Best home cleaning & caretaking books according to redditors
We found 91 Reddit comments discussing the best home cleaning & caretaking books. We ranked the 36 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 91 Reddit comments discussing the best home cleaning & caretaking books. We ranked the 36 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
> I moved out a few years ago and I couldn't figure out how everyone else kept their homes so tidy. I'd clear up, mop, throw away rubbish, bleach everything and within a week it was back to tiptoe-ing over bags of things and empty food packets and cat litter.
One of the things I realized when I first moved out on my own was that my parents had taught me how to clean, but not when to clean.
Actually, that's not quite accurate. I was taught that when it all became too much (usually about once every two to three months), to devote an whole weekend (or as much as a week during summer vacation) to an all-out, full court press approach to cleaning. Starting on Friday night there would be hours and hours of non-stop sorting, organizing, throwing away, dusting, sweeping, mopping, etc.. It meant giving up an entire weekend, was utterly exhausting, and was extremely demotivating. When I moved out on my own, I never wanted to clean when things got bad because I learned this was how you clean house.
What I eventually figured out is that the best housekeepers--once they have their house where they want it--spend somewhere between 10 and 30 minutes a day maintaining the state of the house. So rather than spending two to three days on one huge deep-cleaning rampage, good housekeepers break cleaning down into small, manageable tasks that only take a few minutes every day. Essentially, they do a handful of daily cleaning tasks, and one slightly larger cleaning task, per day.
It was like a light bulb turning on in my head. I would much rather spend 15 or 30 minutes a day tidying up than three or more days deep-cleaning every two or three months.
If you ever read the classic children's book Little House on the Prairie, you might recall Ma Ingall's housekeeping schedule:
> "Wash on Monday,
>
> Iron on Tuesday,
>
> Mend on Wednesday,
>
> Churn on Thursday,
>
> Clean on Friday,
>
> Bake on Saturday,
>
> Rest on Sunday."
If you've ever read any books on the history of housekeeping (Home Comforts by Cheryl Mendelson is a nice introduction to it), you'll know that the above was the traditional housekeeping schedule for much of American history. Some folks have come up with modernized versions (example), and of course I just posted one here yesterday.
The point of schedules like this is three-fold:
And here's a secret that I learned when I adopted a housekeeping schedule: If something happens and you can't do your routine for a day or two, your house doesn't immediately descend into utter chaos. Trust me when I tell you, it's a LOT easier to recover from missing a couple of days of small tasks that from a giant hoard.
"Wash on Monday" is, at it's essence, the same thing as the "Starting Small" approach mentioned in the Hoarding Resource List in the sidebar. It's breaking down housekeeping into manageable tasks, saying "Today I will work on X, and only X."
What ultimately worked for me was this:
Campbell has owned/run a professional housekeeping service in California for decades, and their service is known for being able to clean a standard-size 1-story home in 15 minutes or less. This book breaks down their cleaning method for the homeowner--Campbell tells you what cleaning tools and chemicals to use (and why), tells you what rooms to start in (and why), tells you where in that room to start (and why), and literally walks you through how to clean an individual room. It is NOT a book of housekeeping "tips", but actual instructions on how to clean in a certain way, and why that way is both effective and efficient.
Campbell's method is now how I clean my house, and I absolutely recommend this book to any recovering hoarder who's gotten past the retaining-items stage and is now trying to develop housekeeping skills. I will state that the very first time you try his cleaning method, it won't take 15 minutes per room because obviously you're starting out learning it. But as you continue to use it and get used to it, you will speed up considerably.
It sounds like right now you have a lot of clutter to get rid of, but it also sounds like you know how to get rid of it and are able to let go, and that puts you WAY ahead of a lot of hoarders. Once you get your apartment back where you want it, I suggest that you:
Finally, if you get to a point in your recovery where you want to start exploring different housekeeping systems, please visit /r/messyhomes. The mod, /u/Bellainara has hoarding tendencies herself, and welcomes people with similar struggles. You can contact her with any questions. The intro post for /r/messyhomes is here.
Here's some fuel to the fire: think aobut how many fucking years and how many fucking dollars are going to go into his therapy, that could have gone to lovely vacations, prettier clothes for you, nicer furniture, college funds for your kids, ... but they can't. Because she was a shit mother. And he needs to undo years of abuse. Multiply out all those co-pays, and think of what returns could be gotten if that was invested and the interest compounded over all the years of your marriage into your nest egg for retirement. Yeah.
Now also get over the idea that "fair" is the same as "equal". If I make less than 40K per year and my ex makes over 250K per year, is it FAIR if we split child-rearing expenses 50-50? Of course not - fair is an equitable breakdown of the bills according to ability.
