Product Description
A lifetime's worth of homekeeping know-how, this towering volume is sure to be one of the most comprehensive books on the subject. Let Martha show you around the home, teaching you everything you need to know in order to clean, care for and maintain it along the way.
Amazon.com
Martha Stewart's new home reference book is a must-have for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that it's gorgeous. Printed on thick, glossy pages covered with subtle sepia photos and that perfect Martha-blue as an accent color, Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook is a pretty and practical package for everyone: "all mothers and daughters, fathers and sons who have a room, an apartment, or a home to care for." Stewart's exhaustive handbook features a handy "how to use this book" introduction; a room by room guide with weekly, monthly, and seasonal checklists; tips for cleaning, creating a comfortable and safe home, and moving; and a guide for identifying and caring for materials in your home. Curious? Take a look at some excerpts below. You'll be sweeping and shelving your way to a happier home in no time. --Daphne Durham
How to Use This Book: An Excerpt
When the first issue of Martha Stewart Living was published in 1990, I could not have begun to anticipate how wide-ranging our readers' homekeeping concerns would be. Since then, we have discovered new solutions to age-old problems, brought in experts to advise us on very specific questions about very specific?c concerns, and experimented with all the new (and not so new) home-care products. Over the years, I've brought these lessons home with me, too, which has made me more organized and made my homes better cared for and maintained.
Households are busy places, works in progress where there is always something needing immediate attention and always something more that can be done. With that in mind, I have organized this book to address the tasks at hand and also to address the "more that can be done" for when you have the time and the inclination go beyond the essentials.
It starts with the big picture--an examination of every room and everything you will find within each. The eleven chapters in the "Room by Room" section take you on a tour through the house, focusing on the surfaces and furnishings you might find in any room, and offering strategies for their care and maintenance. Starting with the kitchen, the central staging area in any home, these chapters open with practical space-planning advice, followed by the golden rules of organizing. This information is intended to help contain your belongings and make each room clutter-free and functional. Relevant homekeeping concerns particular to each room are explored in depth--so stain-removal basics appear in "Laundry Room," the best way to clean grout in "Bathroom," and easy sewing repairs in "Utility Spaces." The equipment essential to each room is also addressed, so if you are considering what kind of bathtub to install during a bathroom renovation or whether a gas or electric range would best suit your style of cooking, you will have the information necessary to make such an investment with confidence.
Organize Your Kitchen: Martha's Golden Rules
Customer Reviews:
Great Book - But Amazon Sells Low-End Editions.......2007-09-07
The book is fantastic, I give it for housewarming gifts and use it myself for info on how to clean and take care of all kinds of things in my home. BUT - This is the second time I've had an issue with Amazon's books. Yes, it was a little bit less expensive than the other online booksellers, but it is a lower-end version of the book. The little fabric bookmark is not on this copy and the dust jacket is made of cheap clear plastic. I will not buy any more books from Amazon unless they are soft covers and I don't care what they look like. The other book I purchased from this site was missing the dust jacket completely and they never figured out how to order one for me You get what you pay for I suppose. Disappointed.
Protect Your Investments.......2007-08-20
There are many hidden costs to owning your home and preserving its value. Proper maintenance and care is key to protecting this investment. This book is the ultimate guide in caring for every aspect of your home from room to room. Detailed instructions on routine cleaning, periodic maintenance to providing comfort and saftey are included in typical Martha fashion of simple articulation and common sense logic. Easy to read, easy to find information. This really is not a handbook however, it is more encyclopedic in portion and size. Worth having in every home. Also makes a nice gift for new home owners.
Lots of useful information.......2007-08-20
I refer to this book often for ideas on how to take care of my home. We use it to settle a lot of disputes in our house. If my husband and I argue on how to do something in the house, we can refer to this. A few examples would be: how much laudry detergent to use, how long to run the washer, how to do dishes, how to keep floors clean & the frequency that things need to be washed/cleaned. It gives lists on what chores to do and when & how to do many other things. It's like a bible of housekeeping.
I enjoy it. It motivates you to be a little less domestically challenged & to take care of your home.
Martha Stewart's homekeeping handbook.......2007-08-17
An excellent resource to have on hand. I wish I had it twenty years ago. A definite good gift for newly weds of any age.
Outstanding.......2007-08-15
This book is virtually an encyclopedia of how to keep a home.
Martha is the Mother I always wished I had! I have no more lingering homekeeping questions on what to do, or how to do it.
Book Description
Change the way you clean and keep your family's home wholesome and healthy with the help of expert and activist Deirdre Imus.
We all grew up thinking chemical smells like bleach and ammonia signaled "clean." But as Deirdre Imus reveals, some of the chemicals we use to maintain our homes are doing us and our families much more harm than good. In Greening Your Cleaning, the first in her Green This! series, Deirdre shows how cleaning house the environmentally responsible way can be as effective and often cheaper than the more traditional, toxic, means. This volume includes:
- Simple, efficient cleaning methods for every room of the house
- Spotlights on everyday products (all purpose cleaner, glass/window cleaner, laundry detergent) and the toxic ingredients you should be wary of
- Summaries of the latest research on the toxic effects of ordinary chemicals
- Resource lists of widely available "green cleaning" products and retailers
Filled with tips and testimonials, Greening Your Cleaning will show you how to streamline your cleaning products and practices, and how easy it is to make "living green" your way of life.
