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LIGHTING
If you don’t have
electricity right away, you will need some form of safe lighting. It’s a
good idea to have a selection of options for various tasks.
Naturally, you can
make do with a Coleman lantern, but sometimes the Hopewells will want a
nice subdued light. Again make your own aesthetic judgments, but I had
the following in my house before we got electric light. They were all
standard oil lamps I purchased at auction and I generally used lamp oil as
opposed to kerosene.
Table lamps - At least two,
more if the house has many rooms. It’s safer to light a lamp in a room
than carry a lamp in with you.
Hanging lamp - Better light
for working. Hang it over the dinner table in the center of the
room.
Candlesticks (2-4)
Saucer/bedside candlesticks -
The kind with the little ring handle. Easy to carry with you to
bed.
Sconces - At least one for each bedroom and more for living rooms.
Lanterns - At least two
good ones for walking about outside at night.
Flash lights - A big bright
one for emergencies and a pair of hand-held lights. Be sure to have
batteries and bulbs for all of them.
Box of candles
Lamp oil
Lantern fuel
Wicks and mantles
Brush - For washing
lamp chimneys and a soft cotton cloth for drying them.
LINEN CHEST
This list contains
the obvious basics for a family of four. I’m going to assume the
Hopewells will be doing their wash by hand, at least at the beginning of
their adventure. A washer and dryer are seldom priorities on a new
homestead and the Laundromat is not always a feature of small town life.
I would bring the following to start life and add to the list as time and
money permitted.
4 pairs of double sheets - This
allows you to rotate the sheets each week and save wear
and tear. One set on the bed while the other is in the wash.
4 pairs of single bed sheets -
Ditto
8 pillow cases
3 light summer blankets - I
prefer blankets one size bigger than the bed so that they hang down over
you and the bed.
3 heavy winter blankets -
Ditto on size
3 quilts or comforters
3 coverlets or bedspreads
Pillows, bolsters, etc. for each person
12 bath towels
- Ration them
or wash more than once a week.
12 hand towels - Ditto
24 wash cloths - Double ditto
Just because you are
Homesteading doesn’t mean you have to live like a barbarian. Table linen
can be a bit extra work but if you manage it right, the job isn’t
overwhelming. It’s a little detail, but a crisp white tablecloth makes
the simplest meal a feast. And I have never understood paper
napkins. One good cotton napkin per person per day is not a lot of linen.
It’s why God invented napkin rings.
2 table covers - One of these
goes on the table first and is nearly floor length.
8 table cloths - One per day.
If you’re sloppy cover the spots with dishes, use place mats, or make lots
of table toppers in your spare time.
36 napkins - Extras for guests
and messes. Stick to the "one per" rule and you wont be washing all
of them each week.
12 dish towels
12 dish cloths - Yes, I know,
they disappear like socks. Good thing they are cheap to buy in
quantity at the Dollar Store.
2 Fancy table cloths -
For those special days. Grandma’s lace.
WASHING AND
CLEANING EQUIPMENT
It was only a matter
of time before this subject had to be discussed. Water is an absolute
essential on the Homestead and the Hopewell’s are blessed with a
dependable source of water from a little spring. No matter what your
source of water, the following equipment will be necessary for moving it
about and keeping the Homestead and your possessions clean and tidy. The
only alternative is maid service and the Laundromat, until you can manage
modern electrical equipment.
Wash Tubs - At least 2
large galvanized tubs for washing clothes and rinsing them out.
Wash Board
Wash Boiler or a Large Stockpot - For creating hot water and boiling
dirty clothes before you scrub them.
Wash stand or bench - This
is a low sturdy table or bench to hold the washtubs at a convenient height
for the laundress. Even better is a set of galvanized washtubs on legs if
you can find them.
Laundry Basket/bags or hampers
Clothesline/clothes pins and bag/clothes pole for propping up the line.
Hot water bag - The black
rubber ones with a hose and spray nozzle are extremely handy. I suggest
one for each member of the family and a few extra. On warm days fill them
early and hang them up for evening showers. I still don’t have
running hot water in the house, so I hang one over the kitchen sink and
use it to rinse dishes.
2 Dishpans
Dish drainer
Soap dish, scrub brush, bottle brush
Garbage pail with a lid
Garbage bags - Strong ones
with ties.
Broom, push broom, dust pan, whisk and duster
String mop and roller bucket -
Heavy duty kind that janitors use. Think of sailors swabbing a
deck.
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