Real Simple: Cleaning [Spiral-bound]

Editors of Real Simple Magazine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 23, 2007

Is there ever a week when cleaning isn't atop your loath to-do list? Within hours of disinfecting the kitchen work surfaces they're inevitably covered with sticky marks and scattered crumbs, and it seems to take mere minutes for the dust to settle once again on that sideboard. The dirty work, truly, is never done.Still, there's no sensation quite like having a spotless home. After the bath has been scrubbed, you, too, feel like a sparkling version of yourself - calmer, healthier, cobweb-free. Because you'll always strive for that clean slate - even at the expense of fun and relaxation - you persevere through the stain busting, the sanitizing, and the polishing.This book includes: the essential cleaning kit: tools and products to have on hand for tackling jobs big and small; easy step-by-step techniques for even the toughest of chores; trouble-shooting tips for stubborn stains, marks, and dirt; specialized advice for your furnishings, including granite sinks and window coverings, plus ceilings and hardwood floors; and speed-cleaning recipes for every room of the house.

Product Details

• Spiral-bound: 160 pages
• Publisher: Real Simple (October 23, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933821396
• ISBN-13: 978-1933821399
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 0.9 x 11.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #61,036 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #87 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > How-to & Home Improvements > Cleaning, Caretaking & Relocating

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good for reference and how-to, February 21, 2008

By 

Emily Steed (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Real Simple: Cleaning (Spiral-bound)

This book is divided into sections: first, the recommended cleaning kit is described. Then cleaning strategies for each room in the house are outlined. Next, there's a guide to cleaning common surfaces like ceilings, walls, windows, and floors. At the back of the book, there's a guide to stain removal, a cleaning calendar, and a resource guide.

My favorite part of the book is the cleaning calendar. Tasks are divided into categories based on how often they should be completed: weekly, monthly, every 3-6 months, every 6-12 months, and every year or so. As a neophyte SAHM and new home-owner, I find it helpful to have recommendations for the frequency of tasks. I found it helpful to put small "LabelOnce" brand labels on each task box so I could mark the last time I'd done it - it helps me to have a reminder of when I last vacuumed the coils on the back of the fridge, etc, especially for tasks that are performed less frequently.

Each room section begins with a "101" introduction (eg Kitchen Cleaning 101) that's fewer than 10 steps, along with a "10-minute clean" sidebar. That's followed by "The Next Steps" for more detailed cleaning. There's a page or two devoted to each part of the room (counters, sink, faucets, refrigerator/freezer, oven, stovetop, cabinets/drawers, and kitchen accessories for the kitchen section) that goes into detail about how to clean that specific element. Different advice for different materials (stainless steel, ceramic, etc) is given. Alongside these pages are sidebars with related information: protecting your counters, what's *really* on your counter, sink stopped up?, what's in your water?, defrosting your freezer, avoiding food overflow (in the oven), four more uses for oven cleaner, pantry purge (how long to keep pantry items), etc. At the end of each section is a page or two with tips to help keep the room cleaner between cleanings (eg, make the sink smell better by grinding the skins of citrus fruits in the garbage disposal).

The book covers the kitchen, bathroom, living/dining/bedrooms, home office, child's bedroom, and laundry rooms. The "Common Surfaces" section covers ceilings, walls, windows, window coverings, floors, and carpets/rugs. For each surface, different materials are discussed.

I find this book to be quite useful, but I am not a long-time homeowner and historically have not been good at keeping on top of the cleaning chores that need to be done. This book helps me keep my home more clean, and I've found it useful when I'm trying to tackle a large cleaning job. It has information that may be available elsewhere, granted, but it's all collected in one easy-to-find place. In particular, I like the step-by-step cleaning guides for each room. I thought I knew how to clean a kitchen, but I admit that it had never really occurred to me to wash the fronts of the cabinets or to use a vacuum to remove crumbs from drawers. For the experienced housekeeper I don't know that this book would be particularly useful, but if you have trouble keeping everything clean and knowing how to clean, it would probably come in handy.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helping the helpless (4.5 stars), May 22, 2008

By 

D "Avid Austin Reader" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Real Simple: Cleaning (Spiral-bound)

As the child of a wonderful mother yet complete housekeeping slob, I have to admit, I truly didn't have the first idea about "how" to clean a house let alone what type of schedule I should maintain. This book was exactly what I was looking for. It has a detailed breakdown of various rooms in the house, with a guideline and specific "how to" instructions for where to start cleaning in each room, how to clean each aspect (area) of a room, and how often you should clean each component of a room. I also liked the friendly pep talk about doing just a little at a time rather than sitting on your bum watching tv, etc. I would highly recommend this to other "cleaning" challenged individuals.

My only complaint about the book is that the index did not specifically list any websites or retailers for some of the various cleaning supplies.

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Same version in newstands for 1/2 the price, October 30, 2007

By 

California_Dreamin - See all my reviews

This review is from: Real Simple: Cleaning (Spiral-bound)

It's a pretty basic guide. Though it has a nifty little calendar in it that helps u organize when what should be cleaned and how often. But u can get a paperback version in newsstands now, so check around, and it's half the original price of the spiral bound one.