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Дом, где всегда чисто
Дон Аслетт, ведущий американский специалист по уборке жилых помещений и офисов, вместе со своей дочерью Лаурой Аслетт Симонс, дизайнером, написали замечательную книгу. Прочитав ее, вы научитесь не только тому, как упростить уборку, но и тому, как совсем обойтись без нее.
400 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1990
7 people are currently reading
197 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
September 11, 2009
Okay, dang it! I keep reading Don Aslett's books that were written in the 80's and then seeing (when I go to review them) that they were updated and re-published in 2006. This may not be a problem for MOST books, but it is for his books which discuss things that have changed in the last 30 years, such as what kind of vacuum cleaner to buy.
That said...I did like this book a lot. It's all about how to make your home low-maintenance. Which sink faucets take the least time to clean, what floor plan make your housework fastest, which carpet is easiest to clean and looks the best longest.
The tragic thing is this: it turns out my house already IS mostly maintenance free!! Apparently whoever made the floorplans and designs for my house read this book. I was hoping to be able to blame my house for why it never seems to stay clean. Not so. I am still to blame. (And my two year old.)
Nonetheless, I will consider this book required scripture reading before replacing anything in my house (furniture, hardware, doors, etc...) or someday building or choosing a new home.
In the meantime, I did decide to take the door off my walk in closet. It's so dumb that I even have it. It's always open anyway, and when I want to get to my dresses (which hang behind it), it's in my way and annoying. And Benjamin slams it closed ALL THE TIME. But it never occurred to me that I didn't HAVE to have it. If the builder puts something somewhere, I assume it has to stay.
As my friend said the other day, Don Aslett has a great way of pointing things out that should be obvious, but have just never occurred to you. After you change your ways, you wonder why on earth you didn't figure it out on your own. I credit Don Aslett for giving me wisdom beyond my years. And a door-less clost.
PS. I already feel like a lot of my time if taken up cleaning the house (over and over and over again), so I was shocked when he would bring up ways to, for example, make your ceiling lower maintenance so that you don't have to clean it as regularly. I thought, seriously? People clean their ceilings? There is obviously a reason he is a professional cleaner and I am not.
PPS. Sometimes Don Aslett's books sound like they might be a less than exciting read. Like a book about carpet patterns? Bleh, right? Not so! Don Aslett is just interesting to read, period. No matter what he's talking about. It's weird (and addicting).
That said...I did like this book a lot. It's all about how to make your home low-maintenance. Which sink faucets take the least time to clean, what floor plan make your housework fastest, which carpet is easiest to clean and looks the best longest.
The tragic thing is this: it turns out my house already IS mostly maintenance free!! Apparently whoever made the floorplans and designs for my house read this book. I was hoping to be able to blame my house for why it never seems to stay clean. Not so. I am still to blame. (And my two year old.)
Nonetheless, I will consider this book required scripture reading before replacing anything in my house (furniture, hardware, doors, etc...) or someday building or choosing a new home.
In the meantime, I did decide to take the door off my walk in closet. It's so dumb that I even have it. It's always open anyway, and when I want to get to my dresses (which hang behind it), it's in my way and annoying. And Benjamin slams it closed ALL THE TIME. But it never occurred to me that I didn't HAVE to have it. If the builder puts something somewhere, I assume it has to stay.
As my friend said the other day, Don Aslett has a great way of pointing things out that should be obvious, but have just never occurred to you. After you change your ways, you wonder why on earth you didn't figure it out on your own. I credit Don Aslett for giving me wisdom beyond my years. And a door-less clost.
PS. I already feel like a lot of my time if taken up cleaning the house (over and over and over again), so I was shocked when he would bring up ways to, for example, make your ceiling lower maintenance so that you don't have to clean it as regularly. I thought, seriously? People clean their ceilings? There is obviously a reason he is a professional cleaner and I am not.
PPS. Sometimes Don Aslett's books sound like they might be a less than exciting read. Like a book about carpet patterns? Bleh, right? Not so! Don Aslett is just interesting to read, period. No matter what he's talking about. It's weird (and addicting).
September 23, 2010
Some really great ideas--my favorite cartoon in the book was a picture of two houses. One of the houses was ornate and surrounded with a family working on its upkeep. The other home was a simpler one with a family out in the pool together.