Customer Reviews:
Green Your Lives and Live Healthy and Longer!!!1.......2007-10-05
Deirdre Coleman Imus is married to sharp-tongued fired radio broadcaster, Don Imus. She is the mother of Frederick Wyatt Imus better known as Wyatt. Mrs. Imus has done her homework. She was an aspiring actress before meeting Don Imus and she has turned his whole world around for the better. With her in his life, they have created and built a working cattle ranch for children with cancer, siblings of SIDS, and other diseases. While the children only get to spend a week, the Imuses go the extra mile when they hear of a child's loss from cancer by attending their funerals. Deirdre and Don are truly genuine people and this book came out at the worst time. The proceeds from this book benefit charities and not the pockets of the Imuses. This book is her promotion of household cleaning products because they contain cancer-causing effects. Deirdre started this greening craze when she learned that hospitals used toxic products for cleaning materials. Her idea morphed into something far beyond our imaginations because she has developed with the assistance of others in the field to use non-toxic and healthier products for us to clean our homes. The Imuses practice what they preach. They are vegeterians and use the products in their own home. Unfortunately, her husband's spoken phrase got him fired at a time when they raising money for children's charities including cancer, the CJ Foundation for kids with SIDS, and another charity in a radiothon. The Imuses have paid dearly but they still enjoy their lives in New Mexico and New York City. Deirdre Imus is no trophy wife. She might be younger and more beautiful but she has always spoken her mind with Don and everybody else. Buy this book, maybe it will help clean up your life and home for the better.
Perfect information for environmental cleaning.......2007-09-14
Not only is this a extremely useful book, Deirdre and Don Imus do fantastic work with everything they are involved with. Especially the Imus Ranch!
Buy this book!
Not the whole story..........2007-09-05
I'm a huge fan of cleaning with more natural products, and use baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, etc to do so. In that way, I totally agree with the author's message. However, I don't agree with the presentation of the book. An example is the section on fabric softeners and dryer sheets. The author warns that these commercial products may contain limonene and linalool...as suggested alternatives, she mentions essential oils, such as lemon, lavender, bergamot, and rosewood. Throughout the book, she states that these chemicals, limonene and linalool, are scary and toxic...and then suggests essential oils which themselves have these chemicals in their makeup. (The recommendation of rosewood is another issue altogether as the author recommends it (several places) despite environmentalists' growing concerns for its endangered status and for the protection of the rain forests. Not a very "green" thing to do, IMO.) Her own commercial line of cleaning products contain essential oils as well, and I'm betting limonene and linalool can be found in them as a result.
There are dangerous products on the market, no doubt about that. And we as a society are guilty of "over kill" when it comes to "germs". And natural alternatives versus "man-made" chemicals are likely safer and better. I don't disagree with any part of that message.
Again, I am a fan of essential oils, however one must also understand that anything can be dangerous if applied incorrectly or without due care. I felt that many of the suggestions were overboard and failed to include proper warnings. For example, there are some essential oils that shouldn't be used around pets. Most, if not all, shouldn't be used around cats due to a cat's special physiology and the cumulative toxic effect the oils can have on a cat's liver. I didn't see this mentioned anywhere.
The author talks about the dangers of artificial fragrances, but doesn't acknowledge that many of the "dangers" can and do apply to essential oils as well. She constantly mentions "dousing" and "saturating" items with essential oils...which I makes me wonder if she has really ever been around them. Essential oils are powerful and I can't imagine ever having to "douse" anything with them. Generally, a few drops will do. I could go on and on, unfortunately. In the end, I was left feeling that the "homework" the book was based on had been incomplete and that it failed to tell the whole story. A shame as I said I do agree with the author's basic message. But regardless of where the profits go, I have to be honest with my review. I hope that it will be appreciated.
Do this for your family's health.......2007-09-01
I have always been concerned with the 'fumes' that I inhale when I am cleaning with the products you buy in the supermarket/chemists... although we have started to convert our various cleaning products to e-friendly; but after reading this wonderfully educating book - I just binned all the other products and went straight to my health store and replaced them with ecover. we love ecover products- the creme cleaner really cleans the greasy parts of the kitchen without scratches and it is e-friendly too. I always wondered why this country has such high rates of cancer and illnesses and could never pin down a reason ... our inside environment is so toxic and we thought we were keeping a clean house! I love this book as it re-educates you on what clean really means and that it is really quite simple. I have wasted so much money on toxic products and harming our health! Thank you for re-educating us and keeping life simple. I wish the supermarkets would stock -efriendly products as well. I am lucky that I have access to over four health shops within easy access to home.
Very useful!.......2007-08-12
I saw Diedre Imus promoting this book on the Today Show, and was only able to get a few tips out before the went onto the next guest. So I went onto Amazon and checked out the book, and it seemed interesting enough to order. I have gotten so many ideas that I rarely use any chemicals in the house anymore. I have killed insects naturally. I rarely see a roach, when I had a big roach problem, I clean rust and my drains naturally, and even my laundry. A great book overall. If not for the evironment, do it for your own health.
Book Description
When you think of what it will take to clean your house, are you so overwhelmed you throw up your hands and cry, "It's all too much"? Do you dream of having a closet where your clothes aren't crammed in so tightly that you can actually get to them? Is your basement filled with boxes of precious family mementos you haven't opened in ten years but are too afraid to toss? Are your kitchen counters overrun with appliances you've never used? Do your kids play in the living room because there's no room left in their playroom? If somewhere along the way you've simply lost the ability to keep your home organized and clutter-free, then It's All Too Much has the solution you've been searching for.
