Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan: Susan Haake Curator, Lincoln Home National Historic Site Part 1 "Housekeeping
ain't no joke."–Louisa May Alcott, Little Women, 1868 Many of us who come to
work every morning at a historic house museum can agree with the character
Hannah in Little Women: housekeeping is not easy. There are so many
things to consider. The building contains what are often priceless and
irreplaceable objects and is itself a complicated and demanding artifact.
Artifacts can be made from wood, metal, fabric, or bone (sometimes all are
found in one artifact), and each material has different requirements for
long-term preservation, including its general housekeeping procedures. Why worry
about housekeeping? There are several reasons to consider, besides aesthetics. First, every museum has
the basic obligation to preserve the specimens in its collection. Taking care
of something will make it last longer. This makes careful housekeeping a necessity.
Another name for this process is preventive conservation. It should be the
overarching principle of housekeeping in a museum. Dust is defined as fine
dry particles of earth or pulverized matter that may include minute particles
of sand, dirt, and insects. All of these can be abrasive and can scratch wood
surfaces, glass, and glazed ceramics quickly. If left in place over a long
period of time, dust can even degrade hard, nonporous surfaces like cast iron.
In a humid environment (like summer in Illinois), dust can react with the acids
in the atmosphere to further degrade artifacts. All of this damage is
preventable through good housekeeping, which may also help to avoid expensive
and time-consuming conservation work later. But how do you maintain
good collections care, especially if your house museum has perhaps only a
professional staff of one–or even none, with an all-volunteer group? Good
collections care also means documenting any work attempted on an artifact. How
do you keep track of what has been done? A housekeeping plan may provide an
important starting point. It provides a central location in which to record any
preventive conservation work, which is a requirement for responsible
collections care, and maintains a record of tasks performed to ensure that none
are overlooked. If the task of creating a plan seems daunting, check to see
that you have a few "lines of defense" in place first. Defense Line 1: For any
part of the plan to work, the house has to be an impervious envelope for
holding the rest of the artifacts. This means having a nonleaking roof and
doors and windows that seal. You are familiar with the many problems caused by
a leaking roof so that needs to be the first priority. Keep doors and windows
closed as much as possible and have weather stripping on all openings. Inspect
weather stripping annually and replace as necessary. You can check for leaking
air around doors and windows by waiting for a breezy day or, if the house is so
equipped, turning on a whole house fan. Dampen your hand with a rag and hold
your hand up to the sides of the closed window or door. Your hand will feel
cool in spots where air is infiltrating. Check that the foundation is solid and
the siding and downspouts are in good condition. Keep landscaping plants several
inches away from the foundation to prevent damage to the foundation caused by
the plants themselves or the bugs and rodents that like to eat them. This also
eliminates a microclimate that traps moisture in the foundation materials,
causing deterioration. Defense Line #2: Don’t
bring in dirt unnecessarily. Those of you who work at sites where the
homeowners didn’t have plumbing may have mentioned to visitors that every drop
of water that came in had to be taken out somehow. The same is true with dirt,
so if it doesn’t come in, it won’t have to be taken out. Use floor mats at the
exterior doors. Mats are available in a variety of materials to provide a
historically appropriate look and to remove the dirt. Sweep the mats and the
area under and around the mats at least once a day when the house is open to
the public. The need to clean will also be reduced if you frequently vacuum
carpets where visitors walk and if you keep all floors clean to avoid tracking
dirt around the house. Defense Line #3: Those
who work at the site need to set a good example to visitors by checking shoes
when coming indoors, and by not touching the artifacts. We all know that our
fingers leave a residue on anything we touch (which is great for t.v.
