Clothing and Health: An Elementary Textbook of Home MakingKinne, Helen
Science
Clothing and Health: An Elementary Textbook of Home Making
Kinne, Helen
Clothing and dress; Sewing
=What should be done about clothing at night?= We have learned that,
in order to keep well, we must think about the right kind of clothing
as well as food. Grown people sometimes forget about this; and growing
girls and boys, too. The body must be kept clean; and clothing worn next
to it should also be kept clean at night as well as during the day. Who
can remember how many pints of water the normal body gives off each day?
It loses about three pints in 24 hours. Can you recall what becomes
of this waste? Yes, some is evaporated, but some is collected by our
clothes; that is why they are soiled as they collect the perspiration and
excretions, although often they do not look soiled. The day garments
should be hung up at night in a place where they will air and dry out
by morning. They should not be shut up in a closet. Different clothing
should be worn at night. A muslin nightdress, like those you are making,
is usually suitable for six or seven months of the year; but some of
us who live in the country or in houses not well heated require warmer
clothing at night. Old people and babies, as well as sick people, require
more clothing because they are not able to resist the cold as easily. Do
you recall why? What is the normal human body temperature? Why is the
human body called a machine?
[Illustration: FIG. 56.--The clothing worn during the day should be aired
at night.]
=If our day clothing collects waste and should be aired at night, what
should be done with the night clothing during the day?= Yes, it should be
well aired. Have you ever noticed how the air of a room is spoiled by the
odor of night clothing and of bed coverings which have not been properly
aired? Some people roll up the nightdress and put it under the pillow.
That nightdress will not smell sweet and clean at night. Clean clothing
is absolutely necessary in order to keep well. We shall some day learn
how to cleanse clothing properly, by washing. Clothing worn next to the
body should be changed once a week at least, and twice or three times
if possible. When one works very hard and the body sends off more waste,
clothing should be changed more often.
The body which is to wear the clean clothing should be washed every day.
It may not be possible to take a tub bath or a swim in the river or
lake, but one can bathe all over with a bucket of water and a cloth and
soap. It pays, for one feels so fresh; and, then, the waste of the body
is removed by the washing, and the pores of the skin are kept in good
condition. When our skin is in good condition, we do not feel the cold as
much as do those who do not bathe frequently.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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