Rating: 
Summary: one burning question remains
Review: Cheryl Mendelson, an intellectual, an academic person, is also that rare bird----a woman who truly loves to clean house. "Home Comforts" is a work of encyclopediac completeness; it's the one reference book you need to maintain a household. Her enthusiasm is boundless, and just leafing through this book may make you tired.As I have always told friends, "I hate domestic drudgery, but I hate dirt and messiness more." For people who feel as I do, "Home Comforts" is a marvelous addition to your library. My one reservation is that Mendelsohn seems to uphold hygienic standards more suitable to a hospital or surgery room. Modern research indicates that allowing a few germs around is better for over-all health, especially for children. This world is organic, after all, and trying to keep your residence inside a sterile bubble is not the wisest course. If I could ask Mendelsohn one question, it would be, "How can you ENJOY cleaning so much?" For most of us, the issue is not that we are incompetent or ignorant; it's just that cleaning is a time-consuming, mindless, and mostly thankless activity that bores the heck out of us. Yes, the floor should be mopped, endlessly mopped; but necessity does not always foster pride or even satisfaction in doing this task. What's her secret? Are some people just born cleaners?
Rating: 
Summary: The ONE book you need
Review: While she may be overly optimistic about how much one person can do in one day without professional help, she does give very helpful information on practically any cleaning problem you need solved. If you need to know how some specific item in your house needs cleaning, this book while likely supply that information.
Rating: 
Summary: Good start, but could be better
Review: I was excited to find this book, since it seemed to be the encyclopedic book on housekeeping questions I always seem to have. It covers a wide range of subjects from fabric construction to great detail on bacteria found in the kitchen. The first part of the book is dedicated to how to make a house a home. It is strongly opinionated in a [certain] way about what and how things should be done. I agree with many of them, but realize it adds much stress to life. It covered some of the things I never seemed to remember, even though my mother repeated them over and over, such as the proper way to make a bed. I was disappointed to find that it failed to answer many of my basic questions such as "How do I remove yellow underarm stains on my husbands shirts". The advice was wear an undershirt and wash in hot water... Or how to wash upholstry, do I get it professionally cleaned or use my hand held. She suggests reading the label... What chemicals do they use when they clean professionally? Not answered. Why are they no longer using Scotch Guard? Not answered. Are there other fabric protectors? Not answered. Etc. Etc. So, I guess I was left with all of my orginal questions and disappointed in the book. I think that it is a great start. Maybe a revision will address all the holes to make it the encyclopedia of housekeeping.
Rating:
Summary: excellent reference
Review: Mendelson offers effective ways to address cleaning issues. True, she does tend to go on a bit about her grandmothers' very different housekeeping styles, and I could do without the repeated references to modern people's ignorance of housecleaning (after all, I think I keep a fairly decent house and I was born in 1974), but the biographical stuff and even the opinions to a certain extent rescue it from being completely dry and factual. It would have been helpful, on the other hand, if she'd separated out the editorializing from the actual hard data, because, while it's interesting on the first read, I can see how it'd be hard to go back and find one particular bit of data that might be buried in a chapter. But overall it seems like the best reference on the market. Would make a great housewarming or wedding gift.
Rating:
Summary: everything you never learned about cleaning
Review: I enjoyed reading this book and learning exactly how one is supposed to clean. The author really goes into detail, but it is also accessible for the casual cleaner. There is a lot of practical advice, all of which I am sure is second nature for you neat types out there, but for those of us who don't notice dirt so readily, this is a reference guide to go to again and again.