Peter Walsh, the organizational guru from TLC's hit show Clean Sweep, understands how easy it is for clutter to creep into your life and how hard it is to get rid of it. In It's All Too Much, he shares his proven system for letting go of your emotional and physical clutter so that you can create a happier, more stress-free home and life. At last, here is a system for managing your clutter, regaining control, and living the life you imagine for yourself.
Peter has helped clients from every walk of life. With his trademark humor and insight, Peter guides you step-by-step through the very charged process of decluttering your home, organizing your possessions, and reclaiming your life. Going way beyond color-coded boxes and storage bin solutions, It's All Too Much shows you how to reexamine your priorities and let go of the things that are weighing you down. Clearly and simply, Peter gives you the courage you need to go through your home, room by room -- even possession by possession -- and honestly assess what adds to your quality of life and what's keeping you from living the life of your dreams.
Filled with real-life examples and advice for homes of all sizes and personalities, It's All Too Much will set you free from the emotional baggage that goes along with clutter and help you lead a fuller, richer life with less stuff.
Customer Reviews:
One of the Better Home-Organizing Books.......2007-10-18
While I've never seen his television program ("Clean Sweep" on TLC), any book that starts off with a quote from Chuck Palahniuk's "Fight Club" can't be bad. Walsh is entertaining and informative, and packs a lot into the brief 200 pages of "It's All Too Much."
Walsh not only addresses the clutter--he addresses the reasons behind the clutter. For instance, why do we collect books? "In many cases, [you] feel that owning the book is equivalent to owning the knowledge in the book...letting go of a book is tantamount to throwing that knowledge away--no matter whether [you] have read the book or not...However, when you buy a book, you do not suddenly own the wisdom it contains--all you have bought is words on paper." Deep thoughts for a book on household cleaning!
Extremely practical and helpful guide - worth the cover price for sure, but declutter this when you finish clearing your home!.......2007-10-08
I have some of the usual problems with enjoying shopping and enjoying the things that I own, but having a few too many of these things to truly find my living space useful, comfortable, and attarctive. Add to this the fast that my partner is a total and incurable packrat, and you have the recipe for a couple that needs this book!
I checked it out from the library because I didn't think there would be enough practical info here to make it worth buying. I was wrong. Not only are there chapters that are broken down into steps and reasoned arguments for purging excess, but those steps and reasoned arguments are both pithy and substantial enough that I remember them and find them compelling even when away from the book.
As I walked through the house, the biggest thing I had to remember was that if I had a treasure, was I displaying it and treating it with the great respect it deserves? If not, then maybe it isn't as big of a treasure as I think it is, and maybe I could take a photo of it and get rid of it.
I also had to ask myself, am I holding on to things because other people gave me their treasure? Lots of people give me things, but if it isn't truly meaningful to me and useful to me, then I can either ask them if they'd like it back or get rid of it myself. If it were truly a treasure to them, then why is it taking up space in MY house?
There are a few exceptions to there rules of thumb, but overall he hits the nail on the head with his advice, and made me feel downright invigorated about getting rid of extra "stuff". After all, having craft supplies is meaningless if my craft table is so overstuffed that I can't actually do crafts on it, and the same goes for the other areas of my home.
This book is inspirational, practical, and worth more than one read. Thumbs up!
I love Peter Walsh!.......2007-10-04
Very good book for people who want to not only 'clear clutter', but change their lives. It helps you look at what you want to create - to have - in your life - not what you're 'giving up' by getting rid of stuff that you think so 'dear' to you. The idea that 'everything in your home is there with your consent', made me think twice - and make some changes!
Great (if dogmatic) help for an overwhelmed clutterer.......2007-09-29
I purchased this book as an audio CD. Peter Walsh has a nice, soft supportive voice and is an easy listen. My house was in chaos, partly due to my working, family illnesses, my tendency to collect more than enough of everything, and a bout of severe depression. I finally quit my job and tackled the overwhelming mess. It was not only exhausting and depressing but also boring!!!! Peter became part of my support system. I played his CD's over and over as I cleaned. It kept me focused on how bad things can get (and had gotten for me) as well as how to escape and hope to have a new life.
More than just "how to organize what you have"..........2007-09-23
My wife and I have been struggling lately with the "too much stuff" syndrome... too many clothes, too much clutter, etc. The book It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff by Peter Walsh caught my eye on one of the personal improvement blogs I follow. I think Sue and I now have a handle on how we need to approach our clutter situation, and it's not a matter of organizing the junk we have... :)
Contents:
Part 1 - The Clutter Problem: This Is Not My Beautiful House; Excuses, Excuses; Imagine the Life You Want to Live
Part 2 - Putting Clutter in Its Place: Step 1 - Kick Start - Tackling the Surface Clutter; Step 2 - Hash It Out!; Step 3 - Conquer Your Home; Room 1 - Master Bedroom; Room 2 - Kids' Room; Room 3 - Family and Living Rooms; Room 4 - Home Office; Room 5 - Kitchen; Room 6 - Dining Room; Room 7 - Bathroom; Room 8 - Garage, Basement, and Other Storerooms; Step 4 - Maintenance; Step 5 - Cleanup Checkup; Step 6 - New Rituals
Afterword: Take What You've Learned into the World; Acknowledgements
Walsh is a professional organizer who is part of the show Clean Sweep. So this isn't just a hobby with him. It's his life. Many of the people he works with have significant issues with hoarding, to the extent that it affects their day-to-day existence in the house. Rather than just going in and throwing stuff out for them (which would just mean they have more room to hoard with), he works with their emotional issues that put them in this predicament in the first place. By imagining the life you want to lead, you can start to figure out the way your space needs to be laid out. Then dealing with the emotional attachment behind why certain things are compulsively saved, you can begin to discard stuff without suffering from major trauma as the trash man hauls it away. :) I liked his progression from clearing surface clutter to looking at what you actually use (rather than what you think you might use one of these days). Once you get things down to a workable level, then you can practice the "something comes in, something goes out" philosophy. Bottom line, by using these techniques and dealing with the underlying causes, you *can* have a life that's less cluttered and more peaceful.
Fortunately, my wife and I are not at the stage of many of Walsh's clients. But we could be doing so much better, and be so much happier. After we get back from our vacation, I think that the trashman is going to start getting a major workout. I already started today by going through all my clothes and culling out half of what I owned. Given the entertaining style of writing and practical advice dished out here, I think we're well on our way.
Book Description
Fly Out of CHAOS
(Can’t Have Anyone Over Syndrome)
Into Order--One BabyStep at a Time
With her special blend of housecleaning tips, humor, and musings about daily life, Marla Cilley, a.k.a. The FlyLady, shows you how to manage clutter and chaos and get your home--and your life--in order. Drawn from the lessons and tools used in her popular mentoring program, FlyLady helps you create doable housekeeping routines and break down overwhelming chores into manageable missions that will restore peace to your home--and your psyche. Soon you’ll be able to greet guests without fear, find your keys, locate your kids, and most of all, learn how to FLY: Finally Loving Yourself.
Customer Reviews:
Amazed.......2007-10-17
I was and still am amazed at how doing the little things suggested in this book have made my life EASIER! It isn't anything profound, but it is written in a way that is encouraging and motivating!
love it!!!!.......2007-10-11
I like her no nonsense help. I haven't even followed all her instructions yet because I'm a real hard case but even with just the begining steps my husband and family are noticeing a difference in my home already. I'm so glad I bought this book I can't wait to get her other books as well.
Fun but a little too compulsive........2007-10-04
I bought this for my daughter, to help her with her house, life, and anything else. I didn't want her to be insulted, so I read it and told her I bought it for me but thought she might like it too. It started out great, great ideas, funny, fun. But it got a little too over the edge....compulsive...neat freakish towards the end. I told my daughter to try to incorporate SOME of the Flylady's tips into her routine. She hasn't read it yet, but I'm hoping she learns something from it, because she is a very disorganized person. It seemed there were some discrepancies in the book about her life, which makes you feel she's making all of this up to make money, not to share her experience. Hopefully my daughter doesn't catch on to some of it.
Sink Reflections - Flylady - book.......2007-09-25
I loved this book and think it had great motivational ideas. Hopefully it will keep me encouraged to get organized and learn to FLY.
Boy do I need this book!!.......2007-09-13
I am starting to FLY, babysteps, but it is a beginning. It is way too fun! Can't wait to get on the live blog.
Book Description
The extraordinary guide to ordinary items and products with time- and money-saving uses. Over 2,000 of them!
In Haley's Hints readers will find:
€ Environment-friendly tips on cleaning and stain removal
€ Money-saving advice on pest control and pet care
€ Practical pointers for children, seniors, and gardeners
€ Recipe tricks
€ Laundry tips
€ Sewing hints
€ Workplace wonders
€ Plumbing, painting, carpentry, and electrical shortcuts
€ Plus a whole chapter on pampering themselves
All topped off with a comprehensive easy-find index to help readers find the exact solution they need-fast.
Download Description
"THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER with more than 2,000 simple household solutions. It started with a phenomenally successful series of Haley's Hints spots on Canadian television, which have now been seen in over 20 countries in 10 languages on four continents! It continued with hundreds of radio appearances, magazine and newspaper columns, and guest spots on national shows like ""The View."" Today, two one-hour specials are seen on PBS stations across the country. . .and the self-published hardcover edition of Haley's Hints has sold an astonishing 875,000 copies! Now, at last in paperback, this is the extraordinary guide packed with 2,000 time and money-saving tips on everything from laundry to gardening, pet care to pest control, painting to plumbing-topped off with the unique Easy-Find index for finding answers, fast."
Customer Reviews:
Great book.......2007-10-10
This is a great book. Lots of hints on cleaning, etc. I have used it numerous times and it works!
This is a great resource book.......2007-09-28
I bought "Haley's Hints" after seeing it highlighted on one of the fundraising shows on PBS. We're already using lots of the tips in the book, and loving them. The only problem we encountered was actually finding the water softener (or washing soda). It does not mention any brand names, and most stores I checked didn't know what I was referring to. One other note of interest that I've discovered through trial and error...when it says use salt, use iodized salt...NOT sea salt. Apparently the iodized version has a critical component missing in natural salt.
Great Buy!.......2007-09-16
I purchased this book after seeing a segment on PBS. This book is filled with simple tips on how to organize your home. Several tips have become quick favorites. This book led me to purchase Haley's Cleaning Tips which have really been useful. I even purchased a copy for my mother who has enjoyed learning new tips.
Haleys Hints?.......2007-09-14
I was looking forward to getting this book especially after watching the PBS special, but I was so disappointed. I was really looking for good products for cleaning products(which I haven't found yet). I think that if he transcribed the show that he does for PBS and sells that he will have a much better book. I would only recommend this book if you already have some good home care books in your collection. This is not a particularly good choice for the modern family.
WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS.......2007-09-06
Great book for practical, efficient hints of all types. Lots of short cuts too. We all can use Haley's Hints in our busy daily lives.
