Editorial Review

It's about time! Julie Morgenstern has written an organizing book that covers a new way of looking at the task of organizing effectively without labeling or blaming the person behind the lack of organization. Rather, she says, people who don't organize just never learned Read more

Reviews (141)

excellent
I always get books from our interlibrary loan system before I buy, this is definitely one that I will be putting on my shelf. I have not finished the book yet but I have learned so much in the first third that I know I will be referring back to it often. There is something for everyone in this book, read it and understand why you have a problem and how to fix it for you (not anyone else, you).

Excellent Resource
Relatively straightforward book that does as the title suggests and organizes from the person's habits, quirks and follies to their environment. Ms. Morgenstern may not say anything that revolutionizes the idea of organizing one's space according to how you'll use it, but she puts forth solid theory, and then proceeds to detail how to put her method of first organizing what the space is used for, who uses it, which items need to be there, and finally how to make it all fit together.
Fabulous!
I have tried several organizing books & this one is the most realistic & easiest to follow and impliment into your lifestyle!Highly recommended! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business Life - Health/Stress    2. Cleaning & Caretaking - Household Hints    3. General    4. Home Economics (General)    5. Home economics    6. Orderliness    7. Personal Growth - General    8. Psychology    9. Self-Help   

Reviews (78)

Excellent and flexible system
After trying FlyLady twice, I realized that it would never work for me.Instead of having more time, I felt like I was always supposed to be doing a little here and a little there, but was never done.Being nagged by email only made it worse.And the final straw was the fact that FlyLady's "inspirational" messages were increasingly just annoyances -- either a reminder to purchase some product of hers, or a lot of Christian-oriented jargon.What I took from this system was:work in small segments, plan a day for each task, jump in wherever you are, and do a little, even if you don't finish the job.Since most of this was taken from the SHE sisters, I decided to investigate the SHE system.I found this system works better for me.Being able to move a card into the "done" section and seeing the pile of tasks that were left worked much better as a reminder for me than emails, which I often didn't get to read until well after they were due.And when the cards are gone, I'm done!As the daughter of a cleaning-impaired mother, I also appreciate the SHE system's instructions on what to clean and how often to clean it.The SHE sisters are not at all preachy, just "regular folks" trying to get their acts together and sharing a bit about themselves.It works for me.

Even better than FlyLady!
This book changed my life.
GREAT!!!
I have struggled with my house for years.Finally, I am getting it straigten out and feel comfortable having guests again. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cleaning & Caretaking - General    2. Cleaning & Caretaking - Household Hints    3. General    4. Home Improvement / Construction    5. Home economics    6. House & Home    7. Housewives    8. Self-Help    9. Time Management    10. House & Home / Cleaning & Caretaking    11. Self-Help & Practical Interests   

Editorial Review

Virtually everyone enjoys a crisply ironed dress shirt, clean sheets on a well-made bed, and a savory home-cooked meal. Yet housekeeping today stands as a somewhat neglected, if not maligned, job. But as author Cheryl Mendelson points out in Read more

Reviews (219)

Simple answers to housekeeping questions
This is a great reference book detailing the best way to tackle everything from cleaning schedules to meals to laundry. Curious as to what your freezer temp should be? How long kiwis last? How to sew on a button? What's the best way to clean your toilet? I have yet to think of a housekeeping question that this book can't answer.

My standard Wedding and House-Warming Gift
I found this book by mistake when I was trying to learn to be a stay-at-home mom after being a "career woman" for 7 years.As wonderful as my mother is and was in raising me, some things cropped up that even she was unaware.Ms. Mendelson answered so many questions for me.
best book ever!
This is easily the BEST. BOOK. EVER.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Cleaning & Caretaking - Household Hints    2. Do-It-Yourself    3. Home Improvement / Construction    4. Home economics    5. House & Home    6. Repair    7. House & Home / Repair   

