May 2011
CAUTION: This tale may contain certain factual inaccuracies.
The late, lamented Quentin Crisp once famously said, 'If you don't disturb the dust, it does not get any worse after three years.' (or very similar words.)
So, he didn't do any spring cleaning . . . mind you, he didn't do any summer, autumn or winter cleaning either.
The tradition of 'Spring Cleaning' as we know it, took a very long time to become established; Darwin would have called it, 'evolution.'
Imagine, if you will, a typical domestic scene about 5,000 years ago. Mr and Mrs Primitive and children are huddled together in their cave trying to keep warm in the cold and draughty conditions (doors and windows were a long way in the future.) Vertig looked around and, with another of his sighs, exclaimed, 'Grentor . . . when are you going to clear up these animal bones? I keep tripping over every time I move.'
'Don't go on. I'll get around to it . . . anyway, there's still a bit of meat left on some of them . . . and it's so cold outside. I might wait 'til it's a bit warmer . . . in the spring.'
Thus was the concept of Spring Cleaning born.
From the point of view of keeping the house clean, things were not much better by the Middle Ages. If you were lucky, stone slabs had replaced loose stones or earth as flooring, so, if you owned one of the latest pieces of domestic equipment, and had the inclination, it was a bit easier to clean up (a step in the right direction.)
Of course, even those housewives fortunate enough to own one of these new-fangled 'broom' devices were not exactly overworked with other domestic chores. Although, in some cases, windows, of a kind, were available . . . being just simple openings in the walls, perhaps with a few wooden bars in an attempt at security; glass panes, where they existed at all, would be found only in the most aristocratic of homes. So, for most people, window cleaning was not a problem. When it came to the floors, any kind of covering was still considered a luxury item. The peasants and serfs continued to manage with nothing underfoot other than the usual dust and dirt, probably mud in wet weather. Upper class dwellings often used dry rushes, or similar plant material, as a sort of forerunner to the later carpets. This material was, of course, never cleaned - just changed for a fresh lot when the sight, or the smell, became too much to bear.
The situation with most people did not change that much until the 18th century. With the steady increase in population and overall prosperity, householders, at least of a certain class, began to expect their homes to be more comfortable, clean, and altogether a better place to live in; two major developments at about this period were one: the introduction of a proper fireplace and chimney. Before this, most homes, even those of the 'higher' classes (ie. They had more money!), would have had a hearth in the middle of the main living room and relied on a simple hole in the roof to, hopefully, disperse the smoke. Apart from any health implications – one can only imagine the effect all the soot-laden air had on the walls and ceilings . . . not to mention any other objects in the room.
The second big step in house construction was the greater use of floor boards (though these had been around, in one form or another, in the really great houses for a long time.)
But it wasn't until the 18th century that the real widespread progress began to take place . . . with a huge expansion in discoveries, inventions and many applications of technology – not least in those matters affecting the domestic scene.
By the end of Victoria's reign, most people would take it for granted that their houses, or apartments, should be provided with such amenities as flush toilets (though many of those were still outside), water on tap (usually only cold), serviceable, if unexciting, floor covering such as the recently appeared 'Lino', with or without a few rugs or mats. Many houses were even using the cheaper ranges of mass-produced wallpapers.
And so it went on, through the 20th century up until the present day. But, in spite of all the 'improvements', there was, in a way, a price to be paid. All these fittings and acquisitions needed to be kept clean. A huge industry grew up, manufacturing all manner of devices from special brushes via carpet sweepers to vacuum cleaners – along with a myriad of chemical cleaners for every conceivable job.
The poor housewife (along with a willing, if she was lucky, house-husband) does her best to keep up with it all, on a weekly basis. However, the old tradition (started by Mrs Primitive so long ago) has been maintained – and the main effort is reserved for the annual 'Spring Clean.'