March 26, 2008
I admit I do not trust this man's sense of home-decorating style. But this was a book that needed to be written. I read this book before renovating our home, and with each choice of flooring, countertop, faucet-style, and even non-permanent additions to our home like a toaster-oven, I was able to accurately weigh how much of my time that item would take to maintain. In some cases I sacrificed easy-maintenance for style, but I was fully aware that I was making the choice. A sample of his recommendations are to limit the number of different surfaces you have in a kitchen that require different cleaning supplies, to keep as many things (like lamps or toaster ovens) suspended instead of sitting on a table or counter so they are easy to wipe down, and to buy the same brand for all faucets so when you need replacement parts, you are familiar with how to get them.
July 30, 2008
This is a great book. It describes many, many different ways to design, arrange, and build your house in order to minimize needed cleaning and maintenance. I got several good ideas from it.
There were a couple of times when I realized that this man makes a living out of cleaning and I don't. One suggestion was what kind of shoe holder to use in order to make your closet easier to vacuum and clean. My thought was, "I should be vacuuming the closet?" ( I always thought it was low maintenance because it had doors that hide it. : )
There were a couple of times when I realized that this man makes a living out of cleaning and I don't. One suggestion was what kind of shoe holder to use in order to make your closet easier to vacuum and clean. My thought was, "I should be vacuuming the closet?" ( I always thought it was low maintenance because it had doors that hide it. : )
March 24, 2009
A lot of great ideas to build a more efficient house. A must read for anyone planning to build, or remodel. I highly recommend this one.
May 17, 2008
Loved the ideas presented in this book. Since I don't like doing housework and would rather be sewing or crafting... this was a must read for me :)
November 1, 2012
Someday, when we build a home, I am going to buy this book and use it as a bible in my planning. Good stuff!!
June 27, 2017
Making your house do the housework? Sounds like magic to me!
This book has lots of good ideas. I wish it could be more concise, however. There are far more words than there need to be.
This book has lots of good ideas. I wish it could be more concise, however. There are far more words than there need to be.
February 4, 2021
great ideas!
June 8, 2021
This book is AMAZING. It's dated for sure but also has some great ideas. A must-read for anyone building or renovating or who wants to reduce the time spent on housework.
July 1, 2024
Excellent tips to read before building our home in 1995. Decisions made then are still good today in 2024.
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February 13, 2025Even though the book is 35 years old, I still found plenty of take aways and reminders for keeping things low maintenance at home.
July 3, 2015
Not a bad book, but a simple one that explains how to use modern building materials, appliances, and fixtures that make it easier to clean the home. I thought the author's preference for built-in's in every room was interesting, as it does make it easier to clean if there is less furniture to work around. Personally, I do love a moderation of built-in's in a home - occasional bookshelves, dining room storage, and the like, but still like the ability to choose the style and position of most of the furniture in a room.
I might recommend this as a book to flip through for anyone who's doing a major remodel and interested in creating a modern streamlined home.
I might recommend this as a book to flip through for anyone who's doing a major remodel and interested in creating a modern streamlined home.
March 3, 2016
Pretty well out of date now--as just one example, the section on lighting does not discuss either CFL or LED bulbs, being as they didn't exist yet. Still, any homeowner might want to skim through it. Decisions about changing things in your home can come up suddenly, so it's nice to have thought about, for instance, what kind of floor is best in a laundry room or what kind of faucet to buy well in advance. Anyone planning renovations should definitely read it to avoid a mistake, like hard-to-clean kitchen cabinets, that could haunt you for years.
September 14, 2009
Lots of helpful stuff here. Well-organized book that helps you figure ot what you can do now, and what will have to wait until you remodel, if that is in your future. With 6 kids, I would love to live in a house full of these ideas. Even if it wasn't necessarily the prettiest, I'd rather spend less time cleaning.
April 22, 2013
If I were building a house, I would read this book. A few parts stood out to me. One, have your doors be flat, not six-paneled, they are more work to clean and paint. Have swinging chairs from the bar so you don't have to move them out everytime you mop. Try to hand items rather than have them sitting on a flat surface that needs to be dusted.
May 23, 2015
I feel like I have a new set of eyes after reading this. Now I see everything - in my house, in a store, or anywhere else - not only for what it is and how it looks, but for how much time, energy and space it will take. I've always just done what seems easy or cheap or whatever "people do," but this book helped me to start actually thinking it through before I buy or decorate or organize.
November 4, 2007
A lot of good tips on making your house easy to keep clean and clutter free.
Read
June 25, 2008This is a good book if remodeling or building is in your future. Very informative.
September 23, 2008
Love this book!!
February 8, 2012
It was okay. Not quite what I thought it was about, but did have some great tips.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews