Product Description
This volume includes space planning and storage suggestions for each room of the house, emphasizing functionality and easy access to needed items.
Click Here to see more reviews about: The Complete Home Organizer (Paperback)
Home Comforts is not"the fascists guide to spotless houses at the expense of friends,family, career, and joy". Indeed, the author repeatedly stresses thather methods and schedules are suggestions, nothing more, and goes to greatlengths to explain why each task should be done in the first place, and howto balance the effort against the benefits. I found nothing in it tosuggest that I, living alone in my brand-new house, should be forced intohours of weekly drudgery in order to meet an irrational white-glovestandard; what I found was a set of clear explanations that would allow meto make informed choices on how to set my own standards and keep up withthem in a reasonable and realistic way.
Attempting to read it from coverto cover in one sitting is indeed overwhelming, and I can see why it leftsome people feeling inadequate or with the false impression that the authorwas looking down her nose at the readers. I didn't know most of thosethings either, and much of what I thought I knew was wrong.
Some aspectsthat others find off-putting added to the charm for me. Who but a lawyerwould, when faced with the complications of laundry care labels, reachimmediately for the federal regulations governing them? The book gets a bitchatty, but if I didn't know what sort of person the author was, how wouldI know what motivated her advice in a particular area? I don't think I'dreached page seven before I was wondering "if there were any more athome like her", and not because I wanted to hire one as a full-timehousekeeper; Mendelson is a "rational romantic", mixing equalparts of enthusiasm and sensibility into her writing.
As for omissions,I'm hard-pressed to find any significant ones. Doesn't say anything aboutdoing your own plumbing or electrical work? Why should it? The informationit does supply is geared to living in a home, not repairing or renovatingone. For those who choose to do more in that area, she makes a point ofrecommending other sources. Personally, the only thing I've noticed so farthat it doesn't say anything specific about is getting stains out ofconcrete floors, something I'm willing to research on my own, since she'ssaved me the trouble for pretty much every other kind of floor and wallcovering I'm likely to encounter.
Oh, and I bought Mom a copy. Hopefullyshe'll take it the right way...
-j
Click Here to see more reviews about: Home Comforts : The Art and Science of Keeping House (Hardcover)
While Mary Elizabeth Massey's "Ersatz in theConfederacy," republished in the last few years by the University ofSouth Carolina Press, is a worthwhile history of home life during thosetimes, "The Confederate Housewife" goes further by quoting theexact recipes and nuggets of advice that appeared in newspapers andperiodicals like "Field and Fireside," "SouthernCultivator" and "Clarke's Confederate Household Almanac."
Reading these pages is like going back in time, when advice is needed torestore tainted meat ("take it out of the pickle. Wash so as tocleanse it of the offensive pickle . . . As you re-pack your pieces, itwould be well to rub each piece with salt."), get rid of mosquitoes("put a couple of generous pieces of beef on plates near your bed atnight, and you will sleep untroubled by these pests.") or dealing withbloated cattle ("a dose of thoroughwort with a little tansey willafford immediately relief.")
If nothing else, it will make yougrateful for indoor plumbing, air conditioning and refrigerators.
Product Description
Combination cookbook and "how-to-do-it" guide, this receipt book provides for the first time a comprehensive, grass roots picture of what many Confederate housewives faces during those tumultuous years. Substitutes abound, as do ways to preserve food, care for crops and animals, make straw hats and squirrel-skin shoes, and cure everything from cancer to small pox to ingrown toenails. Half of the nearly six hundred entries here -- all published in journals or newspapers during the Civil War -- relate to the preparation and cooking of food and encompass both substitutes and standard fare, everything from snow corn cakes and cracker pie to walnut catsup and secession rice bread. Also included is advice on measuring land, estimating hay, and collecting opium for home use. "Some of these recipes may seem strange by today's standards others horrific (cures for cancer that use turkey figs, sheep sorrel, and dock root). Still others are helpful even today." -- Civil War Times
About the Author
John Hammond Moore is a former news reporter and history teacher. He is the author of sixteen books, eight of which deal with South Carolina where he makes his home.
Click Here to see more reviews about: The Confederate Housewife: Receipts & Remedies, Together with Sundry Suggestions for Garden, Farm, & Plantation (Paperback)
Nevertheless, the ideas in this book are sound, and have helped me to slowly start organizing my own house.Heavy on theory, and rather light on examples, "Living Organized" spends most of its time reassuring you that no, you're not a horrible person because you can't keep your house clean, and yes, there are solutions to your problems.It does take a rather traditional view towards housework (referring to the "motherly" jobs of keeping "husband and children" organized, etc), but if you're able to take it with a grain of salt, then you should be fine.
Product Description
The Organizer Lady™ makes it easy for readers to develop strategies for mess-free living. Author of the best-selling Messies Manual, Sandra Felton shares her insight on the best ways to bring out the hidden beauty in messy houses. Included in this comprehensive guide to "cleaner living" are 100 little-known housekeeping tips, inspiring testimonies from recovering Messies, strategies for living with a disorganized people, and action plans to help win the clutter war. With enthusiasm and humor, Felton makes housekeeping easier and less overwhelming for the organizationally challenged.