detectives but bad for artifacts), so remind the visitors not to touch and make
sure the staff does the same. With these defenses in
place, you are ready to write a housekeeping plan. This is where it is
important to plan your work and work your plan. Most of this information will
probably seem a matter of common sense; you just may not have had a chance to
think about all of it at one time. Writing a
Housekeeping Manual The manual should have
at least three sections: Introduction, Schedules, and References. Use a
three-ring binder to make it easy to update and replace the schedules. Update
the manual at least annually. Introduction Start by listing some
basic information: • A list of staff to contact, including work and
home numbers, in an emergency. • A list of emergency phone numbers for all
utilities and services (security alarms, gas, electric, fire, police, heating
and air conditioning, etc.). • A layout for any heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning systems in use, even if this is only a sketch of the vent
locations. This information is helpful if any work is needed on the ductwork to
determine if it will affect artifacts. For example, open vents may direct air
onto artifacts, and bends in the ductwork can harbor pests. • A map or floor plan with the locations marked for
all shutoff valves, electrical outlets, and fire extinguishers. • Drawings or construction plans for exhibit cases
and a list of materials used to make the cases. Optional: Images of the exhibit
mounts and de-installation instructions. • A complete list of artifacts in the building, including
any special concerns about an object that should be taken into account (i.e.,
"back left leg is cracked") and a list of lenders, with their
addresses and phone numbers. • A list of safety and security issues (see section
below). • Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) are required
for cleaners, solvents, and other such materials used in the house. MSDS list
the ingredients, solubility, appearance, odor, fire and explosion data, and
reactivity of these materials; they also record procedures for firefighting and
handling spills, safe handling, emergency and first aid, and any other special
precautions that need to be taken when dealing with the material. • A list of general do’s and don’ts when dealing
with artifacts (see section below). The nearest fire and
police departments may appreciate having copies of all of this information.
Their staff members can familiarize themselves with your building and
operations, which is especially helpful if the building is occupied only one or
two days a week. Safety Safety must be a
constant concern. Most people would not consider museum work hazardous, but
there are many substances used by museum staff that can cause physical harm if
not used carefully. • Never touch your mouth or eyes after touching a
museum object. Artifacts may be treated with arsenic, cyanide, mercury, lead,
carbon tetrachloride, pesticides, formaldehyde, or asbestos. Try to avoid
contact between objects and bare skin. Wear a lab coat and wash it frequently,
keeping it separate from regular laundry. • Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water
frequently when working with artifacts. Keep fingernails trimmed fairly short
to avoid buildup under them; this will also reduce the chance of scratching
artifacts. • If possible, do not mix general storage, office space,
or lunchroom space with artifact storage. This protects the objects from
potential damage and possible pest infestation, cuts down on unauthorized
access to artifacts, and prevents the artifacts from contaminating food. • Do not open an historic container with an unknown
material inside. Old medicines may have deteriorated into poisonous substances,
and batteries may still contain acid. Never try to work with old ammunition of
any sort. Call your local hazardous materials office, fire department, or
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to safely remove the items from the
premises and test the materials. Do not reuse the container to hold any
materials. • When using a container that is not the original housing
for materials–for example, keeping flour in a medicine bottle–clearly mark the
container with a list of the materials and when they were placed in the
container. • Keep your tetanus shot up-to-date. You need a booster
shot every ten years. If you work in an old house with deteriorating painted
interiors that may have lead-based paints, have your lead levels checked as
well. • Have your site inspected for fire hazards annually. It
is also a good idea to have representatives of the closest fire company take an
annual walk-through to familiarize them with the site. Not only does it foster
good community relations, but it will help the firefighters if they know that a
room in the house has floor-to-ceiling books and papers and is therefore a
potential tinder box, or that a door is blocked by a solid walnut wardrobe. Dealing with
Artifacts: You are already
familiar with standard procedures when handling artifacts, such as wearing
cotton gloves and picking up an artifact only at its strongest point. For
housekeeping, additional procedures should be observed. • Remove all jewelry before cleaning. Dangling
necklaces can scratch, and rings and watches can catch on textiles and snag
them. • Clean in a logical pattern. Start in one corner or the
center and work away from the cleaned areas. Always work from the top down.