Amazon.com
Drawing on the success of her first book, Creating Sacred Space with Feng Shui, Karen Kingston has met popular demand by expanding on the indispensable activity of clearing clutter. There is very little of actual Feng Shui here, and certainly nothing you can't get elsewhere, but the clutter problem gets full and complete treatment. Kingston reminds us that clutter is stuck energy that keeps you stuck in undesirable life patterns. Therefore, you can "sort out your life by sorting out your junk." Kingston covers the reasons we keep things as well as the amazing stories of people who have cleared their clutter away. More than just junk, clutter is all those things that have negative symbology and that collect stagnant energy. This latter can also apply to bodily, emotional, and spiritual clutter, all of which Kingston describes with characteristic passion. In an age of accumulation, it's good to see a book that frees up life again.
Book Description
Clear Your Clutter and Transform Your Life!
Clutter is trapped energy that has far-reaching effects physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. The simple act of clearing clutter can transform your life by releasing negative emotions, generating energy, and allowing you to create space in your life for the things you want to achieve. In
Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui, Karen Kingston, pioneer of a branch of Feng Shui known as Space Clearing, expertly guides you through the liberating task of clutter clearing. You will learn:
Why you keep clutter
How to identify and clear clutter in your home or workplace
How to clear clutter from your body, mind, and spirit
How to stay clutter-free
Customer Reviews:
Top 10 of my list. Helpful for anyone.......2007-10-06
This Book is one of the BEST for clearing clutter. I have tried to for years without much success until this book opened my eyes. It gave me understanding why I do some of the things I do. I started right away in clearing areas (getting rid of excess stuff). I got rid of 80% of my clothes and WOW what a change. I got rid of old sweatshirts ( 16 years old could hardly wear) that I had emotions attached to and soon after throwing them away I found Brand new ones for a great low price. Clutter does work on your subconscious in a negative way. Decluttering truly helped my whole family in many ways.
This is not a book for organizing your clutter, it is on taking the extra out of your life. It is so nice now to walk into an area that I have worked on and feel at peace. My mother started with the advise from this book and my father commented to her "what ever your doing keep it up". He didn't know how to explain it but he was feeling better with her getting rid of extra pictures of someone they were having problems with.
The Feng Shui part is very basic. For others I have shared this book with and myself agree that this book is the way to start with Feng Shui. It is very hard to see results with Feng Shui when the clutter is in the way. If you don't understand Feng Shui this book still helps you with the basics.
ENJOY
loved it!.......2007-10-02
Best book I've ever read on the subject. I'm not into Feng Shui but it didn't matter.
very good book .......2007-08-29
This book is a very good book for yourself and also to hand down to your adult children or friends.
Clear Your Clutter!.......2007-08-29
This is a terrific book for people who need to be motivated to clear their clutter! Clutter removal is essential to rid your home or office of unwanted negative, stagnate energies. I'm a huge proponent of clearing clutter (and organizing the rest.)
Once your home or office is free from clutter, the next step--creating a sanctuary in your home and manifesting your desires--is easy.
So, if you overwhelmed with clutter, allow Karen to guide you!
Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify and Energize Your Life, Your Home and Your Planet
Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui by Karen Kingston.......2007-08-23
This is a book I was waiting for for years. To bring the art and spirituality of Feng Shui together with clearing your clutter and the emotional baggage that goes with it, is a phenominal task and was done beautifully and succinctly by the author. I read it in practically one gulp and immediately set about to clear our years of clutter. Of course, I was planning this maneuver in my head for a long time before I found this perfect instruction kit. It is true what the author conveys: clearing clutter not only clears your spaces, but frees your spirit as well.You will not be sorry you bought this lovely little book.
Book Description
There is a revolution going on in America—a green revolution. The latest front is the home, as households across the country adopt new ways to keep their homes clean and healthy—and ways to do it that are good for the environment. Green Clean is the definitive, step-by-step guide to cleaning better while using nontoxic, ecofriendly products. Room by room and stain by stain, Green Clean breaks environmentally conscious cleaning into simple principles and easily mastered techniques that let readers set their own goals and develop their own cleaning plan. Also included are recipes for safe, simple, and economic cleaning solutions and the lowdown on the best eco-friendly cleaning products on the market today. Green Clean is an indispensable reference for today's home.
Customer Reviews:
Loving This Book!!!.......2007-08-17
I would have given this book more than 5 stars, if I could!
I checked it out via my local library, but will be purchasing it, for sure.
The book is well laid out; you don't have to read the whole thing to get to what you need. There is a section for each cleaning zone of your house, kitchen, bathroom, laundry, etc...
The recipes for cleaning (also in their own section) are easy to make, and come from readily available, healthy alternatives...and perform much better than their toxic cousins.
I am so impressed at the performance of club soda; I never knew Windex and Glass Plus weren't working that well, until I tried club soda instead. My shiny surfaces look fantastic; at 50 cents a liter, who would want to pay more for chemicals?!
I have also been pleasantly surprised at how soft baking soda makes my laundry; goodbye fabric softener.
This book does a good job of encouraging you to become "more" green; not just for people who want to throw everything out and start over, but for people who want to change one or two things in their house to reduce the negative impact they may have on the environment. The awesome side-effect is, many of the "green" alternatives really do clean better, and are wayyyyy cheaper; trust me, I've cleaned houses for a living, and was one of those suckers who bought a diferent cleaning product for every surface in my home.
I have a 9 mo old in the house 2 days a week, as a part-time nanny, and I am proud to say, there is now nothing in my cleaning cabinet, that I would worry about her getting into; it will remain child-proof, for sure, but, if she drank my window cleaner, now, the worst that would happen is a big club-soda-burp.
Thanks, Green Clean!!!
Very good for some.......2007-08-14
This is a very good book for someone just starting out or who is thinking of "going green" for the first time. It has a lot of common sense information and guidelines on how to clean. It has good basic information on the hazards of commercially made products. Everything is very clearly laid out and the non-paper book is a very good idea for an environmentally friendly cleaning book.
What it is not good for is for someone who already knows the hazards and has been green cleaning for quite some time. I had been looking for something more up to date than my first edition of "Clean and Green" by Annie Berthold-Bond but this one is not it. I am looking forward to trying the "Vinegar of Four Thieves" and maybe a few other of the recipes and I have never seen a guide to laundry labels before (now I will know what all those triangles and little irons really mean). But the rest of the book is full of stuff any environmentally aware person would already know and if I had seen the book before buying, I would not have bought it. I will photocopy a few pages and then recycle the book on to someone to whom would like to begin going green.
Great purchase for everyone.......2007-07-19
I really liked this book and it gave a lot of helpful tips about hot to clean your house using all natural products. The book talks about how harmful all the additives and chemicals in cleaners are and it makes sense. There is a little bit of fluff with just common recommendations about random parts of life but it is very interesting and helpful. I would definately recommend this book.
Bamboozled no more!.......2007-07-03
I used to think I had to use the nuclear option to clean my house. I had to use the harshest chemicals to disinfect and clean. Then I had a baby and read about the dangers that household cleaners pose to her development and decided I'd use a little more elbow grease to keep my family (and the environment) safe. New research has shown that breast cancer, for instance, is more environmental than hereditary. Its cause has been linked to 200 everyday chemicals including the dioxins in household bleach. Another reason I made the switch.
This book has recipes for cleaning and shares the history of cleaning products. After reading it I realized my cleaning choices had been shaped by the successful marketing of companies who were selling dangerous chemicals in pretty bottles. Now, I buy natural, human and environmentally safe products or whip up my own cleaning products on the cheap!
Green advice that's easy to use!.......2007-05-10
I borrowed this book from the library to check it out first. But, now I'm buying it. The beginning could be skipped if you want to get right to the nitty-gritty! :) The recipes for cleaners are at the end and they work well!
I highly recommend this book to save you money and most imporantly, help save the environment!
Amazon.com
When describing a favorite room in the house, do you find yourself using terms such as "expansive," "formal," and "spacious"--a marble foyer or a formal dining room perhaps? Or do the words "cozy," "intimate," and "warm" come to mind--a cheery little breakfast nook or a window seat complete with plenty of pillows and a breathtaking view? More than likely, you--like thousands of other homeowners--are drawn to the more personal spaces in your home, where comfort, beauty, and efficiency meet. In The Not So Big House, respected architect Sarah Susanka and coauthor Kira Obolensky address our affinity for the "smaller, more personal spaces" and propose "clear, workable guidelines for creating homes that serve both our spiritual needs and our material requirements." The heart of the not-so-big house--which is not "just a small house ... [but] a smaller house," that uses "less space to give greater quality of life," and is designed to not only "accommodate the lifestyles of its occupants" but also to express "our values and our personalities," is discussed in chapter 1, entitled "Bigger Isn't Better." Susanka's urging for homeowners to get creative with their space as well as loads of ideas to encourage that creativity are covered in "Rethinking the House" and "Making Not So Big Work." Discussions of specific needs, such as a home for one and designing for kids, can be found in "Lifestyles of the Not So Rich and Famous," while "Dreams, Details, and Dollars" gets down to the nuts and bolts of the operation, looking at quality versus quantity, budgeting, and what "low end," "middle ground," and "high end" really mean in home design and construction. Lastly, the authors look at the home of the future, which involves simplifying, recycling, reducing waste, and using energy-efficient construction. With more than 200 color photographs, as well as floor plans and Susanka and Obolensky's intelligent and lively dialogue, The Not So Big House is perfect for homeowners ready to rethink their space. --Stefanie Hargreaves
Book Description
Sarah Susanka contends that people are naturally drawn to intimate spaces. Large structures inspired by outdated patterns tend to result in houses that just don't work. In The Not So Big House, she proposes clear guidelines for creating homes that serve spiritual needs as well as material requirements. Topics covered include designing for specific lifestyles, budgeting, building a home from scratch, and using energy-efficient construction. With more than 200 color photographs as well as floor plans, the book is perfect for homeowners ready to rethink their space. “Susanka says to evaluate what makes you feel at home and let your activities define your rooms.” — San Francisco Chronicle
Customer Reviews:
Great concepts, middling design.......2007-09-25
I've found this book to be an invaluable resource and appreciate the philosophy and information contained within it. I also found the numerous photos and illustrations to be helpful to convey Susanka's ideas.
The only problem is that I found the actual design and decor of the homes in the book somehow dated and uninspiring. This is definitely a personal reaction, and I'm sure others would disagree. Despite my issues with the actual look of the homes, I'd recommend this as an essential resource along with John Wheatman's books (whose design does resonate for me).
Inspiration & ideas for rethinking your living space.......2007-09-02
The ideas in this book encourage you to think about how you would like use your home space and how to accomplish this marriage of functionality with comfort and aesthetics. Almost every photo has some new little idea to think about. It gives me hope that I'll finally be able to create a comfortable home that integrates everyone's interests & needs. It's inspirational for those of us who have to adapt living spaces to growing families & to those like me who are now empty nesters (but who still need bed space for visiting family members).
