Household Time-Savers

It is claimed that housework expands into as many hours as you have for it​—plus half an hour! Many homemakers agree that it surely seems that way. However, there are procedures that can save time. Below are listed four recommended by many experienced homemakers.

● DO TWO THINGS AT ONCE. “There is hardly a woman alive who can’t do two things at once if she puts her mind to it. The living room can be dusted while you are waiting for the cereal to cook. You can swab up the bathroom and still keep an eye on Junior while he plays with his floating toys in the tub. And never go into the kitchen for the single purpose of washing dishes. The laundry can be soaking while you are doing dishes, or breakfast dishes can be in the suds and washing themselves while you are putting together the casserole for dinner.”​—“America’s Homemaking Book” by Marguerite Dodd.

● AVOID BUYING ANYTHING THAT MAKES MORE WORK. Buy clothes, sheets, curtains, etc., that do not need ironing. Sterling silver eating utensils are nice to look at, but be prepared for plenty of extra time polishing them. Stainless steel often is very presentable with a fraction of the care.

● ELIMINATE THINGS AS WELL AS TASKS. Do you really need all the ornaments that stand or hang in the room? The less you have, the less you have to take care of. Analyze your cleaning tasks. Are you performing certain ones merely out of habit? Could some steps be combined or even eliminated?

● CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF. “Then there’s that little matter of the apple pie that cooked over in the oven​—don’t wait a week until it has burned on and takes three times as much work to remove. Pour some household ammonia on it and let it soak. By the time the last dish is washed you will be able to wipe up the mess with your soapy dishcloth.” (“America’s Homemaking Book”) The same is true of the dirty ring in the bathtub. When the dirt dries, you have to scrub hard to get it off, so why not wash it as soon as you finish using the tub?