Customer Reviews

Houseworks: Cut the Clutter, Speed Your Cleaning and Calm the Chaos

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have a lot of trouble with clutter, so I read a lot of these books--and this one is the best I've ever seen. It doesnt just tell you how to get organized, but all the photos are so beautiful and show you how to do it.

This book is so funny, too. My husband kept asking me why I was laughing. He wanted to know why I was cracking up at a book about cleaning the house.

This would be a great wedding gift or for a sister or a friend.

This is the best book I have ever seen (and I have seen many) on household organizing. Beautifully presented with clear instructions and photos on folding fitted sheets and towels, organizing children's rooms, information on how long you can safely freeze foods and keep foods on the pantry shelf, cleaning products and tools, and many other tips on how to make life run more smoothly. I liked it so much I ordered one for my daughter as she moves into a new home -- off to the right start. A wonderful resource for any home.

Cynthia, I've long admired your excellent site, Organized Home, but this book is in a class by itself. I think it's excellent, like you I taught myself organization from scratch.

Along the way I learned from great books by Don Aslett (Clutter's Last Stand), Bonnie McCullough (Totally Organized), Jeff Campbell's Speed Cleaning trio of books, and the classic by Peg Bracken, The I Hate To Housekeep book.

Yours outranks all of them. They are still permanent residents on my shelf of household organization books, but yours has just become the book I want to give as a gift to young couples, new parents, new homeowners and anyone I really care about.

Way to GO girl! you really rocked my socks off today! Wow what a book!

There aren't really any big ideas here, which is what makes this such a valuable resource for getting one's house in order. It's so simple, and the principles can be applied to other areas like work and personal habits just as easily as to one's living space. The book contains beautiful photography and is just a joy to read and look at. House Works has inspired me, but more important, I am actually ACCOMPLISHING my goals using the simple and straightforward ideas within.

This is by far the absolute best book I've ever read on home management!! I'm actually starting to re-read it for the second time (and I've only had it a couple of months)It covers EVERYTHING you need to know about keeping your home organized, cutting the clutter out of your life and keeping your clutter free home clean! It is a must have for anyone starting out in a new home! Perfect for a wedding gift or a house warming present! I've always considered myself a pretty organized person and definitly a clean freak but even for a 'natural' like myself I found myself picking up new information to make my home run even smoother!! And for those who are 'challenged' in the organization process, Cynthia writes where you will not feel overwhelmed while trying to get organized and get your home under control!! It's full of colorful real pictures (not drawings) of almost everything you need to know--including how to fold a fitted sheet! I highly recommend this book, if you're looking for an easy read house management book that will fill you with lots of information but not overwhelm you with a bunch a fancy talk and make you feel like your home is not good enough then this is the book for you!! Cynthia Ewer, will take you under her wing and teach you everything you need to know about running your home smoothly!! You'll love it!!

After I saw a previous review claiming this book is only for people whose houses are brimming with clutter, I almost did not purchase it. My house is not brimming with clutter and it is generally fairly clean. I have found this book extremely useful, despite the fact that I am a competent housekeeper. I can also see that this book would be a lifesaver for people who are drowning in clutter and have no idea how to organize their households.

Pros:
1) Contains info on organizing all rooms of the house,
2) Has information on organizing paperwork, along with a useful chart on how long you are required to keep each type of document (e.g. tax returns)
3) Gives good guidelines for figuring out whether to toss, store, or keep different types of items in your house,
4) Provides information on food safety,
5) Also gives tips on how to clean wet and dry areas of your house,
6) Provides information on how to create schedules for both household activities and cleaning,
7) Does not promote specific brands of products
8) Very nice pictures

Cons:
Can't think of many right now.

Replaces books on cleaning, speed cleaning, scheduling, organization, and housekeeping with kids.

This book is well-organized and beautifully presented. The pictures are glossy and colorful and really inspiring. Her organizational ideas are well-thought out. I would say that this book is for the self-starter who basically has a clean house but wants to get organized. If your house is a still in complete chaos, you might want to consider purchasing Sidetracked Home Executives by Pam Young and Peggy Jones. They will whip you into shape. Then, once you've got a good system for keeping your house basically clean, you can look through Houseworks for some great organizational ideas and cleaning tips.

I bought this book because I was looking for a way to learn how to be organized. I have never been a good house-keeper and have piles of papers, clothes, etc. I need remedial help. This book is not remedial; it shows organized people how to clean and declutter better. It was very intimidating and made me feel worse than I already do. I'm sure that this author has never been as disorganized or as messy as I am and consequently cannot understand the issues involved for many of us who have never been organized or had a regular house-cleaning schedule. Lucky for me that I found Sandra Felton's books for "messies"; I now have hope that I can create a cleaner, more organized home.

I've read a number of oranization "self-help" books. Most are wordy and talk about how horrible the author was until she followed all the guidelines in their book. This one allows you to tackle each area independently so you can see success almost immediately. Love it.

I never thought I would ever hear anyone say that about me! When it happened, I actually asked them to repeat it so I could hear it again. I have never been a "house cleaner". I love a clean house but I was just never good at it. I'm a hard worker, but I just needed a little direction. As of right now I have: organized my junk drawer in my kitchen, organized my walk-in closet, organized my basement, organized my garage, organized my kid's room, organized the play room and right now I'm working on my kitchen cabinets. I cannot tell you how much this book has changed my life. Read a little bit....Stop and GET UP AND DO IT!