Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House

I love this book! I've always had a sort of romanticism with the past and love books that deal with the old-fashioned way of doing things. My parents are two working people who immigrated to the US. They grew up very poor, so I was never exposed to this way of keeping house. Poor people generally do not have china, multiple wine glasses, and the like. So I found this book helpful as a first generation yuppie kid, who enjoys more financial and personal freedom from my parents at my age, learn how to keep house middle class style. I wish we all lived with a little more traditionalism as it can be perfectly glamorous, like living in a 1930s film. On to more useful knowledge for you: No, this book is not a 101 ways to cut down on the time you spend house cleaning. I feel like some reviewers did not read the book's introduction, because the author says that you DO NOT have to do as much cleaning as she suggests. They are guidelines. I STRONGLY suggest that you take advantage of the "Look inside" feature that Amazon has provided and read the table of contents and the excerpts of the book before making a decision to purchase. This is a housekeeping book in the style of the housekeeping books of the days of yore. I appreciate the detailed discussion of every little thing, even folding, storing food, and organizing a kitchen, because a lot of young people don't know how to do it (spoiled by their parents). It should be noted that you do not have to fold in the way that she tells you if you already have a system of doing so. This book is also not a book who feel overwhelmed by cleaning and need motivation and coaching. She provides a rationale for cleaning, but if you are seriously unmotivated, this might not work for you. There are no steps, a la Fly Lady. This book is written from the author's point of view, there are no scientific facts grounding much of it. If you need a research study, I would not buy this book. I would buy this book for an intelligent young man or lady who is looking to get married. I would buy this book for anyone who wants to know how to set up and run a house. I actually bought this book because I was reading one of Bunny William's interior design books and she said no one knows how to run a house anymore. I thought, "Well, how DO you do it?", a search led me to this gem. I have to address one of the criticisms of this book that I found ridiculous. If you want to learn "green" ways of keeping a house, obviously this is not going to be the book for you as the book's description makes no mention of that. Furthermore, the copyright date for the hardcover is 1999. In 1999, no one cared about being "green", so do not expect it to have a chapter on that. Again, read the table of contents or the index. I haven't read all the way through the book, but I will say an improvement to the 1999 edition, I haven't read the 2003 paperback, would be to include managing a household budget. I didn't see it listed in the table of contents, so I don't believe that this book had a discussion on that. It does talk about creating an inventory of items to be replenished in a home though. Personally, I think if your house is too large to manage effectively in this era of McMansions and getting the biggest house possible, you should downsize or hire help. This book is not going to help you clean a house of 2,500+ square feet in a day, but it will give you some helpful theory about how it should be run and then you can hire help to allow you to accomplish it. Think of this book like Julia Child's first book, or La Varenne Pratique in cooking. It provides a pretty complete foundation for its subject and is full of art and technique. To extend the analogy, if you want a Rachel Ray, "30 min meals"-type book, look elsewhere.

It sounds trite, but this book has changed my life. Growing up I was lucky enough to have a mother who kept a very clean and comfortable house, unfortunately I never paid any attention to how she did it and I considered all housework a drudgery. Fast forward to the present day - here I am a woman in my late thirties with two young children and who hadn't a clue how to keep house. It seemed I was constantly just trying to "keep up" and whenever we have company I was frantically running around trying to get the house in order. It wasn't until I received this book that I realized that not only is keeping a clean and organized house NOT a drudgery, but there is a methodology to it. I didn't know you scheduled a cleaning day every week, or a marketing day, or anything like it. This is probably obvious to many people, but I used to only do the laundry when it was piled so high it wouldn't fit in the hamper or we ran out of clean clothes! This book has changed my family's life for the better. Not only do we get to enjoy living in a clean and comfortable house every day (no rushing around when company is coming over!), but I find I have more free time to do other things. Yes, my house still gets messy. My four year old spreads his toys all over the living room carpet. I don't really consider that mess though, I mean that's just living. I also know that underneath those toys he gets to play on a clean carpet. This book has taught me how to wash everything from clothes, dishes, to floors. It's really an invaluable reference, plus it's just plain inspiring. It goes over every detail about how to keep a home, not just cleaning, but how to really create a place where you feel rejuvenated. I remember when this book first came out it was considered antifemminist, the fact is it's just the opposite. This is a feminist book. In a gender neutal manner it shows how to keep house. I consider myself a feminist and I'm glad to see someone finally showing the value of something that has been considered "women's work" all these years. She explains why this kind of work is so important for our physical and mental health. My only real criticisms of the book are similiar to other reviewers. She gives parenting advice occasionally which has no place in this book. (She's against the family bed, which as an attachment style parent myself, I disagree with her.) Also some of the advice goes a little too far. The thing that sticks out in my mind is her notion that you should never use the kitchen sink for anything but food preperation. That means no washing your hands in the kitchen sink. This is kind of silly I think. Maybe for people living on a farm who's hands might be soiled with manure I could see this, but for the average person today it's not something I would follow. My criticisms are minor though. I use this book as a reference constantly and I think even a person seasoned in the art of keeping house would find it useful.

