Back in the Day

It's easy to yearn for the good old days now that the manual labor parts of those days is probably long forgotten. Back then daily to-do lists almost always included dusting, sweeping, mopping, clearing the table and making the bed the instant you got out of it. Now that we have our own spaces, we mistakenly feel privileged to be able to indefinitely postpone or completely ignore these necessary rituals of general tidiness and tranquil living.

I got a wake up call (and felt a tinge of guilt about my lax cleaning ways) recently as I read The Woman's Book of Household Management. This very formal reminder of the cleaning, scrubbing and massive organization commonly practiced in the well-maintained homes of yesteryear made me look around at my own place with a critical new perspective. Originally published in 1911, some references and instruction are no longer irrelevant, but there is plenty here to keep you hooked. Read Household Management, be amazed and, if necessary, motivated to put your own house in order.