This eliminates having to clean something twice because you’ve brushed dust
onto something already cleaned. • Support fragile or dangling parts of furnishings or
objects by holding them in one hand while cleaning. • Dust with the grain on fur and feather-covered
artifacts, and along the joints in furniture. • Don’t overclean. Allow the patina to remain. Often the
condition of last use or the appearance of "old but cared for" is
more appropriate. • Leave highly deteriorated finishes alone. You could
cause additional damage, and the loose material may be toxic. • Use a vacuum hose and soft brush for irregular
surfaces. Cover the end of the hose with fiberglass screening to catch any
loose pieces. Brush toward the hose, holding the hose about one inch away. • Always spray any cleaner onto the cleaning cloth and
not the artifact. This gives you more control over exactly where the cleaner
goes and prevents the cleaner from running down the surface and into crevices. • Check the room when finished to make sure framed items
are straight and everything is back where it belongs. Schedules A written schedule is
an absolute must. It will alert staff to needed maintenance and document the
completion of each task. It needs to cover daily, weekly, monthly, annual, and
special schedules (such as a schedule for rotating or substituting objects),
routine checks and inspections, and an annual inventory. It needs to be
organized, comprehensive, and used. Keep the manual in a convenient spot and
make sure those responsible know where it is kept. Take some time to walk
through the building in a logical manner to determine what might need to be
done, as well as to review what is being done already. While doing the
walk-through, consider what needs to be done now and what can wait for a later
time. How much use do the area and the artifacts get? Are there seasonal needs
when visitation is higher that may not be of concern in the slower months? When
will the area not be in use by visitors? It is important to remember that
housekeeping is crucial to good collection care, but not to the point where it
negatively impacts the visitor’s experience. Some cleaning tasks may be done
while visitors are in the room but vacuuming is not one of them. What should be included
in the schedules? Vacuuming and sweeping the floor, as stated earlier in the
"lines of defense," must be completed as often as possible. To avoid
pest infestations, daily garbage removal is also necessary. Conduct a visual
inspection of each room for missing or misplaced artifacts, burned-out lights,
crooked pictures, and similar conditions. This should be done several times a
day, not only for security reasons, but also to make sure the exhibit is in
good shape for visitors. A list of housekeeping
tasks should be specific to each room or area but should contain at a minimum
the following: • Dusting • Spot-cleaning walls • Cleaning glass in cases, mirrors, and framed picture
glass • Washing windows • Washing window coverings • Cleaning, buffing, and waxing wooden floors • Waxing woodwork • Cleaning light fixtures • Cleaning storage areas • Cleaning walkways and entryways • Monitoring pests, light, temperature, and relative
humidity. These tasks can be completed on a weekly, monthly, or annual
basis. Historic areas or exhibit spaces adjacent to restrooms, kitchens, and
lunchrooms should be checked more frequently. High- traffic areas also require
more attention. For quick reference,
have a separate page in the manual for each set of schedules–daily, weekly,
monthly, annually, and special or infrequent. Assign all tasks besides daily
and weekly tasks to specific blocks of time. For example, checking the pest
traps may be assigned to the third week of the month, and the annual inventory
can be scheduled for completion in the first two weeks in December. To reduce
the confusion of keeping track of all of the schedules, create a checkoff sheet
that lists the weekly tasks, as well as the monthly or annual tasks that are
scheduled for that particular week. Keep all weekly sheets in the binder.
Laminate and punch holes on the right side of the list of daily tasks and keep
it on the opposite side of the binder. The daily tasks could then be checked
off with a dry-erase marker. It is important to make
sure that the task is marked off when completed, especially when several staff
members are doing the cleaning. This will ensure that some tasks are not
completed two or three times and others never. Any changes to the schedule
should also be noted, along with a reason for the change. Other notations could
address any problems with the cleaning methods or offer suggestions for
additional tasks. Photographs can help document any damage, intentional or
accidental, by staff, visitors, or acts of nature. Use this information when
updating the manual to determine if the schedule needs to be changed, if a task
needs to be completed more or less frequently or not at all, and if the
cleaning methods are helpful or harmful. The scheduling of these tasks depends
on use and need. Knowing when to clean is as important as knowing how to clean. References This section contains
step-by-step instructions for each housekeeping task listed in the schedules.
