Round-up of books on housework
by Teri Brown
see real progress in my quest for personal and household organization. The closets are usable, my desk is neat and tidy and I am rarely late for appointments anymore. I have found a catch though. I have to keep it organized and that means good cleaning habits. If you think about it that is pretty much what organization is--keeping everything in its place. Remember the old adage, "A place for everything and everything in its place?" Turns out it wasn't just something moms said in order to make their teenage daughters insane!
So, how to obtain and keep good housecleaning habits in order to keep your home organized, that is the question. I have found that housecleaning books work for me. It's a question of reading about what you want to do. Eventually you are going to hop up off the chair and do it! Of course, there are housecleaning books and there are housecleaning books; the trick is to figure out which one gets you going! These are some of my favorites.
Clutter's Last Stand: It's Time to De-Junk Your Life!--Don Aslett
Before you learn to clean you have to have room to clean. This funny and entertaining book makes tossing stuff much easier. It was instrumental in getting me motivated to simplify my life.
Speed Cleaning--Jeff Cambell and the Clean Team Staff
The methods espoused in this book are presented in a clear, no-nonsense way. I found this book to be helpful in its methodology and tips, like clean from top to bottom and make as few trips around the room as possible, keeping your supplies with you at all times, but I felt it left a little to be desired on making housecleaning a meaningful, giving thing. Its basic premise is to get it done as quickly as possible so that you can get on to the better things in life. Not very flattering for those who choose cleaning as a part of making our homes a warm and comfortable place to live. If you can ignore that tone and take the tips, it is a very useful book.
Hints from Heloise
This one is an oldie but a goody. I was fortunate enough to pick up a set of four Heloise books for two dollars at a garage sale. All date back from about the mid to late sixties and look it! The set contains "Heloise All Around the House," "Heloise's Work and Money Savers," "Heloise's Kitchen Hints" and "Heloise's Housekeeping Hints." Though all these books are worth their weight in gold; the housekeeping hints volume is the one I use the most. Some of the items used are dated, and most of us do not have drawers full of silver, but most of the hints offered are ageless and have saved me countless hours.
Take the broom and the shower stall, for instance. I have always hated cleaning out the tub and shower stall as the water and cleaner always ran down my arm while I was scrubbing. When I read that I should be using the broom it was a light bulb moment! It works great, the broom get a good cleaning and my arm no longer gets itchy from the cleaner! All her books are like this and I advise getting all of them!
Shelter for the Spirit: How To Make Your Home a Haven in a Hectic World--Victoria Moran
This isn't strictly a housekeeping book, but I include it because the chapter it does have on housekeeping is so encouraging to me. She advises doing your housework as a gift to yourself and your family. How many times have I whined and complained through my daily chores? Too many times to count, and this lowers housework to drudgery instead of a necessary part of creating a home. Moran also suggests using cleansers and utensils that bring us joy. For instance she uses a special broom, hand made in the Ozarks with colored straw. I enjoyed reading the entire book and the cleaning chapter brought more joy to my housekeeping then I have ever thought possible.
Teri Brown is a freelance writer and the homeschooling mother of two. Her
book,
Christian Unschooling: growing your child in the freedom of Christ, is now available.
Technorati Tags: Organize This!
