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3rd out of 26 books
—
16 voters
The House That Cleans Itself: Creative Solutions for a Clean and Orderly House in Less Time Than You Can Imagine
"The House That Cleans Itself" is a true housekeeping guide for the housekeeping-impaired! It boldly takes on the reasons behind chronic messiness and why ordinary home-organization books won't work. Using the methods of "horizontal thinking," this book teaches readers how to set up a home so efficiently and logically that it seems to clean itself.
More than a how-to book,...more
More than a how-to book,...more
Paperback, 240 pages
Published
June 1st 2007
by Harvest House Publishers
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Most organizational books are written by naturally neat people imparting their methods to the rest of us. This can be helpful, but often such people don't understand WHY others are disorganized--and so such solutions are only temporary help.
Clark professes her own disorganization and her method to keep her house "clean enough." There is a lot of advance work (and work after the initial purge/clean), which may dissuade many from even starting. Even with that, there are some helpful nuggets. The m...more
Clark professes her own disorganization and her method to keep her house "clean enough." There is a lot of advance work (and work after the initial purge/clean), which may dissuade many from even starting. Even with that, there are some helpful nuggets. The m...more
I ask my students all the time, "What do good readers do?" One of the things good readers do is look at the title to find clues and information about if they might like the book. What about the title catches their attention? What can you say about The House That Cleans Itself? I was hooked from the get go. The title alone got me, the glittering stars spashed around the outside of the house, gleaming as if its been polished.
What I liked about this book was the concept that your life has a flow. H...more
What I liked about this book was the concept that your life has a flow. H...more
I really liked this book. I can't say that I will do everything she suggested in cleaning my house but I have already started implementing quite a bit of it and my house is looking great. Actually, one of the most important parts of this book for me was her discussion on purging the house of all unneccessary clutter. I didn't do it the exact way she suggested but I purged my house and the difference is amazing. I love it! She also talks about setting up stations for different areas of one's hous...more
I loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone dealing with clutter. I am transforming my home into a place that is more organized and (more importantly) easier to clean. I like the practicality of this book, and although I cannot implement all her suggestions, I like the plan and have been motivated by her Christian perspective.
My favorite nuggets in the book are: 1) the reasons people like me hold on to things for years 2) the idea that every item in my home takes time as I interact with...more
My favorite nuggets in the book are: 1) the reasons people like me hold on to things for years 2) the idea that every item in my home takes time as I interact with...more
For the first 12 chapters, I kept thinking she's talking a lot and not saying much. Somewhere around chapter 13, ideas started popping into my head about how I could organize my house so it's less mess-inducing. By the end of the book, I had several ideas and some inspiration, which made the read worthwhile to me. It remains to be seen if the book will have any lasting effect.
I will say that the book is probably better aimed at families with at least one child over 6 years old. If all your kids...more
I will say that the book is probably better aimed at families with at least one child over 6 years old. If all your kids...more
I've read several creative solutions books of dealing with clutter and cleaning and I enjoyed this one alot. Very easy to read, she's added a few illustrations for the visual learner, and I like the lists of what to clean at the end of the book for the cleaning impaired. She also has words for the perfectionist that I found very helpful.I help people declutter and get organized, but I've never thought about applying spiritual insight to clutter to help them move beyond the mess. Each chapter ha...more
Anyone who thinks that a house can really clean itself is delusional, but this book does set forth a good plan for how to arrange and organize your home to work with how you and your family live in the home first rather than the standard organizing mantra that has you changing your behaviors to fit a set plan.
Ms Starns Clark brings you a plan that has you look at your house as it is at its worst. In fact, if you’ve just cleaned, she advises you to not clean and wait a week or two to put the plan...more
Ms Starns Clark brings you a plan that has you look at your house as it is at its worst. In fact, if you’ve just cleaned, she advises you to not clean and wait a week or two to put the plan...more
The overall principle of this book was interesting: change your home to fit your habits instead of vice versa. The basic idea is kind of a no-brainer, for instance, if shoes end up all over the floor by the front door, than provide a receptacle for them near the door.
What she does not address well is how to instill these habits in others, particularly children. In addition, many of her suggestions will simply not work in a home with babies and toddlers. (will anything, really?)
I found the first...more
What she does not address well is how to instill these habits in others, particularly children. In addition, many of her suggestions will simply not work in a home with babies and toddlers. (will anything, really?)
I found the first...more
I can't get enough organizing and cleaning out around here. Love this books strategy of making your house fit your family's lifestyle or behaviors. It's helped me solve problems we've had for years like our messy garage and not being able to access decorations or my kids clothes. It's helped me clean out every drawer, every closet, every cupboard and not spend money! I've freed myself of stuff that I haven't touched or needed for years. I had the best garage sale the other day!
