[.ca] Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House (ISBN 0743272862)

From Amazon.com:
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 Home Comforts, keeping house well can be a rewarding position--it allows you to provide for the physical and emotional comfort of loved ones. It's also not an easy job--there's much to be learned about properly managing a home, and Mendelson has set out to provide a guide to doing just that. Mendelson, a homemaker, lawyer, and mother, learned about housekeeping from an early age from her grandmothers, one Appalachian, the other Italian. The two grandmothers taught her that although different ways of keeping house can be appropriate, there are generally smarter, faster, and more creative ways of housekeeping that make it less of a chore and more of an art. In a practical, authoritative tone, Mendelson discusses the ins and outs of homemaking, such as washing dishes, recommended cleaning methods for various surfaces, housekeeping for those with pets or allergies, and emergency preparedness and safety procedures. Mendelson's well-researched book includes meticulous sections on food (for example, which foods belong in the fridge versus the pantry, food storage times, picking the freshest fruits and vegetables, and keeping your kitchen and food sanitary) as well as laundry (caring for various fabrics, how to read--and read between the lines of--clothing care labels, and removing stains). Mendelson covers a lot of ground, and as she herself points out, readers shouldn't feel required to do everything mentioned in the book--simply pick the activities that seem appropriate for your particular home. This is a comprehensive reference book that should serve homemakers well and induce a greater appreciation for the effort and specialized knowledge that go into keeping house. --Kris Law

just what I needed, and more:
I needed to know how to iron my clothes and starch my collars. I got that, plus a lot more great information about doing laundry. Plus great information about shopping, preparing a meal and so on. And great information about germs, dust mites, allergies, and so on. It inspired me to become quite a bit more diligent about dealing with mildew, changing my sheets, doing dishes and sorting laundry. As a bachelor, I recommend it to other bachelors.

Thorough and well-written:
This is the best book I've found for how to keep house. In addition to being helpful, it's a good read. It's not just a long, dictionary-type list of how to remove stains as so many cleaning books seem to be. It talks about setting up routines, about the science behind cleaning products (so you will always know what to use when), how to fold laundry, and so much more. It is perfect for anyone who feels clueless about the very basics of homemaking.

This book even inspired my husband:
...and then it was "borrowed" by a colleague at work and never returned! We embarked on a big cleaning session during our vacation and it was fun! Some of it is just a bit anal-retentive, but some of the best methods described are inexpensive - like using a bit of bleach with water to wipe down your counters. You come to miss that "clean" smell if you don't always remember to do it. It also helps clear out any old cooking odors. Think I'll buy myself another copy and give colleague the bill - she's already flagged and made notes in my old one, I hear.

Finally:
Finally a good book about home economics. I didn't learn these things growing up. Yes, I know the basics but I'm certainly not Mary Poppins. This is a good way to improve the necessary skills required to manage my home. Another excellent book I just read is called Simple and Simply Delicious by Sylvie Rocher. I recommend it as well because it's an excellent book that I used to make excellent, exotic meals for my family (and friends that visit).

Excellent...:
book! Discusses just about anything concerning house cleaning and homemaking. A great reference-type book, I liked it so much that I sent a copy to my son.