1870s Advice on Setting Up the Bedroom

[image error]

The author of Buckeye Cookery and Practical Housekeeping advised homemakers to set up the family bedroom on the first floor if it’s not damp.

Use matting as a thin floor covering as it holds less dust than carpet. Wash matting twice a season. To wash, mix a pint of salt into a half-pail of warm water. It’s not clear if the solution was sponged onto the fabric or if the matting was dipped into the water. Dry immediately with soft cloth.

This was the room where the medicine cabinet was kept, though still out of the reach of children. Items such as camphor, mustard, strips of linen, and hot drops (?) were stored in the cabinet, tucked away in case of illness or accident.

A large closet should have low hooks for children to hang their clothes. Provide a box for them to store their stockings. Shoes should be kept in a bag. Teaching children to care for their belongings at an early age should help them to be organized in adulthood.

Blankets should be of soft wool. Cotton comforters require frequent exposure to sun and air, so these should be used cautiously. In the author’s opinion, delaine fabric made the best comforters. Delaine is a high-grade of wool fabric made of fine combing wool.

The author strongly recommended allowing the bedding to lie open for several hours each morning to air it out. Even though many housekeepers want to tidy the bed soon after rising, this was not recommended. Pillows should be aired in the wind, but kept away from sun.

This is probably good news for those who prefer not to make their beds!

-Sandra Merville Hart

Sources

Compiled from Original Recipes. Buckeye Cookery and Practical Housekeeping, Applewood Books, 1877.

“Delaine,” Enclyclopedia Brittanica, 2018/12/17 https://www.britannica.com/topic/delaine.