From the Back Cover
Develop strategies for mess-free living! Everyone wants a beautiful home--one that welcomes visitors gracefully and provides a sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. But as we go through life we acquire all sorts of stuff that clutters up our lives and our houses. And a beautiful home is just not possible if every nook and cranny is considered fair game for storage!Now you can win the clutter war. Sandra Felton, The Organizer Lady, shares her insight on the best ways to bring out the hidden beauty in messy houses. She makes housekeeping less overwhelming for the organizationally challenged with-interior design tips-inspiring stories from the organizing trenches-advice for coping with a messy spouse or childDon't settle for a messy house. Learn the strategies you need to get organized and stay organized. Who knows? The house of your dreams could be right under your nose.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Living Organized: Proven Steps for a Clutter-Free and Beautiful Home (Paperback)
Field Guide to Stains is divided into handy sections for easy access to information about stain removal when time is of the essence: Fruits and Vegetables, Sauces and Condiments, Garage and Yard, Office and School Products, and more. But readers will learn more than just areas of occurrence, plus other essential information.
A full-color insert features 100 photographs for easy identification, and each photograph is cross-referenced to the stain's in-depth description and step-by-step removal advice.
This hilarious handbook is essential reading for everyone about to venture out into the wild, to the kitchen, or to a night on the town!
About the Author
Virginia M. Friedman, Melissa Wagner, and Nancy Armstrong are freelance writers living in Philadelphia. They have been studying stains in their natural environment for the last 12 years.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Field Guide to Stains: How to Identify and Remove Virtually Every Stain Know to Man (Paperback)
Cerentha Harris, herself a harried working mom, offers practical, stylish strategies for cleaning and caring for the home. She understands the concerns of today's readers. Her tips are time saving and easy to follow, and whenever possible they're environmentally sound: Instead of relying on expensive, and perhaps harmful, chemicals, Harris shows us how to tackle the toughest of home tasks with earth-friendly cleansers and a bit of ingenuity and elbow grease.
For anyone who has ever wondered how to decorate on a budget; wash a feather-filled duvet; baby-proof, pet-proof, or burglarproof; sanitize the kitchen and deter pests; clean textured wallpaper (bread works best); or otherwise make their home stylish, cozy, and truly their own, Feather Your Nest is an indispensable, delightful companion.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Feather Your Nest: The Complete Guide to Outfitting, Cleaning, Organizing, and Caring for Your Home (Paperback)
Toxin-free techniquesand time-saving tips to makecleaning easier for you and less harmful to the planet.
The book is well organized into seven sections: entertaining, cooking, celebrating, giving, gardening, decorating, and homekeeping. I found useful ideas in each section - some sections were better than others for me - but even the ones of lesser interest to me were still lovely to look at. At the end of the book, Stewart includes a source guide for most of the materials used in this book.
I especially liked the kitchen tips (in the cooking section); the easy instruction for handmade soaps; tole painting on tin buckets; and the organizing hints which included record-keeping.
Some of the ideas did not appeal to me at all (like gluing live ivy leaves along the edges of a tablecloth, making a linen table-sized mat, making linen basket liners, and constructing wraps for bottles) but then again, they were fun to look at!
The beautiful arrangement of this book and its photos made it worth buying.
Product Description
Culled from the best of the "Good Things" columns in Martha Stewart Living magazine, this book offers a varied selection of wonderful crafts projects, recipes, hints for home decorating, organizing, and gift-giving. 200 color photos.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Good Things (Best of Martha Stewart Living) (Paperback)
Thebook begins with instructions as to how to organize your cleaning schedule,what should your priority be, and what should be the last thing to do.Andclean it like a pro, fast & right! Also, how to get rid of your clutteronce and for all. It gives you advise as to what kind of detergents youshould use,which cleaners are hazardous, which ones you should avoid andwhy. What I liked here, is How to hunt microbes (!)
In part two, it hasan A-Z reference with everything you can find in a house, and how to cleanit, so when you have a problem with a particular item, you don't justscroll up and down to find it, the A-Z makes it so easy.
Part three,again it's an A-Z rundown of everything you will need to know about.Inthis part, it gives further and more detailed information about cleaners aswell as tools for cleaning.
Product Description
This book does for cleaning what Joy of Cooking did for food preparation. More than 250 experts tell you precisely how to clean more than 300 common items in and around your home. Not only will you get your carpets, countertops, windows, dishes, and laundry into pristine shape, you'll also learn how to clean:
CAMERAS from the dean of the New York Institute of Photography
DOLLS from a co-owner of the Denver Doll Hospital
FISHING GEAR from TV's Mark Sosin, host of Mark Sosin's Saltwater Journal
SHOES from the editor of Shoe Service Magazine
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS from top musicians for the New York Philharmonic
BICYCLES from the technical editor for Bicycling magazine
PAINTINGS from a conservator at the Guggenheim Museum
FLOORS from the clean-up crew for the Los Angeles Lakers
EVEN TAXIDERMY from Roy Rogers Jr., who cares for that famous steed Trigger
AND EVERYTHING ELSE YOU OWN! from world authorities on fast and effective cleaning
What's more, you'll learn how to: Cut your cleaning time in half with secret shortcuts. Kill millions of germs you never knew were lurking. Conquer clutter. Protect your valuables from aging. Relieve allergies. And make powerful, Earth-friendly cleaning solutions that cost only pennies. A special bonus section tells you everything you need to know about buying and using more than 60 kinds of cleaning tools and chemicals.
Keep Clean It Fast, Clean It Right on an easy-access shelf in your home-- because you'll consult it frequently for decades to come!
Click Here to see more reviews about: Clean It Fast, Clean It Right: The Ultimate Guide to Making Absolutely Everything You Own Sparkle & Shine (Paperback)