Wow! I’m extremely impressed by how detailed this book is! Do you see the table of contents? It’s over 800 pages! I ordered this book because it’s got the highest reviews for a “home economics” book category. I saw folks report books that had pages missing and too late to reorder so as soon as the book arrived I checked to make sure all the pages were there. It passed the page check! It feels brand new and I can’t wait to start taking notes. Most of us learn these tools through life but it’s nice to fill in any gaps through your own learning. Some things are better found simply in a book than all across the web/social media.

My mother was what used to be called a "pattern" housekeeper. She didn't just iron sheets, she -hand-ironed- them. I didn't so much as not learn from her, I fled -- into a PhD, and two careers as an author and a financial-services marketer, giving me precious little time to breathe, let alone clean. My mother's death, which brought me far more silver and furniture than any sane working woman needs in daily life, shook me out of my comfortably slovenly routine. For one thing, it wasn't that comfortable. But it was easy and I was used to it. When I moved, however, to a much bigger apartment, I decided it was time to make it look pretty; I was astonished to realize how many of the decorating skills Mother had valued -hadn't- been lost in the handover from one generation to my own (Baby-Boom, second-wave feminist). And I was astonished to find out how many of the cleaning skills I -knew- how to do. (I still do; but I'm still pressed for time, so I "inherited" the cleaning woman from the last woman who lived in my apartment.) It was hiring her AND buying a too-long (and wickedly expensive) linen tablecloth that made me realize I needed help. Which is where HOME COMFORTS came in. I admit, I'd avoided the book as what I feared might be part of the post-feminist or anti-feminist backlash, or the Martha Stewart school of self-gratulatory fuss and time-wasting over trivia because, Thorstein Veblein fashion, you -have- the time to waste. What I found was the encyclopedic treatment of home care, from safety to contracts to management to fabric and silver types, that I'd hoped for, neatly written, meticulously organized (like Mendelson's closets, presumably -- mine still won't stand the light of day), exhaustively researched: just the guide to the perplexed and refresher course I needed, with advanced work when I wanted it. I could go to the index for that, and I often do. What I've extracted from HOME COMFORTS is the common sense. I -have- bought an iron, but I don't expect to iron my new linen sheets real soon, and personally, I think that anyone who washes her freezer each week without having spilled something in it is more obsessive and Type A than I, which is saying a LOT. I don't expect to get down on my knees and hand-dust my floors, and I'd deserve to lose my cleaning woman if I asked her to do that. But we manage. -I- manage now, with very little fuss and time, and a considerable rise in morale, health, and general contentment. Using this book enables me to entertain more easily, although I flinch when people immediately start criticizing their own domestic arrangements. I give the book four stars instead of five because Mendelson, while an engaging writer, is at times a little too arch, bordering on the smug, for my tastes and because, as other reviewers have pointed out, this isn't a book to help people keep house on a shoestring. It may be useful for someone starting out, but s/he'd better have an MBA or equivalent to afford all the cleaning supplies!

Pros: *Finally something that explains the chemistry and the logic behind household chores. This book is, after all, named, "Home Comforts: The Art AND SCIENCE of Keeping House". (Caps emphasis mine.) If you are intelligent, analytical, and mathematically inclined, and want to apply your mind to keeping house efficiently (so you can apply the rest of your mind to coming up with the latest theory of the origin of the universe), this book is for you. *Well organized and easy to use for reference. You don't want to read from cover to cover, but rather look up what is needed at the time. I usually end up reading a whole chapter and feeling thoroughly educated on my question of the day. Cons: *If your mind is not scientifically bent, this book could be a bit much to chew on. If you want quick and simple tips without needing to know what's behind the advice, you should look for something more condensed. *It is dated (1999). Some products are no longer available, or have changed in quality (for better or for worse). "Green" changes have made some of her information mildly inaccurate, such as which light bulbs are we using the most, however the basics are accurate and helpful (the science of lighting a room - how many lumens are comfortable), standard mattress thickness has increased (but it is still true that you might want 10" to tuck in instead of 6". Buy the top sheet a size bigger - Good idea!) But 90% of the book is timeless. It's all the stuff mothers used to teach their daughters but don't anymore, plus what Mom didn't know... the science behind it. A dream come true for me. I wish she would write a completely revised update for 2012. Nevertheless, this edition is fabulous, I don't know how I got along without it.

