Customer Reviews

Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House

5 star:		(137)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

My sister bought this book for me a few years ago as a Christmas gift, and errantly enough I often made the mistake of simply checking the index and thumbing to the appropriate pages when needed. This week, in a fit of un-hominess related to flat-mate changes, 30-something grad school home-neglect, etc., I went to my bookshelves looking for some solace. For the first time -- I looked at the table of contents and there I found the secrets I had been looking for all along: Chapter 1 - My Secret Life. I started reading the book from the preface onward immediately.

Though I am a child of the early 70's, I was raised by parents born in the 30's, subjected to post-war/50's cleaning rigors through the week and every weekend. At heart, like my own grandmother, I am a putterer - 100% contrary to my callisthenic style chore-upbringing.

For years, I have secretly reveled while doing all of my housework as close to bedtime as possible, sometimes hours after all "normal" people were long in bed. The truth is I honestly like doing housework -- I simply do not like doing it first thing out of bed, nor according to any clock. I love going to sleep knowing that there are far better reasons to wake up in the morning than some mess left over from today. To finally find a book written by someone who genuinely loves to keep house, this was a sleeping joy sitting on my bookshelf I am sorry I never started reading cover-to-cover long ago. Though I am sure I will probably find a point within a few chapters where I decide that it will be relegated to more of a reference, I now know that when I have a little free time here or there, want to steal myself away to relax with a cup of tea between loads of laundry -- I have just the tome to which to turn to learn more and more about how make house into "home".

Cheryl Mendelson brings her secret love of housework into her writing brilliantly and sometimes humorously. After years of looking at housekeeping as a chore while I tried to keep up with the clockwork callisthenic style of my childhood and feeling guilty for wanting to relax my way through making my home just that, I finally found an author who approaches her subject as something to revel in rather than revile -- an author who validates the secret wisdom of my own grandmother as absolutely nothing to feel guilty about. At first realization that Mendelson left "JD" off the cover, an eyebrow went up as to how many pages would pass before the respect and humor turned into a dry-as-heck legal brief, as enthusiastic as a math professor reciting his grocery list, but it doesn't really happen.

Anyone can pick up a little 100-page quickie on how to make chores more efficient or effective, written by people who hate to "waste time" tending to household needs. While Mendelson does indeed write about many things effects the same ends, her style exudes respect and truly communicates that one does these things to convert the house into a well balanced, efficiently run, harmonious home. A place to "come home" to, rather than a demanding place that simply adds to the worries of the outside world. Save your pennies and ignore those little "hints" books -- this one single volume is worth its weight in gold.

One of the best and most comprehensive housekeeping books I know. I brilliant reference book for every house. What the Joy of Cooking is to the kitchen Home Comforts is to the entire house.

Driving home one day I heard an interview with Cheryl Mendelson. I was taken away with her ideas on housekeeping. My views have been forever shaped by this book. This book goes into great detail about every aspect of house keeping, and quite frankly more than I ever considered. Her cleaning methods are detailed. I fell in love with the theory behinds things like do we dust or vaccuum first? How to best seperate clothes before you put them in the washer. Her topics range from keeping your house clean, you laying out your kitchen cabinets for your ease, to how to make your home comfortable in many ways. This book is perfect for both the beginner house keeper as well as the seasoned person. You may even be able to settle arguments such as the proper way to fold things by reading this book. What I loved most about her book is that she wasn't trying to push high standards on you, but she shows you schedules, lists, and what should be done, and why. We all live in a busy world now, with many of us raising families, as well as working. This book can help to relieve some of this frustations with showing you how to organize your home to make it more comfortable for you.

...and then it was "borrowed" by a colleague at work and never returned! We embarked on a big cleaning session during our vacation and it was fun!
Some of it is just a bit anal-retentive, but some of the best methods described are inexpensive - like using a bit of bleach with water to wipe down your counters. You come to miss that "clean" smell if you don't always remember to do it. It also helps clear out any old cooking odors.
Think I'll buy myself another copy and give colleague the bill - she's already flagged and made notes in my old one, I hear.

Finally a good book about home economics. I didn't learn these things growing up. Yes, I know the basics but I'm certainly not Mary Poppins. This is a good way to improve the necessary skills required to manage my home. Another excellent book I just read is called Simple and Simply Delicious by Sylvie Rocher. I recommend it as well because it's an excellent book that I used to make excellent, exotic meals for my family (and friends that visit).

This is the best book I've found for how to keep house. In addition to being helpful, it's a good read. It's not just a long, dictionary-type list of how to remove stains as so many cleaning books seem to be. It talks about setting up routines, about the science behind cleaning products (so you will always know what to use when), how to fold laundry, and so much more. It is perfect for anyone who feels clueless about the very basics of homemaking.

I needed to know how to iron my clothes and starch my collars. I got that, plus a lot more great information about doing laundry.

Plus great information about shopping, preparing a meal and so on. And great information about germs, dust mites, allergies, and so on. It inspired me to become quite a bit more diligent about dealing with mildew, changing my sheets, doing dishes and sorting laundry.

As a bachelor, I recommend it to other bachelors.

book! Discusses just about anything concerning house cleaning and homemaking. A great reference-type book, I liked it so much that I sent a copy to my son.

I have dog eared my copy to bits. I can now calculate watts and amps, tell you what fabric is ironed on what temperature, and what detergent or soap combination gets out what stain. As a librarian, I always want the full details as well as the guidance, and this book provides it.

If you simply want to understand what temperature to wash your clothes at, this book will tell you that with minimal effort on your part. The chapters and index are organized well. If you'd like to understand why the clothes are washed at that temperature, you can read on.

This book is good for the beginning home keeper, whether a bride or a college student with their first apartment. The experienced home keeper will enjoy the more technical discussions of microbes and pressing and disinfecting.

If you are considering this book, please know that I am pretty finicky about what I read-and what I buy. I will not look twice at a book that insults my basic knowledge. THIS BOOK IS NOT THAT!! It is a great resource for anyone. It is a book that you will want to keep around forever and a book that would make a great gift for a man or woman, wedding shower gift, housewarming gift--but just one warning, if you are buying one for a gift, make sure you buy one for yourself!! Directions and clearly written information from everything from proper cleaning to domestic employment laws!! 800+pages-I learn something new everytime I pick it up or reference something.