I've probably enjoyed reading this self-help house cleaning book more than any other that I've ever read. I enjoyed the author's personality coming through, the funny little stories at the end of each chapter, the short chapters and new perspective on changing your house to fit your behaviors and not necessarily your behaviors to fit your house. I have never known a house cleaning or do-it-yourself book to be so religiously inclined or spiritually uplifting either but I found the faith-filled te...more
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My house is always out of control with 6 people and 2 large dogs living in 2000 sq. feet. I needed something to help spurn me on my way to getting a more organized and clean space. The techniques she advocates like taking your proprerty and dividing it into individual cleaning zones helped me a lot. I'm currently in the de-cluttering and cleaning part of her CONVERT system and so far, so good. I've put down this book for now because I have 27 'zones' in my house and property and it may take a fe...more
Great book for the "Housecleaning Impaired". For someone with ADHD, this book has great ideas for cleaning and organizing, with an empasis on simplicity and common sense that really works. I applied the technique to my entire house and it really works for me. Now we are relocating and it is much easier to get the house ready for the market than if I had not implemented these things!
Really interesting and fast, easy read. Amazingly I have done several of the organizational things she recommends in the first two thirds of the book. I liked her cleaning suggestions in the last part. I also liked her religious aspects she brought into the book as I strongly believe the clutter and a messy house hinders spirituality.
Really liked the concept in this book of looking at the messes in your house and getting to the root of why they happen - then rearranging things to stop them from happening in the first place. Your house will "clean itself" because it makes it *easier* for things to go and stay where they are supposed to be. For example, Clark recommends making "stations" around your house where things usually happen - e.g. I made the decision to move our office desk to the front room of our house instead of in...more
I am always looking for a way to do things better and this had a few good ideas. I really like the idea of changing your environment, your home, to better suit your personality, the way your prefer to do things and way of life rather than the other way around, really does make things easier.
May 27, 2009
Dianne
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone who struggles with a messy house
From this book I learned that there really is no such thing as a house that cleans itsself. I got some good tips on organization and insights into how to keep my house cleaner. This book helped me to look at my house and my messes differently and deal with them in a more proactive way.
So I was totally impressed by this book. I was looking for some tips on keeping my house clean and I found a totally new way to look at my home, myself and my family. Plus the author is religious and included scriptures and making God a partner in your quest for a clean home.
This might be the best book I've ever read on housekeeping for the organizationally challenged! I am going to revisit this book often. A real keeper! The author completely understands what undermines disorganized people (Like me!) when it comes to all their sincere efforts to maintain some kind of household order. Then she gives really workable, practical advice. And now I want to read Mindy Starns Clark's mystery novels too!
Rubbish. Just go to flylady.net. This book is full of unrealistic ideas that would make my house a disaster. There are a few helpful ideas to think about changing problems areas of your house, but mostly it was a waste of time.
The author says that she was never taught how to clean and this seems to be a problem with a great many people. If you think you're in the same boat, then this may be a good book for you. For those that know how to clean, you may enjoy the embarrassing stories shared by those that are impaired. Some are quite shocking!
Changed my life!!! A must read for those of us who struggle to keep our house together. This book will probably not help a "Cleanie" but will save the life of a "Messie"!
I didn't follow the directions, but I learned a lot skimming through the pages. I even implemented some of her solutions. We are "barniclers". You'll have to read the book to know what that means!
The concepts in this book are really good. They just aren't what I need. Organization and decluttering are not really problems for me. I need someone to write a book on lighting a fire under family members.
This book made me feel that I could actually get my house clean and keep it that way. Now, I haven't done so yet, but I finally feel a sense of hope...
I had no idea that there was such a thing as a Christian cleaning book. There were many things that weren't for me, but some good ideas as well.
I loved this book! Funny but very practical advice about understanding the "flow" of your life and adapting your home accordingly!
I enjoyed this book... but it's for the organization challenged people in the world. I am not one of them.
I really liked her ideas and can't wait to get my own copy from amazon on tuesday. I plan on starting it when Sophie goes back to school.
Ideas for organizing your house that I had not read elsewhere.
Practical advice for getting rid of clutter.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| housekeeping, cleaning, organization | 1 | 2 | Oct 02, 2009 11:23am |
A former singer and stand-up comedian, Mindy lives with her husband and two teenage daughters near Valley Forge, PA. She enjoys speaking to churches, civic groups, and libraries across the country. Her unique blend of humor and insight make her an audience favorite.
From the author's website.
More about Mindy Starns Clark...
From the author's website.
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