Simply Clean: Die bewährte 10-Minuten-Methode für ein sauberes, gut organisiertes und schönes Zuhause. Mit Zeitplänen, natürlichen Putzmittel-Rezepten & Quick-Tipps.

by Becky Rapinchuk

Braucht es wirklich nur 10 Minuten täglich, um sein zu Hause sauber und ordentlich zu halten?
BECKY RAPINCHUK liefert den Beweis! Ihr Buch ist DER Ratgeber, um aus jedem noch so chaotischen Haushalt schnell und einfach eine saubere, aufgeräumte Wohlfühl-Oase zu machen.

Volle Terminkalender, zu viel Arbeit – diese Ausreden lässt "Haushaltsexpertin" Becky Rapinchuk beim Thema Saubermachen nicht gelten! Die angesagte Clean-Mama-Bloggerin ist dreifache Mutter. Der Ratgeber der vielbeschäftigten Autorin bietet Strategien und praktische Tipps, um im täglichen Kampf gegen Wollmäuse und Dreckecken die Oberhand zu behalten. Gut durchdachte Wochen- und Vier-Wochen-Checklisten schärfen beim Putzen und Aufräumen den Blick für das Wesentliche. Unnötige Tätigkeiten fallen weg und Ordnung halten wird zum echten Zeitgewinn.

Leicht verständlich und mit einer Prise Humor zeigt Becky Rapinchuk, dass selbst hartnäckige Putzmuffel eine gesunde Balance zwischen blitzblank und lässiger Gemütlichkeit finden können.

- Schritt-für-Schritt-Anleitungen
- Zeitpläne
- praktischen Checklisten
- Quick-Tipps
- Rezepte für selbstgemachte, umweltfreundliche und wohlduftende Reinigungsmittel wie Zitronen-Nelken-Scheuerpaste oder Lavendel-Allzweckreiniger.

Ob für den eigenen Gebrauch oder als Geschenk, dieser Ratgeber ist ein unverzichtbarer Helfer im Kampf gegen das tägliche Haushaltschaos. Übrigens ein Must-have im Starterpaket für die erste eigene Wohnung!

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Reference, Audiobook, Adult, Lifestyle, Ebooks

267 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 21, 2017

About the author

Becky Rapinchuk is a cleaning expert, a wife and mom to three, a successful entrepreneur, and a former art teacher. She’s the blogger behind Clean Mama, the leading online homekeeping community, and advises the world’s leading lifestyle brands—Martha Stewart, Real Simple, Better Homes & Gardens, SC Johnson, Bissell, and Scotch-Brite—on how to clean up life’s little and big messes. She’s also the go-to girl for the over twenty million readers who follow her online and buy her books, paper goods, and signature cleaning products.

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, this cleaning strategy really appealed to my brain. I like the way tasks were divided and broken down. There's also a built in "catch up" day, which is really awesome. So if you miss a day, just wait to do that task until the catch up day. And the tasks really CAN be done in 10 minutes or so a day. (Except for them there are monthly and quarterly, etc, things, but I am not worrying about them right now.)

That said, in the months (lol) it's been taking me to read the book, I've already modified it to suit my own needs. Instead of doing things once a day, I just worry about the following on a weekend day.

1. Dust
2. Bathroom
3. Floor (it's such a little thing, but not having to worry about cleaning the bathroom floor when cleaning the bathroom--because floors are its own tasks--has made a huge difference to me)

I'm skipping "sheets and towels" day because I don't have much laundry overall and that's not been an issue for me. Oh, and I checked the list and I'm supposed to have a "vacuum floors" day AND a "wash floors" day. Well, I don't!

Speaking of laundry, one of the suggested "daily" tasks is to do laundry and yeah, no. I'm one person! I'm not watching one outfit+pajamas every day. (For the most part, this book did a good job at believing that single, childless adults exist. But it failed there.)

So, okay, basically I ignored a lot of the book and came up with my own thing, BUT for me, that's the value of this kind of book. They trigger something in my brain and give me ideas and do help a lot even if I end up not really doing what they say.

[Amy | Foxy Blogs]

Simply Clean was brought to my attention when I was browsing my local library's patron's reviews. The person that reviewed this book was put off by the 10 minutes a day cleaning method. They decided it was a ridiculous idea to be able clean all your bathrooms in 10 minutes and they decided not to finish reading the book. I was intrigued by their review because when my kids were little I used to do the Fly Lady system. I remember from my Fly Lady days the idea of maintenance is the key on how you keep your house looking company ready and not having to go on big cleaning sprees. It's just doing a task regularly that makes it so you never have to spend long periods cleaning it.

So, the idea of cleaning bathrooms in 10 minutes didn't seem totally unrealistic to me as it did to the reviewer I mentioned above. I know the first time you do it it can take longer than 10 minutes to clean but if you keep up with it (maintenance) it can be done fairly quickly. I don't time myself so I have no clue if it takes 10 minutes or not but it doesn't feel like a long time because the house never gets out of hand.

