Tools for the Toil

I don’t know many people who really spent a good chunk of their upbringing studying the vagaries of keeping house. I picked up a few things watching my mom clean-up when I was little. Important things such as children make horrendous helpers when it comes to cleaning a house and when you ask a kid to bring in a Pepsi can from the family room the most likely response is, “That’s not mine. It’s Katie’s.” I assume most people did about as much studying of the tradecraft of housekeeping as I did so I have a few books to help expand your knowledge base. 

I figure by the time I really know everything about maintaining a house, I’ll be too old and invalid to clean anything and by then, everyone will dismiss me as a cranky old woman who hasn’t kept up with the times. To help you avoid my fate, we feature three housekeeping tomes today — Martha, Home Comforts & Real Simple — so you can be a great housekeeper before your time is up. That’s everyone’s dream come true, right??

First up is Martha as in, Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping Handbook $28.84. I think she’s great for Classics (SJ) because Martha’s veneer is a Classi — even if I think she’s secretly a Smart Structure (NTJ)

Whether your home is small or large, an apartment in the city or a country cottage, it is a space that should be at once beautiful and livable. The key to that is managing the upkeep without feeling flustered…. In Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping Handbook, Martha shares her unparalleled expertise in home maintenance and care. Readable and practical–and graced with charts, sidebars, illustrated techniques, and personal anecdotes from Martha’s decades of experience caring for her homes–this is far more than just a compendium of ways to keep your house clean.

Next up is Home Comforts by Cheryl Mendelson $21.97 — or $14.98 for the last edition. This book is kind of for everyone. It’s insanely practical so great for Classics (SJ) and Funs (SP). But it also gives the reasoning behind the advice, which appeals to Smarts (NT) and Organics (NF) who need to know why certain details cannot be ignored.

The classic bestselling resource for every American home. Choosing fabrics, cleaning china, keeping the piano in tune, making a good fire, folding a fitted sheet, setting the dining room table, keeping surfaces free of food pathogens, watering plants, removing stains — Home Comforts addresses the meanings as well as the methods of hands — on housekeeping to help you manage everyday chores, find creative solutions to modern domestic dilemmas, and enhance the experience of life at home…. [A] practical, good-humored, historic, philosophical, even romantic, guidebook to the art of household management.

This next one is part help, part entertainment, Home Economics: Vintage Advice and Practical Science for the 21st Century Household by Jennifer McKnight Trontz — $10.91. It’s kind of kitchy and heavy on Classic advice because it’s old fashioned and I do believe at one point Classics probably had a LOCK on housekeeping mores. I’d say that Organic Structures would get a kick out of reading it and frankly all Classics. But, it’s not a how to manual.

Finally, we have Real Simple: Cleaning, $14.93.Real Simple is usually for Organics but reading Amazon’g review of this book has me thinking perhaps it’s meant for Classics. I mean who else perseveres at the expense of fun and relaxation?? But, in general, I love Real Simple’s tone because it’s got a bit of reality woven into it — it’s the rare bird who really loves to clean — in a way that Cheryl & Martha never address.

Is there ever a week when cleaning isn’t atop your loath to-do list? … [Yet] it seems to take mere minutes for the dust to settle once again on that sideboard…. Because you’ll always strive for that clean slate – even at the expense of fun and relaxation – you persevere through the stain busting, the sanitizing, and the polishing.This book includes: the essential cleaning kit: tools and products to have on hand for tackling jobs big and small; easy step-by-step techniques for even the toughest of chores; trouble-shooting tips for stubborn stains, marks, and dirt; specialized advice for your furnishings, … and speed-cleaning recipes for every room of the house.