Well, it's the same with ALL of yoru resources when it comes to this woman. If, thanks to her abuse, he's spending hours of his life going to therapy plus more hours processing the abuse and recovering from it, if you have to be extra patient, and understanding and a helpmate to him in dealing with his abuse, this creates an emotional debt in yrou marriage bank account. One that she fucking caused. Ditto for actual money, ditto for the time sink of all of this... so already, this bitch is TAKING from you - in real, quantifiable tangible ways. Your parents, on the other hand, are NOT. They are nice, they didn't abuse you, they create value and fill up your reserves as you support and caregive to him.
And sweetie, if she ever asks for his fucking clothes again, there aren't any to give away to her. You're about to be his wife, and the family home is YOUR HOME. Grown ass women do not come in and clean out each other closets.... learn to weed shit out on a regular basis and get rid of things by consignment, yard sales, or thrift shops. If she offers to "help" tell her "The way I learn is by hands-on doing it myself, and that's how I prefer to work."
Also, since you're just setting up housekeeping and she's able to play the "old pro" card.... go get yourself the ultimate guide to running a household: Home Comforts. That way you learn how to do everything, exactly right, from the get-go and never need her advice.
While you're in there
The biggest thing you need to do for yourself right now is begin to lose the weight. Learn how to eat healthily and begin to workout. Fat head and Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead (which streams on Netflix) were excellent starting places learning about food for me. Then hopping on the internet to do my own research.
As for working out, Bodybuilding.com has a plethora of information. When you get on there, DO NOT LOOK AT THE WOMEN AND GET DEPRESSED. That won't get you anywhere and you will change nothing. Look at those women as pure potential in yourself. Start changing the way you think about things like this right now. Changing the way you think is going to be the biggest and best thing for your self and it's going to apply across the board.
Grow out your hair.
Find a girly style that you are comfortable with. Personally, I love Modcloth.
Learn to cook. Get it out of your head right now that it is at all difficult. It's not. The reason people find it difficult is because they think it's difficult. Here's and incredibly easy recipe that takes minutes. What do you want to learn to cook?
House cleaning. This is an excellent book on the matter.
Hobbies. Look for something that you like to do. Knitting, sewing, crocheting are all great. But do they interest you? If they don't, don't force yourself to do them because you think you should. It won't stick and a man will think you strange. What interests you? Don't search for traditionally feminine pursuits if there is nothing there that piques you. Find what you love and try to do it in a feminine way.
Stand up straight. Really. Small but huge.
Smile. Often. At everyone. Even heavy, people will notice a happy and pleasant woman. Your attitude means everything.
Be friendly.
Don't sleep around.
Start with these. As you begin with the big things, you'll begin to delve deeper into the nuances. But you have to work with the big before you can work further. DON"T BEAT YOURSELF UP. You. Will. Fail. It's just part of the process. Even the women doing this for years, we still fail. It's not the set back that makes it awful. Awful would be giving up because you made a mistake.
Read. Read. Read. Here and the sites on the side bar. Once you've done that, come back here and ask questions. We'd love to help.
I have certain books I don't list. I don't count them in my challenge either. It's not for fear of shame or judgement, I just don't want people to know about some shit in my life. I don't even really like anonymously airing these problems online, so yeah. As for stuff that might be judged like romance, guilty pleasures... I have no qualms about listing those.
I also have a random side-hobby of collecting bizarre books. I haven't listed them yet, but I will one day. My future goal is to have no real books in my home but just bookshelves full of books that make people judge me. Examples: this one or this or this
I have this book - "Clean: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing" that gives you methods to clean everything in your house using five basic ingredients - Baking Soda, Borax, Lemon, Salt, and White Vinegar. The book is pretty useful and only costs $3.
I just got the the book, “The Complete Book of Clean” and I’m so in love with it! It goes through step-by-step how to clean every room in the house, and how to clean each item in each room. Like: what sort of cleaners to use if you have a cast iron kitchen sink vs a porcelain kitchen sink vs a stainless steel kitchen sink, and how to clean various types of light fixtures. It also includes recipes for making your own cleaning products using things like vinegar, baking soda, liquid castile soap and essential oils. It’s a fantastic reference book, and I’ve been really inspired by it. On a tactile note, the book has these little metal corner accents that just make me so happy for whatever reason!
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Clean-Tips-Techniques/dp/1681881748
The Fanny Farmer Cookbook is an excellent source not just for recipes, but for instruction on basic techniques that recipes will assume you know--like what it means to fold in egg whites, for example.