I paired reading this book with joining Ms. Rapidchuk's facebook cleaning group where you get daily motivation along with 29,000+ others doing the same thing as you. I found the cleaning system in this book easy to follow. It's broken down into daily task which with anything that is repeated daily can become mundane but that's why I appreciate the facebook group.

Included in the book are recipes for natural cleaners which I haven't tried yet. Plus detailed cleaning challenges. Basically it's a book on cleaning and how to go about doing it most efficiently.


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[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a person with a tidy home, I was interested in learning tips to speed up the cleaning process. I could not continue reading, because the author's suggestion about cleaning days lasting 10 minutes is physically impossible except in the case of a one or two bedroom apartment. I would like anyone to video themselves vacuuming or washing floors in a two level home in 10 minutes to prove it can be done. I don't think it's right to sell a book on this premise. The author's daily tasks keeping up with clutter, cleaning counters, etc. are wise and definitely make weekly cleaning tasks less time consuming.

[Kris (My Novelesque Life) · Rating 3 out of 5]

(I received an ARC from the NETGALLEY)

RATING: 3 STARS

(Review Not on Blog)

I was interested in this book to see if there were more tips I could pick up. This book is more like a magazine article stretched out to a book. It is fun to look through and has a few tips but it is one book I would borrow from library rather than own.

[LeAnn Long · Rating 1 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook. After finishing disc 1, I was dumbfounded by the sheer amount of work she puts into her house. It is clearly NOT ten minutes a day. I understood the routine she was trying to create-like a different room each day- but she clearly spent more than 10 minutes a day cleaning. I am baffled.

[Melissa Borsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m a sucker for books that have “organize your home” in the title and it did cover that area somewhat but mostly it’s about cleaning-VERY thoroughly! Good ideas and tips here. I thank Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[Scout Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simply Clean is an in-depth, thorough approach to getting through clutter, cleaning, organizing and maintaining your house. Becky Rapinchuk purposely made this book as non-intimidating as possible for people who are busy and don't have much time to clean.

She gives lots of good tips and ideas, and for the most part her Challenges and Tasks seem manageable. However, there are still some times where you can tell she is more into cleaning than the average person, which is reflected in her expectations (doing laundry every day [+multiple loads], for example).

I was consistently impressed throughout the book. The reason I didn't give it 5 stars was mostly based on the design/layout, and how little organizing was covered (I wasn't that impressed with that section). Simply Clean definitely nailed cleaning, but I find authors who are experts on cleaning don't always have the same expertise in organizing.

Below: I will go over good ideas, what I disagreed with, and what I didn't like.

Good Ideas
“Donate basket or bin. Keep a basket, bin, or garbage bag in a logical spot in your home.” (Rapinchuk, 45).

Divide laundry in bins by whose clothes are whose (basket for Mom, Dad, kids, etc.). Line it up in front of the washing machine in the order of what’s going in first to last.

Catch-all Day (Friday) for any tasks not completed

Add a shoe shelf in the garage for shoe storage

Keep track of your work with checkmarks. “A record of what you completed and when you completed it is so helpful and you’ll feel more accomplished. Gold stars all around!” (Rapinchuk, 87).

“Month 7 – Organizing Systems
1. Declutter
2. Evaluate—look at methods and systems already in place
3. Find [three] trouble spots—write them down and commit to taking care of them
4. Something new—choose a new method or way of doing something to simplify your life
5. Perspective—ask a friend for ideas or take pictures to see your home in a new light
6. Supplies—shop the house for supplies to put your new systems in place
7. Set up your systems—show family members how to implement
8. Add on—once the first system is in place and working, add the next one” (Rapinchuk, 97).

“Getting Others Involved
Take out one activity at a time…. Keeping toys in bins or baskets is really helpful for quick and easy tidying.
Clean up before mealtimes, naps, and bedtime. These anchors in the day can silently signal cleanup times… If kids are encouraged to do mini cleanup sessions throughout the day it’s so much less overwhelming for them than cleaning up mess from a week of play.
Teach simple tasks and increase the level of difficulty little by little with age and ability and you’ll be raising children who know how to fold their laundry, pick up after themselves, unload a dishwasher, and clean a toilet. Isn’t that a wonderful thought?” (Rapinchuk, 109).

Put together a cleaning caddy for kids. “Even toddlers like to pretend to do what you’re doing. Pretty soon they’ll be dusting right along with you!” (Rapinchuk, 110).

“How to Organize a Pantry
Determine a couple zones that you can put everything into. Determine categories that work for what you cook and bake and what you store: snacks, cooking, baking, beverages, cereals, lunch supplies, food storage supplies, canned goods, grains and pastas, condiments, etc.” (Rapinchuk, 127).

Purchase 2 of every condiment (or other things) when you run out so you always have it on hand and can simplify grocery list making.

“Remove cooking instructions from boxes and bags and tape to the back of storage containers so you know how long to cook, say, 4 servings of long-grain rice.” (Rapinchuk, 128).

