Making a Home: Housekeeping For Real Life [Hardcover]

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

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 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.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Better Homes and Gardens; 1ST edition (September 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0696214563
• ISBN-13: 978-0696214561
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #623,896 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars ok for beginners, July 17, 2009

By 

E. paull "e paull" (virginia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Making a Home: Housekeeping For Real Life (Hardcover)

this book would be a good gift for someone just starting out housekeeping but a lot of it is common sense such as the tips on organizing. Some people might assume it has definitive answers. BUT for example, There is the assumption that all wood is finished the same and offers no definitions of how to tell what KIND of finish your wood has. Some parts, such as cleaning wood, do not speak to some of the newer "plastic" finishes on some inexpensive wood furniture.. which does not respond quite the same. When stripping furniture, sometimes ammonia and water works well without having to buy expensive strippers but you have to test the old finish first. Nor does it tell you how to tell if your furniture is REAL veneer. Some people can't tell the difference between wood veneer and the Faux veneers common on low end pieces.
A basic book for starters but most of it is pretty superficial and should not be treated as a "bible" of housekeeping, Only time and experience can supplement this.

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is so helpful!, May 14, 2011

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K. Zoerlein (Orange, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Making a Home: Housekeeping For Real Life (Hardcover)

I originally borrowed this book from the library and it was such a great source of ideas and helpful information that I had to buy it for my home library. I will be reading and rereading this and using it as a reference for a very long time!

5.0 out of 5 stars THis great book, November 24, 2009

By 

Ms. Rosa Hollander (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Making a Home: Housekeeping For Real Life (Hardcover)

Amazing book, clearly written and illustrated. I didn't want an essay book teaching about homemaking, rather an explanation of items in a home (difference between pots, table setting, etc..) and this book is great. Learned tons and know it will serve you well.