Washing Windows

February 17, 1933  Mama, Mary, Corney, and I went to Meade.  Mary cleaned windows.  In the evening we went to H. H. Reimers. 

Here you can see the windows that Mary washed (probably not the upstairs ones).  This is a view of the Siemens' farmhouse looking to the northeast.  It was taken soon after the house was built in 1930 because there are no trees and the enclosed porch was not yet built on the west side.

Wife Margaret was adamant that windows needed to be spotlessly clean.  You can imagine what a trial it was during the Dust Bowl when fine dust covered everything.  Of course, after a long winter of burning wood, kerosene, and coal to heat the house and to cook, soot had also accumulated on the windows.  Whenever there was a nice day, the windows had to be washed inside and out.  So when they got back from Meade, Mary washed windows with water and bit of vinegar to prevent streaking - much cheaper than Windex.