Twice a Year, a Fresh and Clean House

Spring and fall housekeeping was a ritual I’ll never forget. Everything had to be cleaned, aired out, painted, and polished twice a year because the coal furnace left a dusty, sticky residue everywhere. We used an eraser- like material to clean the wallpaper. It was pink and had a scent I can remember, but can’t describe. It was sort of gummy and came in a can. I would grab a handful and rub it on the wallpaper. This stuff would clean the wallpaper just like an eraser would. The pink ball would get blacker and blacker as I progressed around the room. When I see my grandchildren using Play-Doh, I always remember this pink stuff. All the lace curtains were washed and put on a curtain stretcher to dry. This contraption was a large wooden frame with tiny little nails all around the perimeter. You stretched the curtains over the nails (being careful not to prick your fingers) and left them to dry. The area rugs were hung over the clothesline and whacked with the rug beater (a funny-looking device that looked like a giant fly swatter) causing the dust and dirt to come flying out. Blankets, pillows, bedspreads, and draperies were aired out on the clothesline. If any of the rooms needed painting or wallpaper, Mom tackled that also. I learned how to paint like a pro from her. We had storm windows that were put up in the winter to keep out the cold and stored in the basement in the summer, and screens to put on the windows to keep out the mosquitoes and flies in the summer. This was quite a job to do every summer and fall as all the windows had to be washed inside and out at the same time. Another part of spring and fall housecleaning was what I call, “weeding out the junk.” Since our house was small, with almost no storage space, it was a constant battle for Mom to make room for what was currently needed. If it no longer fit or was broken, out it went. We stored the winter clothes in boxes with mothballs during the summer and reversed the process in the winter. We couldn’t store anything in the basement because it was always damp and mildew set in immediately. It wasn’t practical to store things in the attic, as it was hot up there with just a few boards on the floor. Everything had to be stored under the beds, in the two small closets, or in Mom’s cedar chest. When the house cleaning was done for another season, Mom would walk from room to room with a sense of pride admiring the clean walls, curtains, windows, and furniture while proclaiming how fresh and clean everything looked and smelled. She loved a pretty, clean house.