The Ranch

About Spring Cleaning

If there is one thing more than another in which housekeepers should take pride it should be the condition of the pantry and cupboards. That they should be kept immaculate is agreed, but the question is, how to keep them so with the least work.

In our mothers' day, women accepted conditions as they were and plodded along in the same way their mothers had done, with little or no time for self improvement. Today they do not follow old time rules, when not practical, but grasp new ones whereby they can secure the same results with less effort. They think less of appearances in many ways, but just as much of cleanliness.

Our mothers sat many hours when they needed rest, cutting papers in fanciful shapes for the shelves, and several times during the year made the house look as if a hurricane had left debris in the shape of old bottles, dusty bags containing a bit of this and a bit of that, and a thousand other things neither useful nor ornamental. This was when they "cleaned the pantry."

They would have held up their hands in horror had any one suggested that such a confusion was unnecessary. The best house keepers of today keep it clean all of the time, and with less work too.

They fold paper neatly, for the shelves, renew it often, burning the old at once. This saves washing the shelves, an advantage over oilcloth or paint. They discard the fancy paper for the front. Perhaps some might think it did not look so pretty. That might be, but one will get used to it. Discard the old, dusty bags and bottles. Save every tin can or pail, wash off the paper, you will find use for it, then label it.

Get into the habit of putting things into these. Dust them off occasionally and they are all right. You will soon begin to take pride in the orderly rows, all labelled ready for your hand when you wish to use the contents. They occupy so little space too.

What cannot be put into cans put into boxes. If anything will not go in a box wrap it in paper, tie it up and label. Then things don't have to be handled and once clean, always so until they are used. It takes a little time to do this at first, but the amount of time and labor it saves can not be estimated until one gives this way a trial.

God did not mean that woman should be slave to household duties. Don't be so particular about unimportant things take the time instead and pick up the daily paper, snatch a moment to play one of your favorite songs, pick up that bit of pretty work you have longed to begin or step to the door and think what a beautiful world this is. Take every bit of sunshine that comes your way and be thankful for it. There may be heavy burdens to carry but one can make them seem lighter by being happy.