Following these instructions should ensure that cleaning is done in a manner
that is safe for both artifact and housekeeping staff. This section also should
list the supplies needed to complete the task. For example, to clean doorknobs,
these instructions are provided: Supplies: soft cloth 1. Dampen
soft cloth with water only. Wring out thoroughly. 2. Wipe
off doorknobs, taking care to keep moisture off of door and area surrounding
doorknob. In cold weather, DO NOT clean exterior doorknobs on the front and
back doors since the moisture may freeze and damage metal. 3. Allow
soft cloth to dry and add it to pile of dirty cloths. Write down exactly how
you want the artifacts cleaned. Have someone else try to clean following your
directions while you observe. Correct or add to the instructions as needed to
make sure they are clear to all staff members or volunteers using the manual.
Set limits on the amount of cleaning allowed. If it appears that the artifact
will need heavy cleaning or treatment with chemicals, contact a conservator.
This will help avoid inflicting permanent damage on objects. If in doubt, don’t
clean. Make sure whatever you do is reversible. Use tested museum cleaners and
methods; get as much information as possible before doing the work. Don’t cause
problems for future curators by using sticky notes, rubber bands, staples, or
tape. Other references could
include information about where to find cleaning supplies, a contact list of
conservators and other professionals (pest removal, fire restoration
specialists, etc.), and a bibliography. Getting Started Do not leave the care
of cultural resources to chance. Keeping a record of tasks performed ensures
consistency of care. A housekeeping manual provides a place in which to record
methods that work best, problems to avoid, what to do if a problem appears, and
any other suggestions or comments for future "keepers of the house."
You are holding objects in the public trust; therefore, those who operate every
historic house, museum, art gallery, or similar facility have the basic
obligation to preserve the artifacts in their collections. This makes careful
housekeeping a necessity, not a luxury. Note Thanks to Linda Norbut
Suits (IHPA), Tom Pacha, John Popolis, and Tim Townsend (Lincoln Home) for
their assistance with this insert. Part 2 of this insert (Insert 126,
November—December 2003) will cover specific cleaning techniques for furniture,
glass, textiles, and other materials. Bibliography Items preceded by an
asterisk are available to borrowers from the IHA circulating library. The
library also contains many of the CCI Notes, Conserv-O-Grams, AASLH Technical
Leaflets, and NEDCC leaflets. Contact the IHA office for more information. * Butcher-Younghans,
Sherry. Historic House Museums: A Practical Handbook for Their Care,
Preservation, and Management. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993. CCI Notes. Canadian Conservation Institute,
1030 Innes Road, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0C8, (613) 998-3721, www.cci-icc.gc.ca
Conserv-O-Grams. National Park Service, Museum
Management Program, 1849 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20240, (202) 343-8142,
www.cr.nps.gov/museum/ Fred Woods Productions.
Housekeeping for Historic Sites (video). Cambridge, Mass.: National Park
Service, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation;
and the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, 1996. Heritage Preservation
Publications, www.heritagepreservation.org/PUBS/nps.htm * Lewis, Ralph H. Manual
for Museums. Washington, D.C.: National Park Service, 1976. * MacLeish, A.
Bruce. The Care of Antiques and Historical Collections. Nashville,
Tenn.: AASLH Press, 1985. * Miller, Patricia
L. Arsenic, Old Lace, and Stuffed Owls May be Dangerous to Your Health:
Hazards in Museum Collections. Technical Insert 50, March—April 1991.
Illinois Heritage Association, Champaign, Illinois. Sandwith, Hermione, and
Sheila Stainton. The National Trust Manual of Housekeeping. London:
Penguin Books, 1986. Schultz, Arthur W.,
general ed. Caring for Your Collections. New York: Harry N. Abrams,
1992. Technical Leaflets. American Association for State
and Local History, 530 Church Street, Suite 600, Nashville, TN 37219, (615)
255-2971, www.aaslh.org. Technical Leaflets. Northeast Document Conservation
Center Internet Resources, www.nedcc.org. |