Care of Sleeping-Room

Though a chambermaid may have charge of the sleeping-rooms, the waitress has the care of her own room, and many a time she is expected to care for all of the rooms. The same thoroughness of procedure that marks her downstairs work should be shown in her care of her own room or that of another.

As soon as she is dressed, the windows, at all seasons at least partly open during the night, are thrown open both at top and bottom, to create a speedy circulation of air. Now draw the blankets from the bed and throw them over a chair in front of a window, taking care that they do not at any time touch the floor; over another chair throw the sheets, and let both these and the pillows stand where the air will circulate freely about them; then turn the mattress. Empty, and wash with a soft cloth, in hot soapy water, all 10145 pitchers, bowls, basins, and soap dishes, using a disinfectant daily in the water in which some of the last pieces are washed, and occasionally for all the dishes. Use sapolio on marble and enamel; used daily, no bad stains will appear. Leave all basins, faucets, and china absolutely clean, glistening, and dry, then wash the cloths used in this work; scald these with boiling water, rinse, and dry in the open air. Lay out fresh towels, After the breakfast dishes are put away, return, and make the bed and dust the room. In dusting, use a soft cloth, and shake it often in the open air.

When a waitress has charge of all the sleeping-rooms, she usually attends to the opening of beds other than Her own, after the completion of her duties in the dining-room. In such cases the breakfast is usually served English fashion, from the table, which shortens materially the time of her service in the dining-room.

The care of sleeping-rooms, often occupied continuously for seven, eight, and nine hours, is too often hurriedly and carelessly attended to; but our up-to-date waitress, who has had a course in domestic science while in school, has seen germs of disease, gathered in the falling dust of a sleeping-room, grow and multiply when set aside as a "culture" HI a dark place; she has learned that fresh air and sunlight are the surest germicides at her hand, and will see to it that the air in all the rooms in her care is renewed daily, and all bed clothing and articles worn at night are inoculated with sunlight. Of course she will take the precaution to close the doors of the several rooms, while this health-giving process is carried on, the halls and downstairs rooms having been aired earlier in the day, to insure a wholesome and comfortable resort until the upstairs rooms are again in order.

Later, after the dining-room work for the day is finished and the rooms are unoccupied/ the waitress visits them again ; the toilet articles are restored to an immaculate condition; the handsome spread and the roll with which the beds have been dressed for the day are replaced by pillows and a thin light spread to protect them; the spread, blankets, and upper sheet are folded over to form a triangle, thus opening up the bed. If the weather be cool, dispose at the foot of the bed a quilt of down so folded or rolled that it may be drawn up by the occupant of the bed without effort.

Leave a carafe of cold or iced water, covered by inverting a glass over it, on a tray in a conspicuous place. Lay the night garments upon the bed, a wrapper over a low chair, and slippers in front of the chair.