Rating:
Summary: VERY Useful Book, But I Understand the Ruckus
Review: My mother was what used to be called a "pattern" housekeeper. She didn't just iron sheets, she -hand-ironed- them. I didn't so much as not learn from her, I fled -- into a PhD, and two careers as an author and a financial-services marketer, giving me precious little time to breathe, let alone clean. My mother's death, which brought me far more silver and furniture than any sane working woman needs in daily life, shook me out of my comfortably slovenly routine. For one thing, it wasn't that comfortable. But it was easy and I was used to it. When I moved, however, to a much bigger apartment, I decided it was time to make it look pretty; I was astonished to realize how many of the decorating skills Mother had valued -hadn't- been lost in the handover from one generation to my own (Baby-Boom, second-wave feminist). And I was astonished to find out how many of the cleaning skills I -knew- how to do. (I still do; but I'm still pressed for time, so I "inherited" the cleaning woman from the last woman who lived in my apartment.) It was hiring her AND buying a too-long (and wickedly expensive) linen tablecloth that made me realize I needed help. Which is where HOME COMFORTS came in. I admit, I'd avoided the book as what I feared might be part of the post-feminist or anti-feminist backlash, or the Martha Stewart school of self-gratulatory fuss and time-wasting over trivia because, Thorstein Veblein fashion, you -have- the time to waste. What I found was the encyclopedic treatment of home care, from safety to contracts to management to fabric and silver types, that I'd hoped for, neatly written, meticulously organized (like Mendelson's closets, presumably -- mine still won't stand the light of day), exhaustively researched: just the guide to the perplexed and refresher course I needed, with advanced work when I wanted it. I could go to the index for that, and I often do. What I've extracted from HOME COMFORTS is the common sense. I -have- bought an iron, but I don't expect to iron my new linen sheets real soon, and personally, I think that anyone who washes her freezer each week without having spilled something in it is more obsessive and Type A than I, which is saying a LOT. I don't expect to get down on my knees and hand-dust my floors, and I'd deserve to lose my cleaning woman if I asked her to do that. But we manage. -I- manage now, with very little fuss and time, and a considerable rise in morale, health, and general contentment. Using this book enables me to entertain more easily, although I flinch when people immediately start criticizing their own domestic arrangements. I give the book four stars instead of five because Mendelson, while an engaging writer, is at times a little too arch, bordering on the smug, for my tastes and because, as other reviewers have pointed out, this isn't a book to help people keep house on a shoestring. It may be useful for someone starting out, but s/he'd better have an MBA or equivalent to afford all the cleaning supplies!
Rating:
Summary: Not a Bible, just an encyclopedia
Review: This book is an exhaustive (some might say "exhausting") reference for everything having to do with housecleaning and keeping. I read this book like crazy when I first got it and instituted some of the recommendations. I felt guilty about some of the stuff that I'm never, ever going to do. Then I forgot about it. Eventually, I hired a cleaning service. But I still think it's a great reference. You can use as much or as little of it as you want. Sure, she puts forth some personal lifestyle opinions, but if I wrote my own book I'd probably do the same. She's probably a Type A personality, but maybe that's what gave her the drive to write such a huge tome to begin with. If the book changes your life, great. If it just helps you buy some good sheets, there's nothing wrong with that either.
Rating:
Summary: The must have home manual
Review: This is the perfect gift for the newly married couples, new student, children leaving home for the first time, people entering the military, new homeowner, newly divorced, travelers, young and older home-makers and anyone that might need a good resource for domestic information. It is guideline that sets the pace for others to follow. It brings back the true art form of keeping a orderly home.
Rating:
Summary: A More Portable "Mom"
Review: With my own mother's sage-like advice on cooking, cleaning, and keeping a happy healthy home hundreds of miles away, Mendelson's book is like having Mom right here whenever I need to ask a pesky question. I've used this book countless times -- for getting a greasy stain out of my husband's favorite silk tie (boy, was he impressed!), for eliminating a nasty smell from the garbage disposal, and for keeping my closets and drawers in good order. It is a great household reference. Perhaps the nicest thing about Mendelson's style and tone in this book is that you know that she, too, has dust-bunnies and cannot possibly change her bed sheets four times a week. You get the feeling that if she came to YOUR house, she wouldn't cringe in disgust if you hadn't vacuumed the sofa and the draperies. Mendelson comes off as a more "human" Martha Stewart, which is very refreshing. This book would make an excellent housewarming, bridal shower, or wedding gift. It will be most appreciated by anyone who receives it.
Rating:
Summary: Every Home Needs This Book
Review: This is a great book, for the working mother (like myself) and for the homemaker. I'm surprised at the reasons people give for disliking the book i.e. too detailed and tedious. It's a REFERENCE book, unless you like reading encyclopedias or dictionaries for fun, this is not the book you curl up with after dinner. It's the one you turn to if you're not sure of the best way to remove a cherry stain on your blouse. As for the working moms who sniff at the book because they feel their time is better spent with family, again this book is a REFERENCE. There is no person alive who could implement every suggestion this book makes. I've stayed at home and worked, and the simple fact is no one has the time to do all this stuff, but if you want to know HOW and WHY you clean you do, or should, the Home Comforts is an invaluable resource.
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