammation. ‘Bread Poultice: Scald a piece of stale bread, squeeze out the water and apply on a piece of soft cloth.’

I think the following is very interesting and I wonder how it compares to nowadays. In the chapter, ‘Expenditure of Income,’ it suggests that the weekly wage be divided into eight. ‘Half should be spent on food, one-eighth on rent, two-eighths on clothing, upkeep of the house and savings.’

Much advice is given on how to reuse old newspaper, old sheets and all things past their prime. I think this was more to do with saving money than saving the environment. The fire could be started using, ‘Dried orange skins, potato parings, nut-shells, fir cones, burnt match-ends, old linoleum and tightly twisted newspapers.’

There is a chapter on how best to feed a new baby. I was amused that the word ‘breast’ was never mentioned. It says that ‘natural feeding is always the best.’ The following chapter on how to feed young children states, ‘Fat should enter largely into their diet.’

Different times and different attitudes. Something I read about recently reminded me of instructions in this book.

A new business has been set up in Dublin. It’s called a ‘Rage Room.’ Inside in this room you get to express all your anger and frustration. Before you enter, you choose which music you would like played and at what volume. There are baseballs bats, crowbars, glass bottles, hammers, frying pans and other objects of destruction in the ‘Rage Room.’

Once inside, you can conjure up the faces of all the people who ever did you wrong- a boss, a teacher, a lover or parent. Then, grabbing a baseball bat (or two,) you can go for ‘pure and utter carnage,’ as you bash the living day lights out of your imaginary enemies.

You can throw old televisions at them, as well as battering them with frying pans and hammers. You can scream and roar and shout whatever you like, in the privacy of this ‘Rage Room.’

The cost, for half an hour, is €35. The owner wrote that his best customers are ‘Young married women coming in with framed pictures of their ex-partners. They go to town on them, while screaming profanities.’

I thought of the ‘Rage Room’ whilst reading ‘Notes on Housewifery.’ This is because in it, the instructions for cleaning rugs involved much beating and bashing too.

Rugs were to be hung on a line outside. There, the angry housewife could express all her rage and fury. She could do this by whacking and walloping the living daylights (and dust) out of them - for free!

Now, I must stop writing about Spring Cleaning and actually get up and do it!

Which tradesman will I phone first?

jeanfarrell@live.ie