"Odds & Ends" ~ Monthly Home Maintenance Series

"There are certain odds and ends where every housekeeper will gain much by having a regular time to attend them. Let this time be the last Saturday forenoon in every month, or any other time more agreeable; but let there be a regular fixed time once a month in which the housekeeper will attend to the following things..."

~ Catharine Beecher & Harriet Stowe, The New Housekeeper's Manual, 1873

Our home has been a hotel of sorts for the last eight months and we desperately need to regroup in this little farmhouse. When you are limited on space, you begin to place things "for the time being" in areas that turn into cluttered chaos. I can not wait to tackle all those spots, place everything back into order and restock our inventory of household supplies (just the thought of it makes me smile)! Would you like to join us in our "odds and ends" journey? We will be sharing our progress in little snippets along the way.

This is actually something I have been doing for many years and was excited when I read that Catharine Beecher suggested it as well (she was the Victorian Era "Martha Stewart" of the time). Are you ready for Ms. Beecher's list of seven recommendations? Though some steps will not apply to our modern era, I think you can get the idea!

• "First. Go around every room, drawer, and closet in the house, and see what is out of order, and what needs to be done, and make arrangements as to time and manner of doing it.

• Second. Examine the store-closet, and see if there is a proper supply of all articles needed there.

• Third. Go to the cellar, and see if the salted provision, vegetables, pickles, vinegar, and all other articles stored in the cellar are in proper order, and examine all the preserves and jellies.

• Fourth. Examine the trunk or closet of family linen, and see what needs to be repaired and renewed.

• Fifth. See if there is a supply of dish-towels, dish-cloths, bags, holders, floor-cloths, dust-cloths, wrapping-paper, twine, lamp-wicks, and all other articles needed in kitchen work. 

• Sixth. Count over the spoons, knives, and forks, and examine all the various household utensils, to see what needs replacing and what should be repaired.

• Seventh. Have in a box a hammer, tacks, pincers, gimlets, nails, screws, screw-driver, small saw, and two sizes of chisels for emergencies when no regular workman is at hand. Also be prepared to set glass. Every lady should be able in emergency to do such jobs herself."

~ Catharine Beecher & Harriet Stowe, The New Housekeeper's Manual, 1873

As a tune up on your car makes everything run smoothly, so does this monthly tune-up on your home! It is purely a pleasure to live in a house that has been kept up (and quite frustrating to live in disarray). We will begin this "odds and ends" maintenance by restocking our cleaning closet. Then we shall attend to each area, adding little homemaking touches of love along the way. Doesn't this sound wonderful?!

Complete Steps in Series:

Step #1 ~ What Needs to Be Done in Your Home?
Step #2 ~ Restocking the Cleaning Closet
Step #2, 3, 5, 6 ~ Examining the Store-Closet, Pantry, Cellar and Such
Step #4 ~ Examining the "Table Linens"
Step #4 ~ Examining the "Bed Linens"
Step #7 Examining the Toolbox and/or "Junk Drawer"

Checklist for Preparing Your Own Maintenance:

"Odds and Ends" Monthly Home Maintenance ~ Printable Checklist

You will find more home organization ideas here if you are interested.

"A housekeeper who will have a regular time for attending to these particulars will find her whole family machinery moving easily and well; but one who does not, will constantly be finding something out of joint, and an unquiet, secret apprehension of duties left undone or forgotten, which no other method will so effectually remove."

~ Catharine Beecher & Harriet Stowe, The New Housekeeper's Manual, 1873

 

This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Homestead Barn Hop, Monday Musings, Titus 2sdays, Teach Me Tuesday, Raising Homemakers, Make Bake Create, Wise Woman Link Up, Christian Homemaking, Wow Us Wednesdays, Wildcrafting Wednesday, The Scoop, So Much at Home, Homemaking Thursdays, Hearts for Home Thursdays, Growing in Grace Thursdays, Home Acre Hop, From the Farm Blog Hop, Farmgirl Friday, Front Porch Friday Blog Hop, Simple Meals Friday and Clever Chicks Blog Hop. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. All paintings by Carl Larsson.