Home Comforts goes in depth on hows, whys, and different schools of thought about housekeeping. It's a bit on the intellectual side, which will appeal to some people more than others.
If you need help in creating housekeeping routines, staying on task, or digging yourself out of a mess, the Flylady website or her books might work for you, but not everyone responds to her writing style which in on the bossy, "keeping it real, y'all" side.
Ah! Have I got reading recommendations for you!
Here are a couple for your consideration:
https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Guide-Repair-Improvement-Updated/dp/158011783X
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Yourself-Manual-Newly-Updated/dp/1621452018
https://www.amazon.com/Home-Maintenance-Dummies-James-Carey/dp/047043063X
http://publications.gc.ca/site/archivee-archived.html?url=http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/schl-cmhc/NH15-386-2003-eng.pdf
I love this one and it's huge. I bought it used on Amazon. It's like the encyclopedia of running a house. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/068481465X/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I've really enjoyed "The Joy of Less" and "The life-changing magic of tidying up". I find that when I have less clutter IRL, my mind feels less cluttered and it's easier to stay focused on my goals.
It may sound silly, or outdated, but my mother in law gave me a book that really helped me https://www.amazon.com/Household-hints-Editors-Readers-Digest/dp/0895776634
the thing i most remember is that life is like baloney, you don't have to take all of it at one time, just a slice at a time.
hope it helps.
There are a ton of books on those topics but you'd probably need to buy them separately for home and auto. You can also search the For Dummies publications to see if they have a home/car maintenance once.
Edit: They do.
If you've never done anything before, you need to start with the basics:
https://www.amazon.com/Do-Yourself-Housebuilding-Complete-Handbook/dp/0806904240
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Do-Yourself-Manual-Completely/dp/0762105798
https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Guide-Repair-Improvement-Updated/dp/158011783X
https://www.amazon.com/Home-Maintenance-Dummies-James-Carey/dp/047043063X
https://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-Book-Home-How/dp/0760354766
There are more, but that selection covers virtually everything you'd run into.
I grew up in a household where the chores were always done by somebody else. When I started living on my own, I had plenty of motivation, but lacked knowledge. Home Comforts, by Cheryl Mendelson fixed that; the first few chapters talk inspiringly about why and how to clean and tidy. If your housemate / partner isn't evil, merely chaotic, and is open to new input and is capable of self-re-programming, then that book just might do the trick.
Home Comforts by Cheryl Mendelson is a good one, it's the one I use. Google books knows about it but has no preview of it though.
First - politely inform them that you feel communications should cease as you are not a licensed contractor.
2nd - home chepot and Lowes and menards (if in US) have classes for this.
3rd - I have given this to a couple r/kevin ‘s in my life (people completely unable to adult or even aware that they needed to) and was amazed at how much it helped -
The First-Time Homeowner's Survival Guide: A Crash Course in Dealing with Repairs, Renovations, Property Tax Issues, and Other Potential Disasters https://www.amazon.com/dp/0814473725/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ugenDb8HMP6CA
This one may seem rude if they don’t get the pun or are sensitive type.
Home Maintenance For Dummies https://www.amazon.com/dp/047043063X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_YeenDbPEBKNXW
This one is a great guide and I actually use it regularly for training in hotel maintenance and housekeeping classes.
The Martha Manual: How to Do (Almost) Everything https://www.amazon.com/dp/1328927326/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_wfenDb3KGNC5J
Home:
Groceries:
Edit: formatting fuckup
Home Maintenance For Dummies https://www.amazon.com/dp/047043063X/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_LcfGub1W6ZA4A
Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual: Completely Revised and Updated https://www.amazon.com/dp/0762105798/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_3efGub0KSG133
First of all, I highly recommend this book. The author is a mother of nine and is a Christian, and there is a lot of Christianity in the text, but I’m not Christian and it didn’t bother me at all. This book helped me figure out how to structure every day to get everything done. I would buy it even if it cost $100+ because it helped me so much. I reread it every so often, too.
I instituted routines that take place throughout the day, every day. We have a morning routine: wake up, bathroom, brush teeth, sunscreen, make beds, get dressed. Nothing else happens until this is done. It has saved so many tears because everyone knows what to expect, and when. Then I get breakfast prepared and they can play or use an educational game on their tablets. I only have educational games because when other things were on there it was a fight to get them to play the educational stuff; now they love it.