A must Have If You Plan To Build.......2007-06-27
Useful, practical, creative. Anyone can gain something from this book even if you aren't building.
Reviewed by Amy Lignor.......2007-06-21
Have you ever found yourself asking, "Is this all there is to life?" We are running in a world of cell phone and blackberry technology, where life is so fast that we never have time to do what we truly want: sit back and enjoy our lives while we have one. This author, with a background in architecture, has put together a fantastic psychological blueprint, if you will, to make changes that will offer you a more rewarding life. This is not like the usual "schlock" that says close your eyes and all good things will come. No, this author takes the time to reveal that things like form and function are not only useful in building a house, they can be translated into building a better life. In a house, you can tear down interior walls to make more space and bring in more light; in your life, you can tear down your fears and open new possibilities.
This is a lovely read filled with wise advice. The author has successfully interwoven her extensive architectural background into well-compiled thoughts on how each and every one of us can make small changes in our lives that will allow us to treasure the time we have.
My advice? If you wish to begin taking time out to enjoy your life - begin by reading this book.
Insightful book with great ideas.......2007-05-26
I was starting to think I was crazy for wanting to build a small house, but this book perfectly articulates the thoughts I was having so much conveying. It is a wonderful basis for discussion and offers many practical, well thought out ideas for implementation.
Book Description
In her latest book, best-selling author of The Not So Big House Sarah Susanka teams up with architectural design writer Marc Vassallo to expand upon the message that has resonated with over a million homeowners and builders across the country: opting for personalized, well-crafted, thoughtfully designed spaces over superfluous square footage results in a home that comforts and nourishes those who live there.
In Inside The Not So Big House, Susanka and Vassallo focus their lens on the tangible and sometimes intangible details that bring an otherwise ordinary home to life. Incorporating such details as dropped ceilings, built-in shelves, pocket doors, window seats, and well-placed alcoves infuses a home with the character of its owners and conveys a uniqueness that's mising in many homes built or remodeled today. From Rhode Island to San Diego, the 23 homes featured here illustrate exceptional attention to detail. Each offers inspiration for those building or remodeling to transform their home into an expression of all that is important to them. "Detail is everything in design. Sarah Susanka proves it again with this, her latest book."
--John Wheatman, author, Meditations on Design and A Good House Is Never Done
Customer Reviews:
For those who want to dig a little deeper.......2007-09-02
Susanka's attention to detail is awe-inspiring, and probably more information than the average person wants, but the book has great photos and some wonderful ideas that anyone can use. If you've been able to acquire the perfect furniture, best use of space and light, but you're still missing the ingredient to really pull it all together -- balance, aesthetics, personality, etc -- this book may help you.
Full of inspiring ideas!.......2007-03-08
I have been devouring the pages of ideas in this book. I think I have looked all through it a dozen times, because many of the concepts and ideas seem to improve and become more usable as I think them over. We live in a ca. 1970's "split-ranch" house and this book has me thinking creatively about using the space in our house in ways I haven't done before.
Great Ideas.......2006-11-03
Read the book cover to cover and enjoyed a fresh look at residential design. As an architect myself, it made me rethink some of my own design processes. Bigger isn't always necessarily better!
Less is most definitely more.......2006-03-22
In this astonishing book, which is filled with wonderful ideas, as well as being a beautiful coffee table book, we are granted an inside look at a truly new concept in home design in our age of teardowns and mega-mansions, a concept that smaller can be more satisfying than larger, if properly done. Here we are presented with something seldom viewed these days, how to make a house a home. There is something for every taste herein, and it is even multi-cultural, with oriental viewpoints as well on both furniture and flow of the home. Spend some time with this excellent book to see how every size home can be made more personal and beautiful, no matter what the budget.
Great as always!.......2006-03-20
Sarah books are a staple in my books of design collection. I refer to them frequently. She has a wonderful sense of design as it relates to organization, usefullness,and asthetically pleasing. I wish more designers and architects would use her sensibility and we would not be over run with all the hideous, vapid,mac mansions everywhere. I would reccommend all of her books without hesitation.
Amazon.com
Virtually everyone enjoys a crisply ironed dress shirt, clean sheets on a well-made bed, and a savory home-cooked meal. Yet housekeeping today stands as a somewhat neglected, if not maligned, job. But as author Cheryl Mendelson points out in Home Comforts, keeping house well can be a rewarding position--it allows you to provide for the physical and emotional comfort of loved ones. It's also not an easy job--there's much to be learned about properly managing a home, and Mendelson has set out to provide a guide to doing just that.
Mendelson, a homemaker, lawyer, and mother, learned about housekeeping from an early age from her grandmothers, one Appalachian, the other Italian. The two grandmothers taught her that although different ways of keeping house can be appropriate, there are generally smarter, faster, and more creative ways of housekeeping that make it less of a chore and more of an art. In a practical, authoritative tone, Mendelson discusses the ins and outs of homemaking, such as washing dishes, recommended cleaning methods for various surfaces, housekeeping for those with pets or allergies, and emergency preparedness and safety procedures.
