While the family are at tea, the slops should be emptied in the bed-rooms; the ewers and bottles filled up with fresh water, and the beds folded down. If in summer, the windows are generally left open, and shut before the housemaid retires to bed; and if in winter, the fire should be lighted, taking care to shut the door and open a little bit of the window before setting fire to the paper in the grate, and to return again in a little time to shut the window, and add more coals to the fire, as more particularly mentioned already.
Where there is no lady’s-maid, the housemaid will also be required to lay out the combs and brushes on the toilet, to stretch out the curl-papers, or cut fresh ones; to lay out the nightcap, neatly smoothed, and to unfold the nightclothes, and hang them over a screen. Where there is a lady’s-maid, the frills and nightcap are generally ironed; but where the housemaid has much to do, there is not time for this. Once a week or fortnight, the hair-brushes will require to be washed; they never should be plunged into warm water, as it warps the back of the brush, and destroys the polish, or discolours the ivory, and softens the hair; a little soda should be mixed in warmish water, and the surface of the brush moved swiftly up and down in it, taking care not to wet the back at all. The soda will sufficiently clean it, and preserve the colour of the hair, if too much soda is not used; if too strong it will burn the hair, or turn it yellow; the brush should be left to dry for some time in the same position, with the face turned down, that the water may run out. When brushes are left to dry with the face up, the water lodges in all the holes pierced for the hair, and discolours the back. Be careful never to wash the tortoise-shell combs, it makes them brittle and apt to crack over; they should be cleaned with a comb-brush, and rubbed with the palm of the hand to keep up the polish. The cover of the toilet pincushion should be regularly changed, as soon as it gets soiled; though the washing is generally given out, yet there are small articles to be washed from time to time in all families where things are well attended to, such as the tidies, for the backs of sofas and chairs, the pincushion covers, and where there is no lady’s-maid, and the family is small, the housemaid may be also required to do up the lady’s muslins.