Editorial Review

These days, more and more people are saying no to "better living through chemistry" and yes to a lifestyle that is less toxic and more environmentally friendly. This trend toward a more natural lifestyle has become something of a crusade for Annie Berthold-Bond, author of Read more

Reviews (23)

A Thorough Discussion of Green Clean
This is one of the first books that I read on the subject of green cleaning and how very toxic some of the household products we have all grown up using really are.The book contains a vast array of home-made recipes for everything you can think of and not just for house-cleaning but also for personal care as well.Annie also infuses the book with her humor and wit as well as her recommendations for commercial green products for those who would rather not make the investment of time and money in making the recipes.Some recipes are very simple and others are more involved.This book is an excellent reference and resource for anyone looking to expand their green clean library.

excellent reference for living a green life
I purchased this book because of the positive reviews at this site, and have not been disappointed.
A great book
Annie Berthold-Bond has done a lot to help clean up America. I used to use tons of chemicals to clean my home, but no more. Her scrubby cleanser was the first recipe I used and I no longer worry about sticking my hands in a bleach based scrubby cleanser to do the job. I love her Castille soap recipe and we now use it as a face and body bar and it also makes a great shampoo bar. No more plastic shampoo bottles and sodium lauryl sulfate to worry about any more. I actually clean my home more because I know that I am not being poisoned in the process. Thanks Annie! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cleaning & Caretaking - Household Hints    2. Environmental Toxicology    3. Environmental aspects    4. Home Improvement / Construction    5. Home Management    6. House & Home    7. House cleaning    8. Household supplies    9. Indoor air pollution    10. Nature/Ecology    11. Reference    12. Toxicology    13. Home & House Maintenance    14. House & Home / Reference   

Reviews (23)

Very useful book for someone in college
I must admit I have no clue about most of the stuff out there (I just learned how to cook recently). I took this book out of curiosity from our college library and found it very useful. For someone like me, its a life saver.. This book has tons of useful new and old hints. It is true some of the hints are from the past or based on common sense, but not everyone knows it (hello, this book said hints not new hints and not everyone knows everything). After reading this book I've decided to buy it for myself and my friends.

WONDERFUL - FULL OF GREAT INFORMATION
This is a great book.I didn't know so many common household items could be used in such an effective way.I have tried several cleaning suggestions for around my house and my friends and relatives are really impressed!
Haley's Comet...hahah
This book is chock-full of ideas for the perplexed at home. Out of tomato paste? Not sure what potatoes to buy? And what the heck is the difference between baking powder and baking soda and does anyone even care> This book is especially valuable for the section on substitutes, like allspice berries or ground allspice. You can use a mix of nutmeg and cinnamon in a pinch. Well, I love jerk seasoning and it does require allspice, a member of the pepper family but if you don't want to run to the store and pony up four bucks for a small jar of it, I'm right with you and Mr. Haley on that. Haley has recommendations on homemade cleansers in the companion book by Haley on cleaning hints, but there are a few ideas here. Mostly, this is a basic home ec book. This is like Heloise's Hints for the Hopelessly He-Man. For guys who want to learn to keep house, this is a fine book. I'd recommend both as a set for anyone setting up house. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cleaning & Caretaking - Household Hints    2. Do-It-Yourself    3. Do-It-Yourself - General    4. Home Improvement / Construction    5. Home economics    6. House & Home    7. Cooking / Culinary Arts & Techniques   

Reviews (20)

For the plain and simple
This book is 'oragnized' into sections - Getting Started, Organizing Room by Room, Organizing Finances, Organizing Time, Organizing Home Life, and Organizing Transitions.
First found this book in the library, started reading it then I had to buy it
I really like this book. I keep it in my home office as a reference. I love the way it's organized by room and topic. This book contains great time saving ideas and quick do-it-yourself projects to save money on organizing systems.
AWESOME!!!
I love it!!! What wonderful ideas.I know that I will never part with this.I can re-read it at anytime.I suggest it if you need to organize anything in your home or life!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cleaning & Caretaking - General    2. Do-It-Yourself    3. Home Improvement / Construction    4. Home economics    5. House & Home    6. Organization    7. Storage in the home    8. Time management    9. House & Home / Cleaning & Caretaking   

Reviews (7)

Very organized
The principles of organization are very well presented here.Not too many anecdotes, but enough to get the point across.Also, this book lists the basic principles of home organization in an easy-to-read and easy-to-reference manner.A very practical how-to book!