This book is HUGE but I actually love that. It has so much good stuff in it. It’s like having a super organized grandma who knows everything about cleaning and making your house feel comfy. I read it with my coffee when I feel like being productive or when I need a little push to get my life together. Some parts are old-fashioned but honestly in a comforting way. It makes you feel good about taking care of your home instead of feeling guilty about the mess. I flip through it all the time. Sometimes I read whole sections and sometimes I just look up one thing when I need help, like how to wash a weird fabric or how to deep clean something random. If you love homemaking or just want your house to feel more peaceful, you’ll probably love this too. It’s the kind of book you keep forever and pull out whenever you want to feel motivated to clean and get cozy.

I was not raised to be a house keeper. I am mistified by the gadgets and chemicals involved. I am paranoid of damaging clothing in the laundry. I fear household chemicals. This book has taken 95% of the confusion and guesswork out of running my house. I now know how to properly clean my floors - what chemicals, techniques, tools. I can wash my clothes with out fear of damaging them. I know which solvents and detergents are appropriate for which uses. I also know the whys and wherefores of house keeping. I very much appreciate the intelligent and respectful tone of the book. It doesn't try to minimize housekeeping by including inane little lists and tips on avoiding work like many modern house keeping and orginization books. It is written to help the reader understand the workings of a house, how to keep it clean and fresh, and what to do when problems arise. And believe it or not, it is actually very interesting. Who woulda thought?

I find the author a bit obsessive, which I guess it would take obsessive to write an 800-page book on keeping house. I imagine for someone who is totally lost when it comes to living on their own for the first time, this book could be helpful. Although, if one doesn't know what to do when it comes to cooking and cleaning, surely an 800+ page manual would be overwhelming. There honestly isn't enough time in a day to do all the cleaning she recommends, even if your sole job is to keep house. If one were to heed all her advice, you would have to go to the grocery store almost daily for fresh produce because after produce is a day or two old, she says it's unsafe to eat. You would be sweeping several times a day. You would be sanitizing not only your toilet but your toilet brush (which come on, don't stick your toilet brush in your mouth. I feel like 99% of the germs on the toilet brush will be killed by the toilet cleaner in your toilet bowl.) But she does have some good recommendations that we may overlook but that don't border on obsessive and paranoid. Such as airing out our sheets an hour a day so dust mites don't develop, laundering curtains a couple of times a year, sanitizing our drains once a week and cleaning the kitchen sink everyday.

I’ve been reading blogs and watching youtube videos on organization and cleaning and nothing compares to the information included in this book, it is very well written and very enjoyable

Very disappointed as book was dirty and came damaged and torn and there was no way I could get compensation for this as I was due to take this as a gift

I have just begun reading it so is too soon to give an accurate review. However perusing the book, it seems to be pretty detailed about how to keep house and seems to be veryhelpful.

This is the most exhaustive book on housekeeping that one can find. Yes, it can get a little anal-retentive when it starts getting down to the 'correct' method to iron and fold underwear or a page-long, illustrated procedure on the 'correct' way to remove a book from a library shelf. However, I find this extra detail indicative of the book's effort to be a one-stop reference and useful to everybody. The writing style can seem a bit pretentious if you take it seriously, but I prefer to think that Mendelson has a sense of humour which she infuses into what could be a very dry book using her vivid imagination and expansive vocabulary. Indeed, after reading a few pages at random, I feel motivated to clean and maintain my things in the confidence that I am doing it correctly. True to the title, I'm most impressed with how this book goes into the underlying science and explanations of techniques. Mendelson exhaustively researches her suggestions from academic and government sources. Whereas most housekeeping books will say "I like to wash my counters this way because it leaves a nice citrus smell," she'll say "The departmental chair of microbiology at this university explained to me why this method of cleaning your counters is necessary to kill the bacteria. Additionally, I spoke to the countertop industry associations who confirmed that these methods will not destroy your countertop." For the keeners, Mendelson will even provide a technical, albeit generally accessible, explanation of the underlying scientific theories to her recommendations with plenty of reliable sources for further reading. It's an added bonus that she takes environmental responsibility and budget into consideration. I strongly recommend this book to people who want to know how to do things the right way. As she advises at the beginning of the book to those who might be put off by its pedantry, the book is meant as a reference to be heeded or ignored at your discretion. Indeed, to follow the book to the letter in my sub-500 square-foot condo, I'd need at least 40-hour days. Yet, it's the first place I go when I need a cleaning cocktail, something's gone wrong with my laundry, or something's stunk up my place.

For example, the author uses skim milk as default. This attitude is a by-product of the 90s diet culture when fat was considered evil. This is no longer the case as many prefer the less-processed whole milk. She also prescribes strange rules such as "do not serve all green salad/vegetables if the meat dish is also green". Nowadays a totally green spread is perfectly acceptable and in fact trendy. This book is a product of its time, being published in 1999, and is also completely US-centric (especially regarding coffee). I wouldn't bother with this book. I recommend using Reddit and other secondary sources to grow your own bespoke body of housekeeping knowledge.