Feather Your Nest: The Complete Guide to Outfitting, Cleaning, Organizing, and Caring for Your Home [Paperback]

Cerentha Harris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 27, 2005

Keeping house is an art that many of us have lost. With more of us working long hours outside the home and spending less time within it—mainly chasing after kids or crashing out on the couch—we don't have time to make the bed, let alone polish the silver. And yet we love our homes and want them to be comfortable, clean, and safe—we just need someone to tell us how.

Cerentha Harris, herself a harried working mom, offers practical, stylish strategies for cleaning and caring for the home. She understands the concerns of today’s readers. Her tips are time saving and easy to follow, and whenever possible they’re environmentally sound: Instead of relying on expensive, and perhaps harmful, chemicals, Harris shows us how to tackle the toughest of home tasks with earth-friendly cleansers and a bit of ingenuity and elbow grease.

For anyone who has ever wondered how to decorate on a budget; wash a feather-filled duvet; baby-proof, pet-proof, or burglarproof; sanitize the kitchen and deter pests; clean textured wallpaper (bread works best); or otherwise make their home stylish, cozy, and truly their own, Feather Your Nest is an indispensable, delightful companion.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Heloise has her hints. Along comes Australian journalist and Martha Stewart Living veteran Cerentha Harris to provide more inclusion tips for Gen Xers, among others, who've not succumbed to the let-someone-else-do-it home syndrome. Organized room by room, this is more than a clean-it-yourself guide; expect advice on everything houselike from how to buy lighting to the avoidance of moths. Practicality is Harris' byword, and her work is filled with personal anecdotes (check her counsel on mosquitoes and other household pests) and sidebars such as choosing a vacuum cleaner and arranging a linen cupboard. Fun facts, too, will keep readers amused; after all, isn't it great to know that British research proves that too clean a house doesn't allow its inhabitants to build up their immune systems? Another "good thing," as the home doyenne would comment. Barbara Jacobs
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Marlowe & Company (July 27, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569243557
• ISBN-13: 978-1569243558
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,502,498 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A comprehensive look at keeping house, August 16, 2005

By 

House Husband "House husband" (Santa Monica, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Feather Your Nest: The Complete Guide to Outfitting, Cleaning, Organizing, and Caring for Your Home (Paperback)

I know the title may not sound that exciting but this is a really useful book. Ever had a stain on a favorite piece of clothing you didn't know how to get rid of? This book will help. Ever spilt red wine on the carpet and frantically worried what to do? This book will help.

Two parts old fashioned remedies (your grandparents will be impressed with some of the solutions here) and two parts modern career woman sensibility, this book would make an ideal leaving home gift for son or daughter or a great engagement present.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A CLASSIC FOR THE SIMPLISTIC ORGANIZER, March 31, 2010

By 

J.D. "Sweet P" (CT) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Feather Your Nest: The Complete Guide to Outfitting, Cleaning, Organizing, and Caring for Your Home (Paperback)

Let me just say...I LOVE THIS BOOK! I rented this from the library one day when I came across it and after renewing and renewing, I bought my own copy...I loved it so much, I lent my copy to a co-worker, she loved it...so I bought myself another copy and let her keep it. I love natural cleaning and simple, straight-forward organization. This book is not marketed to be a "natural" or "eco-friendly"-type manual/guide but it really does emphasize on the basics of cleaning and cleaning products that have become a 'lost art' in today's society. The author does a phenomenal job of keeping each chapter engaging and fun, so that it becomes a light-hearted and enjoyable read rather than a dull manual of how-to's. It is worth every penny to have a copy of this book at home (or even available to lend out to your friends and family)