Mendelson's well-researched book includes meticulous sections on food (for example, which foods belong in the fridge versus the pantry, food storage times, picking the freshest fruits and vegetables, and keeping your kitchen and food sanitary) as well as laundry (caring for various fabrics, how to read--and read between the lines of--clothing care labels, and removing stains). Mendelson covers a lot of ground, and as she herself points out, readers shouldn't feel required to do everything mentioned in the book--simply pick the activities that seem appropriate for your particular home. This is a comprehensive reference book that should serve homemakers well and induce a greater appreciation for the effort and specialized knowledge that go into keeping house. --Kris Law
Book Description
Home Comforts is something new. For the first time in nearly a century, a sole author has written a comprehensive book about housekeeping. This is not a dry how-to manual, nor a collection of odd tips and hints, a cleaning book, a history book, or an arid encyclopedia compiled by a committee or an institute. Home Comforts is a readable explanation for both beginners and experts of all the domestic arts -- choosing fabrics, keeping the piano in tune, caring for books, making a good fire in the fireplace and avoiding chimney fires, ironing and folding, setting up a good reading light, keeping surfaces free of food pathogens, and everything else that modern people might want to do for themselves in their homes. But this reliable and thorough book on the practicalities of housekeeping is also an argument for the importance of private life and the comforts offered by housekeeping.
Cheryl Mendelson is a philosopher, lawyer, sometime professor, and a homemaker, wife, and mother. Home Comforts is based on her domestic education, which she acquired while growing up on a farm in the hills of Greene County, in southwestern Pennsylvania, from her grandmothers, aunts, and mother. Learning from the distinct domestic styles of her native Appalachian relatives and her Italian immigrant relatives, she appreciated early on how important domestic customs are to a sense of comfort and identity in life. She writes out of love and respect for her subject, and hopes to inspire others to develop the affection and respect for home life and housework she was fortunate to have learned.
Mendelson addresses the meanings as well as the methods of housekeeping with a keen sense of the history and values involved. The result is a warm, good-humored, engagingly written book with a message and a point of view, one that is overflowing with useful reflections and information. The clarity, breadth, and depth of the information collected here are unparalleled. You can read Home Comforts for thoughtful entertainment or use its ample index to help you find the answers to practical domestic questions. There is nothing quite like it.
Among this book's unique features:
· A skeptical discussion of the excessive use of disinfectants in the home. · How to iron a dress shirt and how to fold sheets. · How to make up a bed with hospital corners. · How to do all basic sewing stitches. · How to choose proper sizes for sheets, tablecloths, and other household linens. · How to set the table for informal and formal meals. · Expert recommendations for safe food storage. · The most exhaustive and reliable information on fabrics, textile fibers, and their laundering, drying, and other care that exists for nonprofessionals. · A thorough explanation of care labels and why and how you should often (carefully) disregard them. · Housekeeping guidelines for people with pets or with allergies. · What to do about dust mites. · How to clean and care for wood, china and crystal, jewelry, ceramic tile, metals, and more. · Guides to stain and spot removal. · Extensive recommendations for improving home safety. · A summary of laws applicable to the home, including privacy, accident liability, contracts, and domestic employees.·
· 200 Elegant, Clear Drawings ·
Customer Reviews:
For beginner to expert!.......2007-05-21
Ms. Mendelsohn has created the housekeeper's bible. The beginner will find answer to every dilemma, from how to shop to how to store groceries once you get them. Food selection, preservation and storage get a thorough going-over. The chapter on cloth tells you all about how it works, how to store it, and how to clean it without getting the dreaded pink sheets from red socks.... and then how to clean the rest of your castle. Home safety is not neglected, with valuable tips for avoiding a tragedy.
Chock full of sage advice, even the veteran homemaker can benefit. This book is worth reading for everyone, and is a must-have for teaching kids who will someday be on their own. Would make a great gift for a new bride or someone setting up house in that first apartment. Five stars
Good resource.......2007-04-06
This has information on virtually all aspects of housekeeping. It is interesting and appropriate for both the novice housekeeper and those who have been at it for a longer period of time. While there are better single-subject books, the encyclopedic nature of this one makes it a great reference for housekeeping topics. Covers everything from ironing to thread-count to home organization. Recommended.
Very Useful Book!.......2007-01-26
This book reminds me of the Victorian home economics books that were popular during the cult of domesticity. It's full of tons of useful information as well as interesting factoids about the origins of many of our household rituals! I highly recommend this book.
Comprehensive guide.......2007-01-17
There are pages and pages of things in this book that I may never do, but many more pages detailing the how and why of things I aspire to do as well as things I haven't decided yet whether I will ever get around to! Having covered EVERYTHING, the author is sure to provide me with the answer to whatever housekeeping question is important to me.
I am amazed by the completeness of this reference and absolutely charmed by the combination of modern day applicability and old world practicality!
A Home Staple.......2006-12-28
Every home should have this book! It not only tells you how to clean and maintain a home but it is also funny. There are instructions for how to fold bottom sheets and how long to keep different types of food in the fridge. I now buy this book for every couple getting married as part of their gift.
Books:
- Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War
- Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War
- Mein Leben (German edition of "My Life")
- Memoirs of John Quincy Adams, comprising portions of his diary from 1795 to 1848 (Select bibliographies reprint series)
- Mrs. Robert E. Lee: The Lady of Arlington
- Nothing to Fear: The Key to Cancer Survival
- Of Spies and Lies: A CIA Lie Detector Remembers Vietnam
- Palm Springs Confidential: Playground of the Stars
- Pick Your Poison: A Yellow Rose Mystery (Yellow Rose Mysteries)
- Plain and Simple: A Woman's Journey to the Amish
Books Index
Books Home
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Martha Stewart
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Good Things for Organizing (Good Things with Martha Stewart Living)
Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook
You: On a Diet: The Owner's Manual for Waist Management
Barefoot Contessa at Home: Everyday Recipes You'll Make Over and Over Again
Simple Home Solutions: Good Things with Martha Stewart Living