GREAT BOOK
I used this book when I was trying to get my new house organized.It had helpful ideas for each room in the house.It was a long book...but was easy to read.You can also jump from chapter to chapter depending upon your current needs.

Best for the clutter-afflicted who want their lives in order
My family raised me in an insanely messy environment. My father is likely one of the worst packrats alive, and my mother continuously hides her junk in countless bags. A few years ago I realized my own extreme clutter was a reflection of the disarray in my mind and, cyclically, reason for even further confusion. Perhaps this book isn't for those who already know where cleaning supplies are kept and how planners are used efficiently. But I highly recommend this book if you've not been blessed enough to have learned the aforementioned time-management skills other college students know as truisms (there is SOME reasoning behind the "for Dummies" title!). For beginners, this book will lead you section by section to a home as well as a life that finally has everything in place! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cleaning & Caretaking - Household Hints    2. General    3. Home Improvement / Construction    4. Home Management    5. Home economics    6. House & Home    7. Management    8. Management - General    9. Reference    10. Time management    11. Home & House Maintenance    12. Organizational theory & behaviour    13. Social Science / General   

Reviews (3)

Organizing made easy!
Organizing doesn't have to be all that difficult or
vincent
There are a lot of good suggestions.The book is quite disorganized, however and jumps around. I didn't like the snippits of information. It left me with the impression that I need to devote days towards cleaning up and organizing and many hours to maintaning the organized status

what a great help!
I picked this up at a school book fair, needing to find something to buy, figuring it would not make a real difference for me.Boy, I was wrong!I found her approach of taking small amounts of time to incorporate little ideas very useful in my hectic life.I don't have days to set aside for an all-at-once overhaul, being a mom dealing with an out-of-house job, kids' sports on weekends, etc., but I can find a little time each day to incorporate one or two of the 500 ideas into my system.I read through with sticky note tabs in hand to mark ideas I wanted to incorporate, and one by one they are making a real difference. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business/Economics    3. Cleaning & Caretaking - General    4. Home Improvement / Construction    5. Home economics    6. Personal Growth - General    7. Reference - General    8. Storage in the home    9. Time management    10. House & Home / Cleaning & Caretaking    11. Household hints   

Reviews (33)

Useful...but read their other book first
I hesitated to buy this book since some of the reviews said it was basically useless and probably just an attempt to make more money on their part. But I LOVED their first book, Sidetracked Home Executives, so I decided to give this one a shot.
New & Improved SHE System
I liked the first SHE book and even started a local support group of SHE's.I recently picked up this book and found The Slob Sisters learned some things in the 15 years of experience since they wrote "Sidetracked Home Executives."I found the changes they made to the system to be GOOD ONES.I especially liked how they flat out tell you what to put on the cards - I'm a SHE because I have such a hard time making decisions!The fewer decisions I have to personally make, the better.I really liked the section on getting the husband and kids more involved - this is a topic everyone in my SHE support group yearns for answers on!I agree with some of the other reviewers that some of the personal stories got a little long, but overall I think this book offers a better system than the first book.The first book offers more in-depth insight on WHY we are so disorganized, but the system improvements in this book appeal to me.

Sold Out Slob Sisters?
A friend of mine loaned me Sidetracked Home Executives about 15 years ago. I LOVED that book and it changed my life. I lost that book and decided to buy it again, a couple weeks ago, along with Get Your Act Together. Being a huge fan of their style and humor, I couldn't wait to see how Pam and Peggy revamped the card file system. Boy was I disappointed. They are starting to sound more and more like the B.O.'s (born organized) that they claim not to be!
Read more

Subjects:  1. Cleaning & Caretaking - Household Hints    2. General    3. Home Improvement / Construction    4. Home economics    5. Housewives    6. Self-Help    7. Time management    8. Reference / General   

Reviews (17)

Kudos To The Naturally Clean Home!
I just purchased the Naturally Clean Home and like many of the other reviewers, immediately was curious to begin making my own homemade recipes.I must say that I am impressed with the results: The Lavender Soft Scrubber was easy to make and even easier to use in the bathroom, leaving my toilet, bidet, tub and sinks spotless with little effort in scrubbing and rinsing.I also made the Liquid Laundry Detergent and was pleasantly surprised by how clean and soft it left towels, sheets and even my husband's smelly and dirty golf clothes.I noted that another reviewer said that this liquid laundry detergent recipe didn't work for her but my experience was different:I substituted borax for the baking soda in the recipe and found that this worked just fine.The resulting liquid laundry detergent has to be shaken before use and doesn't suds up like other brands of detergent.But do not be fooled by the lack of suds:it works just fine and leaves no residue on clothes that can cause skin reactions and depending upon the essential oil you choose (I used a combination of cedarwood and patchouli), the fragrance left on clothes is subtle and not overwhelming; just a fresh clean scent and softness.You may find that you don't even need a fabric softener with that particular recipe although I am curious to try her fabric softener recipe next.
Great Book
Naturally Clean Home by Karyn Siegel-Maier
Very interesting book for the beginning green cleaner
I really enjoyed this book far more than I like cleaning! The recipes are great and really work! The bonus is your choice of essential oil scents in the products. I would definitely recommend this book! I stil hate to clean but find myself spraying more often because I love the way it smells and my home thanks me for it ;-) ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cleaning & Caretaking - General    2. Cleaning & Caretaking - Household Hints    3. Do-It-Yourself    4. Home Improvement / Construction    5. House & Home    6. House cleaning    7. Household supplies    8. DIY    9. Household hints   

Reviews (40)

Great book, great ideas
I own this book for several years now, and reading it really help me to get more organized. I reorganized my kitchen and I love it this way - cooking and backing became more fun. The chapter about how to organize the kids room was very helpful, as with three kids inevitably a lot of toys/puzzles/lego pieces are accumulated - and - by the way - that's exactly how I store kids puzzles, and yes, kids DO the puzzles more then once! Thank you, Deniece, for sharing your ideas with us!

Well written and very useful for the disorganized at home
I had always been very organized at work.As a accountant I had no choice.I had to be able to respond to federal inquiries or IRS audits quickly.My home was another story completely.To be honest, my home was a disaster.I just didn't treat my home like my career.This book taught me to use the same strategies I employed at work to my home.Darned if they didn't work like a charm.
Ridiculous!
I skimmed through the pages and found a description by the author of how to keep track of large jigsaw puzzles (paraphrased here):Put the puzzle together, then flip it over and number each piece.Then store it in a large Ziploc, along with a photo cut out from the box.Then cut out a small photo from the box and put it in a three-ring binder....etc.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Cleaning & Caretaking - General    2. Handbooks & Manuals    3. Home Improvement / Construction    4. Home Management    5. Home economics    6. Homemakers    7. Housewives    8. Reference    9. Time management    10. Household hints   

Reviews (11)

Best Recipe Organizer I've Seen!!!
I searched awhile before I ordered this and I am glad I took my time making a decision!This recipe organizer is awesome!It has a nice design and good dividers.I like the pockets and the photo pages to stick in recipes that have been clipped out of magazines.I also enjoy the plastic overlay for the page you are currently using so that the recipe doesn't get all dirty.I have seen many many recipe organizers, but this is the only one that could really be a keepsake and handed down generation to generation.It's the next best thing to making one of your own!Since I'm not crafty, this was the perfect solution for me!I highly recommend it!!:)

Binding is weak
I had to send the first book back because the binding broke before I ever even used it.You have to flip the pages carefully to avoid stressing the binding.I also would prefer more categories.Still, I am using it daily and like the big pockets for recipes that I cut out of the paper.

Good, but not what I imagined.
I bought this organizer to organize recipes I have printed from the internet. However, this organizer is meant to be written in. I modified that thought by re-typing out the recipes and then cutting and taping each recipe in. I found it to be somewhat time consuming, but well worth the effort to have all my recipes in one book rather than spread out over many books, or loose pages scattered about. Another small complaint I have is that some of the categories are not very practical, such as "Soup". A whole catergory dedicated to soups? Although, you can just take the page out, as it is a three ring binder style organizer. Good investment for the price. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cleaning & Caretaking - Household Hints    2. Cooking / Wine    3. Non-Classifiable    4. Novelty    5. Reference    6. Blank Books / Diaries / Memory Books    7. Blank Books/Journals    8. Miscellaneous Items   

Reviews (4)

For the busy person who wants to go green!
What a great little book! It's chock full of information and even created out of recycled paper! As someone who wants to "go green," but doesn't want a lot of long explanations and hard to understand terms, this book was perfect for me!
Incredibly helpful and easy!
The cover of this book intrigued me.What made me take it home was that upon glancing through it, I found that it wasn't a breathy manifesto but rather a compilation of tips.
Easy and No Preaching!
Ms. Trask's book was my first book about how to live green.I've wanted to learn more but have always felt overwhelmed by the information in other books.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Citizen participation    2. Cleaning & Caretaking - Household Hints    3. Ecology    4. Environmental Science    5. Environmental protection    6. Environmentalism    7. Home Improvement / Construction    8. Organic living    9. Reference    10. Remodeling & Renovation - Energy Efficient    11. Science    12. Science/Mathematics    13. Waste Recycling    14. House & Home / Reference   

Reviews (3)

the book is Real Simple - but don't let that deter you
This book reads extremely fast.The page layout is attractive (just like the magazine), but alas this arrangement includes a lot of white space.Many of the tips are too familiar, e.g., sprinkling lemon juice on your fruit salad to prevent browning, and some advice is applicable only to homeowners or parents (I am neither - yet).
A Book To Make Life Easier
I'm a fan of Real Simple magazine, so this book hit the spot for me.It gives you ideas for reusing items.Now I know what to do with the stack of dryer sheets that I'd been saving.There are inexpensive tips and lots of how-to advice.Some may sound familiar, but there's bound to be some you had not thought of before.

All kinds of tricks and tips from Real Simple Magazine
I like "Real Simple" magazine but I don't like saving the back issues. (I have enough clutter, believe me.) So the editors of this excellent magazine have compiled all kinds of tricks and ideas into this single volume. It's a lot of fun to read and has some very helpful stuff for keeping your home in order.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. General    3. Home economics    4. Personal & Practical Guides    5. Personal Growth - General    6. Personal Guidance    7. Psychology    8. Reference    9. Business & Economics / General    10. Household hints   

Reviews (8)

Fantastic Home Essential
What I love most about this book, is that Dadd gives practical changes that can be made as gradually or quickly as budget demands.We use alot of the recipes for natural cleaning in this book.But my favorite recipe overall is for the Ginger Soda... mmmm.As my children grow out of their old toys, almost all plastic, we've been getting them new ones that are more natural (wooden mostly). And as they are growing out of their clothes we replace them with cotton fabric.I was very suprised, as I looked at the tags in the clothes, how much of it was synthetic blends.We've replaced the childrens' and our bedding with 100% cotton and we're all sleeping better. I recommend this book to everyone who will give me the time of day!Enjoy and have safer, happier home!!

My favorite reference book for keeping our home environment SAFE and TOXIN FREE
It is challenging these days to know what cookware to buy, how to get rid of ants without calling pest control, and what bubblebath is safe. I was surprised to learn that even my home's type smoke detectors contained fadioactive material (yikes) and that even your ironing board can outgass fumes...This book is very very helpful to me, this is info that is hard to find elsewhere!

Great book.
Great book. Don' stay home without it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cleaning & Caretaking - Household Hints    2. Diet / Health / Fitness    3. Health & Fitness    4. Health Care Issues    5. Health/Fitness    6. Healthy Living    7. Household supplies    8. Housing    9. Housing and health    10. Indoor air pollution    11. Safety    12. Toxicology    13. Health & Fitness / Healthy Living    14. Safety in the home   

Reviews (6)

Helpful hints indeed!
This book is surprisingly fun. You name it and this book has a tip on the most effective way to do it.I bought this book in conjunction with two other home maintenance and repair books and it has many items that were not covered in the other two. I only gave it three stars because I will probably only refer to this one after the other two to verify that there isn't an easier way.What would make this book better?I say combine this book with their "New Fix-It-Yourself Manual" (my top choice), and you have an ace book!

This book is amazing.
I have not bought this book...yet.I recently borrowed it from the library, and will keep renewing it until they force me to return it.When they do, I intend on hunting it down at my neighborhood bookstore. Excellent source of clever ideas and tips
While not a comprehensive home repair guide (superficial instructions and difficult to see and poorly labeled photos and diagrams), this book is a useful addition to a home repair library.When tackling a home repair, thebook provides numerious time-saving and result enhancing suggestions on howto make the job go more smooothly with a higher quality outcome. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cleaning & Caretaking - Household Hints    2. Do-It-Yourself    3. Do-It-Yourself - General    4. Home Improvement / Construction    5. House & Home    6. Houses    7. Maintenance and repair    8. Miscellanea    9. Remodeling & Renovation - General    10. Repair    11. House & Home / Remodeling & Renovation   

Reviews (1)

Green, but top of the line, Kitchens
What? Yet another book on kitchens? And what does GREEN mean in terms of a kitchen, certainly not the color?
Read more

Subjects:  1. Cleaning & Caretaking - Household Hints    2. Do-It-Yourself    3. General    4. Green products    5. Home Improvement / Construction    6. House & Home    7. Kitchens    8. Reference    9. Remodeling    10. Remodeling & Renovation - Energy Efficient    11. Remodeling & Renovation - General    12. Remodeling & Renovation - Kitchens    13. Residential Interior Design    14. Home furnishing & decoration    15. House & Home / General    16. Interior design   

Reviews (24)

It Really Works!
I had at least 20 boxes of papers and clutter filling my office closet and making the floor into a minefield. Now I'm down to 5 boxes and have no fears that I won't be able to finish them. After fighting with filing for 30+ years, I found the answer in Pat Dorff's book.
May work if you don't have electronic files to organize as well.
First let me start by reviewing the pros of this book -- Although the indexing system in this book is not ideal for my circumstances, I found that there were other topics in the book that were helpful.Some of the helpful aspects of the book were the sections on the personality profiles and how they relate to paper management (or lack there of), as well as the questions to ask yourself when deciding whether or not to keep a document.If you need motivation to get started, this book could provide that as well.I find that whenever I am working on a project it is better to read everything I can get my hands on and then just determine what methods will work best for me.
Outdated and heavy on religious overtones
I found this book at a thrift store for 25 cents. I flipped though it and it looked dated, but interesting, so I decided to get it.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Cleaning & Caretaking - Household Hints    2. Files and filing    3. Filing systems    4. General    5. Home Improvement / Construction    6. Reference    7. Office management    8. Self-Help & Practical Interests   

Reviews (2)

Informative book
The actual content of the book should be required reading for everyone. People might drive a Prius or a hybrid car but their big tub o' liquid laundry detergent is made from Petroleum. It's information like this that makes it a very interesting read.