Making a Home: Housekeeping For Real Life (Better Homes & Gardens) [Ring-bound]

Better Homes and Gardens Books (Author), Linda Hallam (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Better Homes & Gardens | Publication Date: September 15, 2001

First portion of the book teaches how to maintain a home and its contents, the second portion offers advice on improving home life through better organization, etiquette, and time management.

Up-to-date, reliable information collected from universities, trade associations, federal agencies, and acknowledged experts on everything from pets, and home office equipment to home legal issues and environmental safety.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Better Homes and GardensR is certainly an authority on the fundamentals and niceties that make a home, and there's a wealth of information here for anyone setting up and managing a household whether it's a first apartment or a large house. For example, a novice may need the lists of basic kitchen equipment, while experienced readers may require information on house systems. A wide range of subjects is covered, with the notable exception of basic sewing/mending techniques. The tabbed chapters are informative and easy to use, owing largely to an attractive design with prominent headings, bullet points, and sidebars with catchy designations like "Budget Stretchers," "Home Remedies," "Safety Alerts," and "Space Savers." Sidebars are indexed in the main index and in separate indexes for each designation. Over 120 color photos make this far more visually attractive than Cheryl Mendelson's popular, detail-intensive Home Comforts (LJ 8/99). Though there is definitely some overlap, libraries should own both titles to meet the needs of two different audiences: Making a Home will appeal to casually interested readers, while Home Comforts will be the bible of hard-core homemakers. Highly recommended for all public libraries. [Please note that this is a ringbound edition; a special $29.95 hardcover library edition, ISBN 0-696-21456-3, will also be released. Ed.] Bonnie Poquette, Shorewood P.L., W.
- Bonnie Poquette, Shorewood P.L., WI
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap

The publisher of Better Homes and Gardens® New Cook Book presents the complete guide to creating a clean, safe, peaceful home. Save time and money as you learn how to organize, furnish, clean, and enjoy your home -- from stocking the pantry to no-stress entertaining.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Ring-bound: 384 pages
• Publisher: Better Homes and Gardens; Lslf edition (September 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 069621203X
• ISBN-13: 978-0696212031
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 8.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #596,005 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive, organized, and to the point, December 6, 2001

By 

M. Pass - See all my reviews

This review is from: Making a Home: Housekeeping For Real Life (Better Homes & Gardens) (Ring-bound)

Now this is a book we can use. My husband and I both "keep house," and we both need help. This book is so well organized that I've already learned I can quickly turn to whatever I need. The book is blissfully brief also as the information is boiled down into clear but simple tips. I expected lots of cleaning and care information, which the book includes, but I was pleasantly surprised with the bonus information on buying furnishings or appliances, setting the table, writing a thank-you note. I liked the section on organizing and storage too. My only complaint is that the book came shrink-wrapped, so I couldn't see what I was getting (and how complete this book is) until I paid for it and opened it up. I bought it on faith because it was done by the Better Homes and Gardens people, and I'm glad I did. This book is solving one other problem for me----what to give friends for birthdays or what to take to wedding showers. It's a great gift book.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A pretty handy reference guide, October 23, 2001

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Making a Home: Housekeeping For Real Life (Better Homes & Gardens) (Ring-bound)

Overall this is a pretty good guide to getting your home organized. I'm not sure that I learned a great deal of things that I really didn't already know. If you're looking for a book like this, one to help you get your home organized as well as some true housecleaning tips, I'd recommend Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House by Cheryl Mendelson. It's more comprehensive and really delves into the details better than Making a Home.

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really useful, well organized, easy to use, November 15, 2001

By 

M.D. Roettger (Clayton, MO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Making a Home: Housekeeping For Real Life (Better Homes & Gardens) (Ring-bound)

I noticed an earlier review that compares this book to Comforts Of Home. I disagree about which book is better. THIS book--Making A Home--is far better than Comforts Of Home, because this is so easy to use. I like the looseleaf binder style with its tabs (just like my favorite cookbook). I haven't begun to use this whole book yet, but I know I will. (Regarding Comforts Of Home, I received Comforts Of Home as a gift, and I have found that book to be very hard to use. It's so wordy and is like a hard to read and hard to use textbook. In contrast, Making a Home is really useful. I can find the info I want quickly, and the writing is concise and to the point. I hate to sound like some sort of an ad, but Making A Home winds, hands down.)