Removing 
Dust 
Burn 
Sweepings 
Wash 
Dusters 
Cover 
Food 
104 HOUSEHOLD BACTERIOLOGY 
should elapse after bed-making before the dusting is 
done. 
To have a clean house, great attention must be paid 
to the removal of dust, or dusting. In houses where this 
is done with a feather duster, bed-making gives up 
its second place to this dust-spreading, never a com¬ 
plete dust-removing process. Dusting should always 
be done by wiping up the dust into a cloth. When¬ 
ever possible to do so without harm, the cloth should 
be slightly dampened or oiled. Dust-plants are held by 
damp or oiled surfaces. 
If, then, the bacteria do settle from the air on floor 
and furniture, and in still places about two hours is 
necessary to effect this comparative clearing of the 
air, these facts are surely indicated: 
First. Sweeping should be done in such a way as 
to raise as little dust as possible into the air. 
Second. Dusting should never follow immediately 
after sweeping. 
Third. Dusting should be a process whereby dust 
is taken out of the room, not stirred up and thrown 
again into the air. Cleanness does not result unless 
the dust is removed from the house. 
All collections of dirt from sweeping should be 
burned, and all dusters should be washed. “Burn the 
sweepings” and “wash the dusters” are two orders 
which the intelligent housewife will obey. 
Dust in the air settles on food and thus produces 
decomposition. Food then should be kept covered as 