After breakfast we have our “after meal routine,” which the author of the above book refers to as “table chores.” I never liked the word “chore” so I don’t use it. We do this routine after every single meal, no exceptions. It gets done quickly! Here it is: take dishes to the counter, cups go on the drink tray that I keep on a shelf they can reach themselves, brush off the table, wash the table, vacuum or sweep under the table. While I’m helping with and supervising that stuff, I’m also filling a bowl or dishpan with warm, soapy water for the dishes to soak in, and another of rinse water. The kids help with the dishes. Give them a little scrub in the soapy water and then they go into the rinse water, and then to the drying rack. It seems like a lot, right? I timed it today at breakfast and it took us seven minutes from start to finish. When it’s done I say encouraging things about how shiny and pretty the kitchen looks and how they are the best helpers. I have a dust pan and brush for each child and a spray bottle for each for washing the table.
The toys are tidied up and the kids are in pajamas (more like what they will wear tomorrow, if I’m being honest) before dinner. Toys do not come back out after dinner at our house! Not unless I want tears and fighting and to probably end up in tears, myself. No thank you. Once the after meal routine is finished they can play with fluffy slime (it’s not gloopy and oozy like regular slime, or messy like play dough) or color or do something relaxing. Then we go to read books. We brush teeth halfway between book time right before I take the littlest one to bed, and then the older ones can continue reading.
I’ll add another comment when I think about more. Most of this stuff I got from that book! I really think it saved my life.
I've heard great things about the book, Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House.
For those looking for a more... complex approach.
buy a book http://www.amazon.com/Home-Maintenance-Dummies-James-Carey/dp/047043063X
I've been handy since toddler age when I took off the hinges off a kitchen cupboard because I wanted the candy locked in there. (Then took every shop class I could in school.) So I come with a bit of a "but that's so easy!" mindset, but my hubby is completely not handy and this is the advice I'd give him.
Family Handyman (exhaustive website as well as a magazine & book publisher. is awesome. Spend time digging through the site and you'll find so many projects and ideas. They have projects at every skill level and complexity.
I just bought their latest book, Make It Last and it might work for you too. Everything gets broken down into steps with pictures.
Reading about the steps that go into projects can be really morale boosting. You learn that even if the project as a whole is intimidating, breaking it down into steps becomes "oh, hey! I can do that step... oh and the next isn't too bad either!"
There's a ton of great resources out there for learning how to be handy, but I find Family Handyman is one of the most user (and beginner!) friendly. Plus the suggestions in just this thread are fantastic.
You can do it! You'll always make mistakes, but that's how you learn.
(Caveat: I agree that you should avoid electrical everything until you get a few projects under your belt. I've had years of electrics classes but I'm avoiding doing anything electrical in my house right now myself. I'm rusty and electrics can kill you and/or burn your house down if you fuck up. Also, getting shocked suuucks. Heh, ask me how I know. ;) )
(Edit for word choice.)
It's called Laundry. It goes into significantly more detail than you need to get started (if you go to a laundromat and don't know what you're doing, you can literally just ask the person next to you and they'll show you where to put the detergent and how to turn the thing on), but it has useful info that I doubt any of my more recent ancestors knew.
This book helped me so much!
http://www.amazon.com/Organized-Simplicity-Clutter-Free-Approach-Intentional/dp/1440302634
My family growing up wasn't dirty, but we were cluttered, and I LOVED going to my friends houses that had a place for everything and everything in its place. It made me want to have a clean home when I had my own family.
It is possible! Since I lacked the skills myself this book really helped me figure out how to go about it, and at a reasonable pace, which I loved because doing a big overhaul like that takes time.
Good luck!
The book on this is Home Comforts (new from $10). It is like the bible of taking care of the shit you own in your house. I bought a copy after seeing Jesse on Put This On recommend it about 12 times; I wasn't disappointed.
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.
Some activities that make me feel better when I'm feeling "off" are: shower, wash your face, floss/brush your teeth, do a face mask, write in a journal, call a loved one, go for a walk, take a fitness class, have a drink, tidy your living space, read a peaceful book ("Home Comforts" is a personal fav), go on a little adventure (public gardens/greenhouses are great), take yourself on a date(woo the shit out of yourself), put on fancy headphones and listen to a melancholy/blue playlist, take a depression nap, rub one out, give yourself something fun to look forward to (sign up for a class or something), practice a new skill, make something for a loved one, DANCE
Relevant
I have this book that describes many earth-friendly cleaning techniques using baking soda, borax, lemon, etc. Mixed results. Some things work fine and others not really at all. It's certainly better to give it a shot than use crappy chemicals all the time.
Post removed because the link is too cluttered. Please resubmit with only the URL https://www.amazon.com/Minimalist-Home-Declutter-Simplify-Living-ebook/dp/B07BHSBZW6/ – thank you!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0743272862?pc_redir=1406839541&robot_redir=1
Has tons of good schedules and techniques
Has a good follow up book on laundry :)
Not a tip, but a recommendation for the gold mine of all homemaking guidance. It’s a book called Home Comforts : The Art and Science of Keeping House by Cheryl Mendelson. It’s an incredible resource and has helped me so much!!
