p. 11 | The Modern Bedroom by Mary Taylor-Ross

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D.C. · Sep 28, 1905

The Modern Bedroom

By Mary Taylor-Ross

THE following paragraphs are selected from an article of some length on this subject in The Housekeeper, by Mary Taylor-Ross:—

“In no other room in the house has there taken place the marked changes that have been made in our sleeping rooms during the last decade. Who of us can not remember the sort of old curiosity shop in which we were wont to sleep, fancy work of every description placed here and there, much of it in the condition that suggested ‘better days,’ which days were probably those spent in the glory of the damp and seldom-used guest-chamber? Women are growing wise, and now one sees bedrooms without a bit of useless fancy work, drapery, or furniture to hold dust and disease germs, and furnished in such a manner that they are easily kept clean. The bedroom should surround its occupant with such conditions as will induce sound and healthy sleep, perfect rest, and a fresh awakening, and to this end many reforms have taken place.

The Sensible Shape in Beds

“Before long we shall have beds with low headboards and footboards,—indeed, only high enough to support the pillows,—and when housewives consider the convenience as well as the greater possibilities for fresh air, this bed will be in great demand.

Mattress and Pillows

“Having purchased a good mattress and a set of well-made pillows, one has only to give them intelligent care. See that they are aired every morning, and at least once in three months see that they spend an entire day in the open air, for this livens a feather pillow or feather bed as nothing else will, provided it is not too old to be enlivened at all. Make a covering for the mattress and one for each pillow, tying the cases into place with tapes so as to exclude all dust. . . .

“As to the laundering of bedclothes and bed linen, by sleeping only under blankets, with possibly one quilt or comfortable, it is a simple matter to have the bedclothes washed once a year anyway, and then aired thoroughly by being placed out of doors on a line, in the sun’s direct rays, at least once a month.

Sun-dried Bed Linen

“The bed linen may be changed completely once a week in winter and twice a week in summer by following the directions of authorities upon hygiene, who tell us that bed linen should be sun-dried, and put onto the bed without ironing; that the sun-dried linen is far more healthful, not to mention the saving of labor. Sun-dried clothes contain not only purer air than those dried and ironed in the laundry, but more of it. We get more protection from a certain weight of sun-dried bed covers than from the same weight of ironed covers. Sun-dried clothes also absorb the moisture more rapidly, which is an important point in summer.

“Next to the mattress and bed furnishings is the importance of having a light bedstead. It is much more easy to care for than one which is massive; it can be drawn out into the room, into the sunlight, with ease, and is more easily kept clean. Of course metal beds are selected by all sensible persons.

“Any sort of counterpane that will not admit of frequent washing is a piece of foolishness of which no wise woman will be guilty. Everything on a bed should be washable, and for this reason: while lace spreads lined with silk are pretty and dainty, they are not as desirable as a plain white spread, which may be made of muslin and trimmed with lace—as dainty as one pleases, only easily washable.

The Floor Covering

“Now comes the matter of floor treatment. Of course the day of heavy carpets, rugs, or draperies in the bedrooms has gone by, and only a lightweight rug upon the oiled, stained, or painted floor is to be seen. In the home of a well-known artist every bedroom is fitted with an old-fashioned woven rug, with the colors judiciously selected and blended; they are all of different colors, to suit the color scheme used in each room, but are alike in that they are of the old-time ‘hit or miss’ pattern. They are spread upon the polished hardwood floors, and are taken to the country home in the summer.

“For removing the dust that so quickly accumulates in the bedroom nothing is so good as the carpet-sweeper. House dust always holds microbes. The ordinary broom or duster simply scatters and diffuses the dust and germs through the room. They lodge upon the walls and cling to carpets, curtains, bedding, and clothing. A good carpet-sweeper that will collect the dust into a receptacle, from which it can be removed from the room, does away with this risk, and is a preventive of disease. To use a labor-saving implement of this sort is real economy.

“It is possible to purchase jute rugs, that have a really artistic air, for little money, and so desirable is it that all carpets should be removed from bedrooms, all floor coverings of any sort that are fastened to the floor, that even a rug of denim should be used until one can afford to replace it with a more expensive one. At any rate, get rid of the old carpet, and see how easily the bedroom can be kept clean. By removing the rugs out-of-doors, where they may be beaten and swept till clean, and then by wiping up the floor with a clean mop wrung out of tepid water, to which has been added half a cup of furniture polish, and then relaying the rug, one has a perfectly clean floor without raising a particle of dust in the upper part of the house.

The Simple Home

“More and more, in the homes of those who feel that life holds something better, higher, more worth striving for than mere display, or bowing down to what one’s wealthy neighbor has declared ‘the thing,’ have been banished the heavy draperies, the ornaments and bric-a-brac, and the accumulation of trash that really kept the house from being a home.

“The doctrine of elimination is a beautiful one, and it is especially beautiful when applied to the bedchamber. Eliminate all that is useless, and have the necessaries chosen with an eye to what is easily kept immaculately clean, and what is the best of its kind for the purpose. So shall one’s bedchambers be havens of rest, renewing one’s youth every night of one’s life, and making the stranger within our gates long remember our guest-chamber as one of the earth’s delightful places.”