Customer Reviews

Mary Ellen's Complete Home Reference Book

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This book is fantastic. It provides guidance on just about every home/housekeeping problem, from how to fold a fitted sheet to how to remove smoke odors from a room to how to restore wood furniture and paint a room. It makes practical recommendations (like purchasing cleaning products from a janitorial supply company) and is very easy to read. I recently purchased another housekeeping reference book, Home Comforts, and was disappointed because, in my opinion, there was no way I could meet all the expectations discussed in the book for keeping my house clean. Mary Ellen's book, on the other hand, is very realistic and makes suggestions that anyone can accomplish --how to maintain your house without constantly doing housework. It even has a whole chapter of recommendations on how to quickly prepare your home to sell it. I plan to send this book to people as a housewarming present.

I received this book as a wedding gift, and have found it to be an invaluable reference tool in my life as a homemaker. Any question about how to clean ANYTHING can be answered with this book. The author includes recipes for homemade cleaning solutions that REALLY work, as well as tips for "frugal" living and ecological conservation. Illustrated drawings help teach how to "fix" things that the husband keeps promising he will and never seems to get around to doing. Everyone should have a copy of this book in their home!

This is truly an encyclopedic collection of housekeeping hints. Mary Ellen Pinkham has done her research. If you love to read, then most likely you don't want to spend hours just cleaning your home. Once you learn some of her quick and easy solutions to everyday problems, you will have more time to spend on yourself.

While I use just a few basic cleaners, you will find oodles of specific cleaning hints and tips. You will also be warned not to mix chlorine cleaning products with baking soda. I was surprised to find information on refinishing furniture, saving time, saving energy and saving money. Those are things we could all learn whether we like to clean or not.

I would recommend this for a new bride, for your own reference library, or as a gift for your friends who are interested in having all the answers to their questions in one convenient book.

~The Rebecca Review

This is a wonderful reference book for all kinds of household things, such as removing odors, taking care of clothes, making minor repairs, handling food safely, and so on. I don't use this book often, but I know exactly where it is on the shelf, and when I've needed it, I've REALLY needed it, as when somebody spilled red wine on a beige carpet. Mary Ellen's how-to on removing red wine stains from carpeting worked: quickly. There's also what appears to be a very informative section on hanging wallpaper: I intend to never use or need this section!