The absolute best, and most thorough, guide to the "domestic arts" that I've ever seen is a book called Home Comforts by Cheryl Mendelson. It came out in the 90s, but it's still relevant: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0743272862/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1450785722&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=home+comforts&dpPl=1&dpID=51B1YJR9Y8L&ref=plSrch
The Joy of Less. Its not a very good book i think. But its a good introduction to minimalist living.
http://www.amazon.com/Foragers-Harvest-Identifying-Harvesting-Preparing/dp/0976626608/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1377479697&sr=1-1
Easily the best book on the market concerning foraging. Maybe you guys could go camping or geocashing and look for edible plants. At the very least it should make for an interesting and potentially useful read for someone who likes the outdoors and food.
Along a similar vain, this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Knew-Cleaning-Made-Easy-ebook/dp/B008GWMH0K/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1377479881&sr=1-4
is an interesting read about how to clean various stains with everyday house hold objects.
There is a book called Home Comforts that is pretty much the bible of home care. I highly recommend it as a really solid starting point; I read through it when I was young and on my own for the first time and really found it invaluable.
Okay, this is a secondhand recommendation for a book, since I have not yet read it myself, but Organized Simplicity seems to be a favorite of many friends of mine.
Most silks are washable too. The hand of the fabric may change and dome dyes might bleed so testing a sample cut is important. Silk is especially delicate when wet so machine washing it is difficult.
That said, dry cleaning is harsher than hand washing.
For anyone interested in learning more about the science of fibers and fiber care I strongly recommend the cloth section of Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House by Cheryl Mendelson.
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Check out this book:
Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House
https://www.amazon.com/Home-Comforts-Science-Keeping-House/dp/0743272862
It has the answer to how to properly clean everything--dishes, bedsheets, litterbox, shower--with instructions for how to make homemade cleaning solutions, how often you should clean items/spaces, et al. It's made a huge difference in my life and saved me money on store bought cleaning aids.
There's a glossary in the back (obv) so you can easily search for what it is you want to clean.
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.
Ebook.
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Be excellent to each other! And party on, dude.
don't worry, be happy!
Basic food stuffs:
-Large box of minute rice
-beans. I love beans. Simple, easy and go great with rice. Dried beans are cheaper than canned. Just make sure you soak them before eating.
-large bag of flour. If you don't mind cooking/baking. You can make biscuits with very few ingredients. http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/20075/basic-biscuits/
-Spices are a good investment and are relatively cheap.
-sugar
-broth (any kind)
-peanut butter
-tea/coffee
-white vinegar. Buy the biggest one you can afford. It's great for cooking and sanitizing.
If you have a fridge/freezer
-milk
-eggs
-frozen veggies
-frozen fruit
Someone already suggested a library card. This is an excellent idea. I rent books, DVDs and CD on a regular basis. I always get a cookbook and a handyman book to have on hand. Being a single Mom I've had to learn to be creative and handy. This book is amazing and insightful http://www.amazon.com/1000s-Amazing-Uses-Everyday-Products/dp/1605533408
Edit: sorry for the format I'm on mobile. Will fix later.
Well to take your request fairly literal: https://www.amazon.com/Home-Maintenance-Dummies-James-Carey/dp/047043063X/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1517604351&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=homewonwers+for+dummies
I think you'll find the keep your house clean part is seriously helped with this book: http://www.amazon.com/Home-Comforts-Science-Keeping-House/dp/068481465X
OR get enough money 80 bucks weekly for a maid service is no big deal.
This is great! Good job! I also am doing the same thing, I have taken out about 2square meters of stuff ( donated, gave and trash.) I am reading The Joy of Less and reading this sub's content as much as I can. I love how I am getting more streamlined. One thing I like about that book is she talks about getting quality. One in One out. So you slowly have less but better things. Less books, but better books, less shirts but better shirts. I enjoy that a whole lot!
She also has a web site, flylady.net
How you organize the house can help with the chores. Organizing efficiently means less work and easier chores. For instance, daily use stuff should be stored where you can reach it easily, stuff used rarely can be stored on a top shelf, in another room or the attic or basement.
Also you can't clean clutter. Declutter and you will be happier.
http://www.amazon.com/Home-Comforts-Science-Keeping-House/dp/0743272862/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412613924&sr=1-4&keywords=comforts+of+home
This book is like a text book for keeping a home. It covers everything from folding fitted sheets to managing accident liability.