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The following is sage advice from a volume of Good Housekeeping published in 1885 . Travel back in time to 1885 with this insightful collection of “WHENS” from an antique volume of Good Housekeeping. These instructive tips offer a glimpse into the practical wisdom of the past. Learn how to care for the ill, preserve coffee aroma, prevent clothing mishaps, handle infants, protect your eyes, maintain smooth skin, clean dishcloths effectively, navigate dark spaces, and prepare your seasonal wardrobe. Discover how the knowledge of yesteryears can still be surprisingly relevant in our modern lives.
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A FEW INSTRUCTIVE “WHENS.”
When bathing an ill person be careful to squeeze the sponge or cloth so that no drops shall trickle over face or body.
When there is not a tin cap on the spout of the coffee-pot, a cork fitted in will help to keep the aroma of the coffee from escaping.
When a shirt or apron sleeve is very apt to tear at the wrist opening, a tiny three-cornered gusset sewed in firmly will prevent this accident.
When lifting little children by the wrist, the bones of the arm not being wholly formed , or rather solidified , they are very liable to break. The hands should be placed under the arm-pits .
When passing from light to darkness the eyes should be closed a minute or two, and if they are weak the same rule should be observed in the opposite case-going from darkness into light .
When ladies are afflicted with a rough skin, they will find it to their advantage to use a nail brush , not only for the nails, but also for the knuckles , and , indeed , the entire hand. A little ammonia in the water adds to its cleansing properties .
When carrying a baby around a room to see the pictures, ornaments, etc. , do not hurry, thereby confusing the infant and soon exhausting the source of amusement. Let the little one gaze at one object until it turns away its eyes , thus showing it is satisfied .
When the dishes are washed the mop should be thoroughly scalded, then rinsed in cold water, and hung, not on the inside of light, rain, and even snow, the sink door, but out of doors, where it will be exposed to air, sunlite will keep clean and sweet a long time, and we should hear less about ” death in the dishcloth .”
When going any distance in a dark room or passage, it is a good plan not only to raise and extend the hands , but to cross them also ; thus , in case of any obstruction, they would touch it before the face , which result , it can easily be seen, would not be effected if the hands were not crossed , as the face might come in violent contact with the edge of a half open door, while an arm went each side without meeting anything.
When the season’s garments are to be packed away, unless they are to be remodeled , they should be put in thorough repair. When in a sudden change of weather one needs a thicker or thinner article of clothing, and gets it out in a hurry, it is very unpleasant to find it not in wearing condition . If the person be a woman , she will do one of three things, sit down and mend it, which proceeding will consume time which should have been devoted to other work or was designed for some pleasure ; wear it shabby and feel ashamed, or, at least, fail to have that satisfaction which a woman , conscious of being well dressed , is apt to feel ; or do without it and get cold or over-heated, in either of which cases disagreeable results are very likely to follow.
