Herald and news., July 14, 1963, Page 38, Image 38

How to Run Your Home
in Less Time
By MRS. FLORENCE W. LOW
President, American Ham Economics Aitodation
with Theodore Irwin
Harried housewives, here
are homemaking short cuts
devised and tested by experts
Despite the laborsaving devices con
stantly being invented, three out
of five women consider "lack of time"
their biggest home-front problem, a re
cent government survey revealed.
How can a harassed homemaker find practical
ways to s-t-r-e-t-c-h time? To tackle the knotty
question, a pilot program we called "Homemak
ing Short Cuts for the Working Woman" was
launched last November in Washington under
the joint auspices of the American Home Eco
nomics Association and the National Association
of Home Builders. Hundreds of women jammed
the National Housing Center to hear our experts
tell them how to make more efficient use of
minutes and hours. Now similar programs are
being set up in other cities.
Leading home economists have devised many
practical timesaving tips, all thoroughly tested.
From the vast reservoir of such homemaking
short cuts, I have selected these as being es
pecially effective.
Eaiiitiit; Yeir Hatj. When buying new house
furnishings, consider the color or finish in rela
tion to upkeep. Dark rugs and furniture show
dust and finger marks much more than light and
medium tones do.
In a two-story house, a second vacuum cleaner
and ironing board on the upper floor will reduce
steps, save time. "
Buy sheets with fitted corners to cut down on
motions in making the average bed. If you have
a variety of bed sizes, pick different patterns or
colors for double-bed and single-bed sheets.
By installing air conditioning, you shorten
dusting and cleaning chores. Wall-to-wall carpet
ing reduces floor-care time.
Hum Cart. Time yourself on cleaning jobs
and know which can be done within a certain
period. For example, when you have five minutes
to spare while waiting for dinner to cook, you
can do a five-minute job such as removing crumbs
from your toaster and polishing it
Have a portable container for often-used clean
ing supplies and keep it ready to be carried to
any area.
Dovetail your tasks. For instance, do mending
or ironing while cooking or while watching your
child do his homework.
Discard or store nonessential kitchen utensils.
It's a waste of time trying to keep cluttered
drawers and cabinets in order.
Let the clothes dryer fluff and remove dust
from shag rugs, chenille items, bed and sofa
pillows. Tumble draperies for a few minutes in
the dryer to dust and freshen them. Host fabrics
will not need pressing if you remove them from
the dryer and hang them immediately.
Fata Prtparatia. Hake once, serve twice. When
preparing stews, casseroles, or meat loaf, double
or triple the quantities. Serve part and freeze
the rest for later use.
Have a cooking day occasionally. , Prepare
items that keep well in containers for quick use
when removed from the freezer.
The mess that is not made never has to be
cleaned up. To prevent boil-overs, cook most
fresh vegetables with - inch of water in a
covered saucepan (this also conserves food
values). Start cooking bacon, chops, or hamburg
ers at low or medium heat to keep spatters to
a minimum. Trim fat before broiling meat.
Take advantage of fix-ahead desserts. Hany,
such as puddings and gelatins, can be prepared
in the morning or the night before.
Wrap hamburgers, bacon, chops, steaks, and
sliced meat so they can be taken out of the freezer
in the desired portions.
If you intend to serve orange juice from a
frozen concentrate, take the can out of the freezer
the night before and put it in the refrigerator.
It will be easy to mix the next morning.
Cart ( Cltthts iia Llatis. Provide sorting
boxes or bins labeled "White," "Dark," "Deli
cate," "Heavily Soiled," and "Need Mending."
A load or two from the fullest bin may be washed
while some other job is being performed.
Group articles together which should be ironed
at the same temperature.
When possible, remove clothes from the line
or dryer while damp and iron immediately.
Shtptiif. Use your telephone as a preshopping
aid rather than going from store to store to lo
cate needed items. When feasible, buy by phone.
Also, use manufacturers' brochures to get product
information before going out to buy.
Arrange your shopping lists according to the
location of stores on your trip. Organize your
grocery list to follow the arrangement of de
partments in the supermarket.
If storage space permits, buy in quantity such
things as paper tissues, laundry supplies, bottled
goods, canned and packaged foods.
If several members of your family wear about
the same size, buy a different brand of socks and
underwear for each. This simplifies sorting with
out using name tags.
Establish a contact with a food store which
makes home deliveries. In emergencies, you may
find the timesaving well worth the extra cost.
To make homemaking simple, our home econ
omists find the keynote to be "Plan ahead, buy
ahead, make ahead."
The short cuts suggested here may mean
giving up some old habits, but the rewards in
added leisure can be deeply satisfying.
COVER:
The two cover men are John F. Kennedy
(inset) as he looked at a young Navy
officer during World War II, and Cliff
Robertson, the actor who portrays him
in the film, "PT 109." See page It.
Family
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