Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I bought this book with great hope. I need some help to get my home together and keep it that way. However, reading this book just depressed me - no way could I [or would I] do what she does in this book.
I thought most of her advice was just plain obsessive. Her family cleans their crown molding and base boards every week. Really. Not only would I *never* have time for that on a weekly basis, but I would *never* use my time like that if I did have a spare moment.
The laundry advice was very labor intensive too. This was the section I most wanted to read and where I need the most help, but I would never in a million years have time to do the laundry as meticulously as she recommends. [I was looking for ways to be more efficient with the laundry, not make it take even longer].
My kids aren't going to clothes pin their stained clothes on the spot where they stained them [the ones that stain frequently are too young for for that] and I'm happy if they just put their stained clothes in the "stain basket" so I can treat them later. I don't have the time, space, or inclination to use 7 different methods of stain removal based on 7 different cleaning products [several of which you have to make up yourself] to use on different kinds of stains. I would love it if my kids would clothes pin their socks together every single time, but I just frankly don't see that happening. I don't have time to sit with the toddler and have her sort out all the laundry into every different color of the rainbow before I wash it so she can "learn her colors". And I am *NOT* going to drip dry all our cotton clothing... no way.
Her ideas for the kitchen were similarly labor intensive I thought - like taking ALL dry goods out of their [perfectly good! ;) ] containers and placing them in clear plastic storage containers [even things like baking soda....]. Who has time for that? Not me at any rate. And I laughed out loud at the admonition that I should keep a lazy susan full of fancy teas, sugar swizzles, and biscotti so I would always be prepared for unexpected "drop in visitors". Personally, I don't want anyone stopping by my house without calling first, and I'm not going to reward them with fancy tea and biscotti if they are that rude. ;)
She also seemed germ-phobic to the point of unhealthiness. All the "newest research" is telling us that we are making ourselves sicker by trying to be "anti-bacterial" about everything and not allowing our bodies to build up immunities to germs. I really have the feeling, based on this book, that this lady's home is cleaner than most hospital operating rooms - she is really, really germ obsessed.
This book might work for someone who is super energetic and has a whole lot of time for cleaning or someone who has that inborn "neat freak" gene, but for most "regular" folks... it isn't going to help.
I found the book just really more disheartening than anything - because my house is *never* going to look like hers. And honestly, I wouldn't want it to - I just want it basically presentable.
I really thought her methods were over the top and very inefficient. "Sink Reflections" by Flylady is much more my speed. :)
Click Here to see more reviews about: Mrs. Clean Jean's Housekeeping with Kids: Family Pickup Lines (and Household Routines) That Work with Less Work from You
Got Kids?Get Mrs. Clean Jean's Housekeeping with Kids!From staying sane while sharing a bathroom (whether with teens or with toddlers in the throes of toilet training) to getting the kids to pitch in on laundry day (and keep the darks separate!), Mrs. Clean Jeans brings a wealth of tried-and-true tactics to the rescue. Her motto is "You didn't make this mess all by yourself, so why should you have to clean it up?" So she's figured out all the ingenious ways to get your kids to help you do the chores--or even do them all by themselves! Mrs. Clean Jeans starts with strategies, including involving the whole family, letting kids pick their favorite chores, having a set chore time so everybody's working together, and keeping chores reasonable, plus, of course, giving suitable rewards for jobs well done. Then she takes readers room by room, showing how to create kid-friendly storage, make sure things get picked up, avoid fights and confusion, and see to it that everything gets done--including the dishes. Packed with firsthand tips from the author's years of cleaning with three kids (now ages 3 through 13), Mrs. Clean Jeans' Housekeeping with Kids is the ultimate household help book
0 comments:
Post a Comment