Reddit reviews Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook: The Essential Guide to Caring for Everything in Your Home

This is going to seem like a weird suggestion but hear me out:

Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook.

If you just see the cover, you'll be like, "um, I don't need a book to tell me how to wash windows, k thx bye."

But a picture of the cover doesn't show the Bible-like thickness of this book. It's like 750 pages and is a comprehensive guide to living in a house. Covers everything you should be doing to maintain a house on a daily, weekly, monthly, yearly basis. Covers how to manage specific rooms. Covers how to deal with pets. Covers everything from how to wash and fold clothes to how to repair the plumbing to the washing machine. Covers everything from how to clean a lampshade to how to add a new lightswitch. Has a "materials library" where it goes over every possible material things could be made out of in your home and how to care for them.

It's absurd how in-depth it is. It's basically everything you'll "find out the hard way" about owning a home over 30 years, the easy way and without the wait.

But, if you're looking to go beyond "how to be a homeowner," the Reader's Digest/Family Handyman "Complete Do-it-Yourself Manual is the single best resource for all your DIY home improvement heavy lifting.

I was given http://www.amazon.com/Martha-Stewarts-Homekeeping-Handbook-Everything/dp/0517577003/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408220824&sr=8-1&keywords=Martha+home+keeping+handbook book, Martha Stewart's homekeeping handbook) as a bridal shower gift. It is the encyclopedia Britannica of keeping your living space and everything in it clean and maintained. It is so well organized and has chore breakdowns for things you should do daily/weekly/monthly/quarterly. Has tips on how to organize every room in your house and even has chapters on how to get a mortgage. I know most of us don't live in a country estate like her but I found it very helpful for setting up my home and if I have a weird stain or home care question it's easy to look it up.

Edit I can't figure out how I screwed up the formatting oh well

Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping house and Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Housebook are my favorites. The Martha Stewart one is more broad than the other which makes it a better reference, however, Home Comforts has a very extensive section on fabrics and laundry that is so helpful and much better than Martha's.

If you are looking for a book, this is really helpful:

http://www.amazon.com/Martha-Stewarts-Homekeeping-Handbook-Everything/dp/0517577003/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1299514436&sr=1-3

It has everything in it for caring for a household.

If you are looking at tools, an home emergency kit containing flashlights, lantern, radio, small fire extinguisher, first aid kit, and a non-digital analog phone (it doesn't require batteries in the event of a power outage). You'd be surprised how great this comes in handy during a power outage or storm, and they will think of (and thank) you that they have one available.

Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen Cookbook: 100 + Great Recipes with Foolproof Instructions https://www.amazon.com/dp/0618711759/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_gQ8rDbP9ER0QA

Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook: The Essential Guide to Caring for Everything in Your Home https://www.amazon.com/dp/0517577003/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_XR8rDbBSNYVP2

Home Management: Plain and Simple https://www.amazon.com/dp/0998610100/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_qT8rDb6FDZZQA

Home-Ec 101: Skills for Everyday Living https://www.amazon.com/dp/1440308535/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_4V8rDb7GT21TK

Organizing Solutions for People with ADHD, 2nd Edition-Revised and Updated: Tips and Tools to Help You Take Charge of Your Life and Get Organized https://www.amazon.com/dp/1592335128/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_6W8rDb6ZKRW49


Don’t be afraid to shop! (Within reason) It will contribute so much to your comfort and relaxation/mental health to have a nice space set up for you both.

I recommend Ikea for most things, Target, and Ross has a good “home stuff” section.