Clean like it's 1949

A housework manual for wives published in 1949 is being reissued. Can modern women meet its exacting standards? Judge for yourself...
Carol Midgley, Times2

22 Nov 05

Middle-class housewives on reduced incomes after the Second World War found themselves managing without servants for the first time. Many servants had, been killed in the war. Kay Smallshaw, a former editor of Good Housekeeping, wrote How to Run Your Home Without Help as an advice manual for these women. She was a home-management expert whose standards seem shockingly high today. Before the advent of labour-saving devices, a housewife was expected to put in a back-breaking eight-hour day before greeting her husband with his evening drink. Yet she was also encouraged to view her labour as an aid to health and beauty, and "creative work to rank with the best". Would your home meet the standards of 1949?

INTRODUCTION
Almost every woman sees herself as a good home-maker. Before marriage she pictures herself in a dream house or flat; a charming hostess, clever housewife and adorable sweetheart all in one. When she finds out that washing-up and cleaning eat up her days, the vision is apt to get tarnished. Yet it shouldn't. There's nothing more monotonous about housework than there is in pounding a typewriter or modelling dresses, or lots of other jobs that have a more glamorous reputation. Look on it as fearful drudgery, and it will never be anything else. See it as a job supremely worth doing, then running the home without help becomes a challenge and rewarding in itself.


THE DAILY ROUND
" Rise at 6.45am; wash, dress and air bed. 7.15am: clean out and re-lay sitting-room fire; tidy, sweep and dust room. 7.30am: prepare breakfast. 7.45am: serve breakfast . . ."

Begin overnight: A sitting-room put straight before going to bed never has the sordid appearance next morning of the one left anyhow. Cushions that have been plumped out, chairs and covers straightened, ash-trays emptied: what a difference such things make.

Doing the rooms: Begin at the left-hand side of the door and, holding your duster open and lightly crumpled in one hand, go quickly but methodically around the room, not forgetting tops of pictures and mirrors and the legs of chairs. After dusting, wipe over any soiled glass surfaces with the damp cloth. Again beginning at one side and working carefully round, pass the dusting mop over the polished floors.

Bathroom and lavatory: Some people like to use the lavatory brush, with powder cleaner, as well as disinfectant, daily. The seat and pedestal will want wiping round and drying. A linoleum-covered floor will probably need wiping with a special swab to take up damp patches, before it's gone over with the dusting mop and finished off with the polisher.


See that a suitable cloth and cleaner is kept in a bathroom cupboard, so that there is no excuse for anyone using the bath not wiping it round afterwards. A damp cloth dipped into liquid soap substitute may be sufficient to take off any marks. On the other hand, powder or paste cleaner and a good hard rub may be called for. After removing marks, a swill round with clear water and dry with fresh cloth. The lavatory basin will need the same treatment, though a slightly sketchier one usually suffices.


Bedmaking can be quite a pleasant interlude from the dusting and sweeping. Also it has the advantage of stretching the muscles without undue exertion. Ask that everyone strip their bed on rising, and open the bedroom window at the bottom to air the room. Ask them to place the clothes fairly near, perhaps over a clothes-horse or chair, in the order in which they will be replaced, which makes your task of remaking the bed easier.

Washing-up is a task regarded with particular horror by many, yet really it needn't be so bad. During the war, when soap was too scarce to allow it being used in the washing-up bowl, it was certainly harder, but with the coming of the liquid soap substitute one can luxuriate in nice sudsy water.

Soak greasy things in hot water. Begin on the glass or the silver and cutlery. Then do the china in order; finally pans and cooking utensils, which will thus have had more time to soak. When aluminium saucepans are scorched, very fine steel wool and pure soap are best. Always try long soaking rather than drastic cleaning.


ADAPTING THE ROUTINE WHEN BABY COMES
The single-handed mother with children of under school age is the home-maker with the most on her plate. Halfway through the waiting months before the first baby comes, begin to streamline the household routine.

First of all, the daily tidying up. Can you compress it into half an hour less, say, to make room for baby's morning bath? Shopping time is well spent if it means you're getting outdoor exercise and having some social contacts. But too much waiting about in shops, or queues, has nothing to commend it. It probably means you're not organising as well as you should. Weekly cleaning must certainly be cut down. Try to think ahead and co-ordinate two jobs. Washing will be increased enormously, so pare down on the time devoted to laundering household and personal things.

It's best to make up your mind that you will enjoy your children while they're young, rather than worry over any deficiencies in the appearance of the home. Feeding the family well, having as much time as possible out of doors with them and keeping yourself fresh enough to enjoy some leisure with your husband in the evening must come first.

BEAUTY WHILE YOU WORK
Hands: When you have had your hands in water, wash them carefully with soap and then rinse under the cold tap. Then dry, taking care to push back the cuticles as you do so. Keep a bottle of hand lotion in the kitchen. Rub a thin coating of Vaseline over your hands if you're going to plunge them into very hot water. It is protective. Rubber gloves are useful, too.

Hair gets pretty grubby unless it is always wrapped up. Use a scarf, cap or a clean duster pinned like a nurse's square over head and hair when doing the rooms. Then with a shampoo every ten days or so, all will be well.

Skin: It's a good idea to give your face a treatment on wash-day. Cleanse your skin before you begin, then apply nourishing cream. The steam will soften it so that it is absorbed by the pores. When you've finished, take off the surplus cream with cotton wool and finish with cleansing milk or a mild astringent before making up.

Figure: Some women will always let themselves go, just as others will take thought about posture, but on the whole, housework is far better for one than a sitting-down job. There's less chance of the spreading round the middle that dogs those who do clerical work.

A MAN ABOUT THE HOUSE
The single-handed housewife has a big job, and one that can seldom be compressed into an eight-hour working day. To do it well, she must have some co-operation from other members of the family. Her husband is usually ready to admit the justice of her claim, but deep down in his heart there's a very strong feeling, handed down through generations of masculine mastership, that the home is his wife's concern.

Do remember that your husband's work has its strains and stresses too. When he gets in, let him rest and relax, with a drink, or tea. Then, when he has changed and feels refreshed, have dinner ready without any waiting. He'll help to clear away afterwards with a much better grace because of your understanding when he came in.

CONCLUSION
Don't despair if at first everything doesn't go exactly to plan. Practice makes perfect, and once you've grasped the general principles you'll soon work out a routine to suit you. Running a home may seem unspectacular and ordinary, but making a success of it, so that the home is a happy one for all who live in it, is creative work to rank with the best.