Sanitary Homes by M. A. T.

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Feb 17, 1909

Sanitary Homes.

By M. A. T.

AFTER the housekeeper has done all in her power to maintain healthful conditions in the home, she must still cope with the immediate outdoor surroundings, and there would be less malaria and other ills if our house surroundings were kept free from impurities. It has been determined that by a proper observance of the laws of sanitation and hygiene, diseases that have in the past claimed their victims unchallenged are now prevented. It is now known that a case of typhoid or diphtheria may be caused by mold, the very lowest form of vegetable life, therefore we can not be too careful about keeping our cellars thoroly cleaned out.

Keep a close watch for decaying vegetable matter and remove it at once. The drain-pipes from the kitchen and bath-room are a prolific source of disease unless they are well cared for, and they can easily be kept in a sanitary condition by flushing them twice a week with a strong solution of borax and hot suds, then this should be followed with a rinsing with borax water without soap. All toilet articles such as tooth mugs, shaving cups, glasses, etc., should be disinfected often with a little borax water, and all sponges should be washed in the borax water and hung in the air to dry.

It has been said that the housekeeper has under her control means of safety or agencies of destruction, according as she performs her duty. Many a home has a garbage barrel at the back gate that is a menace to the health of the community as well as to that of the family, and frequently a long illness of some members of the family may be attributed to carelessness, which, had the proper measures of prevention been adopted, might have been avoided. Sanitation should be made a point of study by those who desire to guard against illness, and in no other part of the house, we are told, is there such absolute necessity for cleanliness as in the sleeping-rooms.

M. A. T.