A useful little cleaning book.

I'm still reading various chapters in Leslie Carroll's fun Notorious Royal Marriages, so not much new to report today.

However, I did want to mention a neat little book I looked at over the weekend, titled Household Cleaning Self-Sufficiency, by Rachelle Strauss. Now, I hate cleaning, but I don't mind reading about it, primarily because I am a very inefficient cleaner, and I have always had this idea that if I just figured out HOW to clean, it would go a lot better. Because I always leave cleaning too long, I have also always relied on typical and harshly chemical cleaning products, which is a habit I'd like to break.

So I've looked at a lot of "green cleaning" books, and photocopied some recipes for cleaning solutions out of them (like mixes using borax or vinegar to address bathroom mildew spots), but I've never really found one that I thought it would be useful to own. But Strauss's book is the exception. It offers very logically laid out chapters, and succinctly lists what chemicals are in regular cleaning products that you should avoid (and why), what natural ingredients you can buy and use, and then a few chapters of specific ways you can clean various areas in your house. It's only 125 pages long, so it's not overwhelming, and it's pragmatic more than it is "earth mother." (Some of these books are so intimidating it's ridiculous; with recipes saying things like "slaughter your own hog. Then drip its tallow through charcoals to make lye, which you can then use as soap..."*) And, it's only $12.95. If you're looking for one household manual to pick up, or maybe even a useful gift for a change to give at a bridal shower or wedding, consider this one.

*I'm making this example up. Please do not try and make your own lye.

Comments

[Shelley (Book Clutter)]

I love a good house-cleaning book to read when I should be doing housework!

[Citizen Reader]

Shelley--
Everything trumps cleaning, in my book, but especially reading books about cleaning. Makes me feel virtuous without actually doing any of the work.

[Rick Roche]

I think I'd be beheaded if I gave a cleaning book as a wedding present unless I made very clear that it was for the couple, not the wife. This is dangerous territory.

I actually do much of the housecleaning while Bonnie does most of the laundry. My father, on the other hand, almost never picked up or cleaned anything. I take more after my grandfather, who would come home from working on the ranch and then vacuum. He also did the grocery shopping, but my grandmother did the cooking.

[Venta]

My husband laughs at me because I google ways to keep house more efficiently. So far nothing on the web has stuck. Maybe I need to move to a book. Thanks for this suggestion.

P.S. Does it have suggestions on how to stop moving stuff from one room to another?

[Citizen Reader]

Huh, Rick,
I never thought of that--you probably make a fair point re: gifting this book. I guess I was just thinking of all the stupid wedding presents you get like ugly mirrors engraved with your names on them. (I can't even re-gift that puppy.) I would have much preferred a practical book on any housekeeping subject.

I am proud of you and your grandpa for bucking trends. I could be wrong, but I get the distinct feeling that, even as they're working full-time outside the home, women are still taking the brunt of the childcare and housekeeping work, which is not fair. But I could be wrong on that. Either way anything that helps one clean better and with fewer chemicals seems useful.

Venta,
Huh, I never thought of googling cleaning methods. The next time I'm avoiding scrubbing the bathroom (which is right now, in fact) I may have to look into that.

I have a suggestion for stopping moving stuff: throw it away! :) (Okay, well, not books, of course.) But I find it best to wait until a day when I am "in the mood" to toss stuff, and then go crazy. To date I haven't missed a single thing I've tossed or given away.