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Summary: A nice Valentine Gift for my little Pumkin
Review: I have recently purchased Cheryl Mendelson's wonderful book "Home Comforts" and formally presented it to my wife and housekeeper. You should have seen their little eyes light up when I sat them down to review it with them. Yet another bonding moment...I found the book very readable, helpful and well crafted. There is a wealth of information on vitually every aspect of maintaining one's home within its covers. Since I am the more organized partner of my marriage I have found it to be a wonderful tool in helping my wife mend her sometimes messy ways. I highly recommend this book to other husbands as a gift for their wife. After all, a man's home is his castle and who wants to live in a less than perfect castle? Further, since valentine's day is just around the corner Home Comforts would make the perfect romantic gift.
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Summary: A wonderful reference
Review: I have never read what I consider to be a "reference" book cover to cover! It is a pleasure to read, and I fills me with hope that I may too have a home a bit more organized than it is right now. The author explains things well, yet she is quick to note that not all things in the book are for everyone (and how it is important to have a day of rest!). I do not view this book as a recipe for the obsessive/compulsive (as a friend once suggested), but rather a liberation from what some consider the tyranny of housekeeping. The author's suggestions outline a clear plan for getting control of clutter and other housekeeping matters, thereby allowing you more time for your other pastimes and pleasures. Since the days of learning this information from our mothers and grandmothers appear to be over, I'm thrilled to have this reference for all of the "little" questions that arise out of my daily chores.
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Summary: Wonderful Book
Review: I couldn't put this book down. Imagine, an exciting book on housekeeping. I have been following many of the author's suggestions for daily cleaning and am thrilled with the results. By taking just a few minutes out of my mornings and evenings I have gained hours of free time. Ms. Mendelson gives us hundred of pages to digest and advises us to take what works for us. What I learned from this book I will pass along to my two-year-old daughter. (She already is helping me empty the wastebaskets before bed every night.) I am so happy to have cleanliness and order restored to my home.
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Summary: Home Keeper
Review: Home Comforts is a Keeper! The crux to me is the author's statement "The way you experience life in your home is determined by how you do your housekeeping...little domestic habits are what give everybody's home the special qualities that make it their own and let them feel at home there." What a mind shift! I am not a 'cleaner', but a 'keeper'! Mendelson reasons, explains, and provides options, as she presents directions on keeping house. I am delighted with the exhaustive information provided in a simple, easy-to-use format. Just wish I could express succinctly how much this book has helped me -- and how much I have enjoyed it! It's is a 'Must-Have' for a household book collection!
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Summary: I now air the beds every morning...
Review: This book has changed my life. My house (room, dorm room, apartment, studio...) has always been filled with clutter and disorder. This book has helped me come up with a system that works for me. Ms Mendelson is obsessive about certain things, but if you don't like it don't do it. You won't catch me cleaning my refridgerator every week! I do have a clean kitchen, dining room and living room every night before I go to sleep in my well aired and made bed. Once I got into a rhythm I found that I have more time to do the things I want to do *and* am able to concentrate better because I am not distracted by the mess. Even if I don't follow the advise I find the book very interesting and informative.
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Summary: Home Comforts a gift from the author
Review: I purchased Home Comforts quite on impulse before taking a Christmas trip to New York City. I was transfixed by the wealth of knowledge the book gives on the art, and ministry, of homekeeping. Home Comforts has completely altered my view of my role as a maker of a peaceful and happy home, and has provided me with real information on how to fulfill that role well. The book has an honored place on our family room coffee table. Ms. Mendelson has truly given me a gift.
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Summary: Thanks but no thanks
Review: This was one of the most tedious reads I have ever attempted-some of the content is practical but I died laughing when the author droned on and on about tasks such as hand dusting your floor. Keeping a comfortable home is one thing-practicality is another. I doubt that anyone who works a fourty hour work week, cooks meals and keeps a relatively clean house would have time to read this book, let alone adopt some of the practices. Check it out at your local library before buying to make sure its for you.
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Summary: Excellent Reference - Everyone Needs This Book!
Review: Whether you have a small apartment or a large house, this book has something for you. While the author apologizes occasionally for providing some truly basic information, she's wise to do so for those who have either never kept house or never learned how to do it properly. It was interesting to see that some of the things I've done for years were correct, and intriguing to find practically EVERY aspect of living in a home addressed. While one often thinks of Martha Stewart in regard to this subject, Ms. Mendelson doesn't make busy-work for it's own sake - she's interested in getting the job done correctly, for your own peace and enjoyment of your home. The author makes reference occasionally to keeping a modern home, and that's important as she references all the modern appliances and 'conveniences' most of us live with. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
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Summary: I Hate to Clean and I Loved It !
Review: I hate to clean but have always loved a clean house - go figure. I have been converted by this book. The size of this text seems overwhelming at first, but it reads like a dream - in fact it sucks you in. This is not one of those - "How to clean your house without any effort..." type books - but rather a comprehensive volume that will inspire as well as enlighten. I have been following the frame work of her advice for the past month and we have been reaping the rewards as a family. We wake up on Saturdays without feeling like "Today we have to clean the house". We live in a clean house. Try not to be overwhelmed but be inspired by this book. It is a real gem!
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Summary: Excellent for new brides and young women!
Review: As a new bride, this book has been a godsend! Modern society teaches women and girls today that housework and tranquility in the home are secondary to one's career, social life, etc. Unfortunately, most girls are no longer taught by their mothers and grandmothers the "secrets" of efficient housekeeping. Instead, we are brought up believing that housework is only the task of an oppressed woman. This book taught me to embrace my home and feel pleasure and confidence in keeping it tranquil and "liveable." The author taught me all the housekeeping secrets that my mother and grandmother didn't teach me while I was growing up. This also makes an excellent gift for anyone's bridal shower!
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