“If you’re feeling extra-ambitious, keep a pantry inventory sheet to track what you have on hand and what you need. Make a list of must-have items and keep track of quantities.” (Rapinchuk, 129).

“Put a drop or two of your favourite essential oil on a cotton ball and put it in your vacuum cleaner bag to freshen the air while your vacuum is running.” (Rapinchuk, 175).

Rapinchuk suggests labelling your bins in storage/the attic/garage like this:
“Dishes from Grandma (box 1:2)
6 dinner plates
8 luncheon plates
6 teacups and saucers
Gravy boat” (Rapinchuk, 184).
“Get as specific as you’d like – you can even take a picture of what’s in the box and put it in the envelope with the inventory card or on the outside of the box. I find that taking your organization and storage to this level really ensures that every single item that gets to take up space in the basement or attic is worth keeping.” (Rapinchuk, 184).

“Keep a small bucket or basket in the car for garbage… Keep a mini cleaning kit (lint roller, mini hand duster, baby wipes) together…” (Rapinchuk, 187).

Monthly Focus Areas Checklist
This assigns each month with a focus area. Examples: Whole-House Declutter, Kitchen, Bathrooms, Spring Cleaning, Laundry, Office/Paperwork, Organizing Systems, Living Areas, Entryway, Garage or basement, Bedroom(s), Closets.

Disagree:
“[Kitchen] Day 6: Empty, Declutter, and Clean at Least Two Drawers and Cupboards (or One of Each)” (Rapinchuk, 63). You shouldn’t randomly organize two cupboards and have the rest all cluttered, cleaning cupboards should be a task you do all at once to ensure the best organization and least time used.

“Bimonthly: Wipe switches, phones and remotes.” (Rapinchuk, 84).
This is most likely NOT frequent enough – you should be doing this every week – every 2 weeks at the most.

“Semiannually: Wash windows.” (Rapinchuk, 85).
This could be done annually – semiannually.

Laundry every day? No. Most people don’t have time to do at least 1 load every day. Maybe doing it twice to thrice a week is more realistic. Rapinchuk says you can do this but doesn’t elaborate much – although I think this would be the goal of most busy families.

Rapinchuk often suggests doing chores like folding/doing laundry in the morning before work/school. I can tell you most people don’t have time, energy or want to put in the effort of getting up earlier to do housework.

Didn’t like:
#1 – Repetition of tasks throughout daily, weekly, monthly, biannually, 28-day Challenge, etc. If you were to follow Rapinchuk’s book, you would be repeating a bunch of tasks because they appear multiple times throughout the different cleaning sections. It would have been good if Rapinchuk had given examples of combinations you could do (example: Daily, Weekly, Monthly but no 28-Day Challenge).
#2 – Organization of certain directions weren’t on par. When giving a list of things to do it’s nice to break them up with spacing, colours, visuals, checkboxes, etc. Rapinchuk gave the same tasks multiple times in different sections (e.g. Kitchen, Bathroom, Bedrooms, etc.)—things like “Have a donate or toss bin”, “Declutter”, etc. If she had used colours to highlight or differentiate between the tasks it would have been nicer.
#3 – Lack of pictures, images and visuals. This book contains a lot of text (albeit helpful text, but still), so sprucing it up with some pictures of the author’s house, for example, would have made it more enjoyable to read.


In conclusion, I would recommend this to:
a) Anyone new to cleaning
b) Anyone who is overwhelmed with cleaning
c) People interested in safe, eco-friendly DIY cleaning products (Rapinchuk's first book, The Organically Clean Home, covers this in more depth)
d) Anyone who feels they are disorganized, aren't good at cleaning or could use some direction
e) People who enjoy cleaning or want to pick up a few new, helpful tips

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you follow the Clean Mama blog then I doubt much of this will be very new to you. However, I just discovered the blog and think the book is a great resource with a common sense and yet revolutionary approach to systematically keeping a clean home. The "Simply Clean" method is to have rotating daily, weekly, monthly, and semi-annual cleaning tasks. No brainer, right? This has been my cleaning philosophy for awhile, although I always seem to fall short of actually accomplishing it all. What was revolutionary (for me) is the built in "catch all" day. So, if you didn't get to the dusting on Tuesday then you save it for the catch all day on Friday. If you don't get to it on Friday, then you just save it for Tuesday dusting day the next week. I like this because before I would try to have one task each day with no catch-up day. That in and of itself was overwhelming, but then if I didn't get to my task for that day, I would try to do it the next day and push the next day's task back. The result was that the dusting wouldn't get done and all the other stuff would be piling up behind it and then I would get overwhelmed. I like the idea of just skipping the task if you miss it and saving it for the next time, rather than letting it be a roadblock to completing all the other tasks.

The organization of this book makes sense and the writing is easy to read. I really like all the checklists that are included. I perused the blog a bit and did not see all of them online. I also like the recipes for DIY cleaners. At first I thought the majority of the chapters were like an extended blog post that were informative but not necessary, and that I could just make copies of the checklists and return the book to the library. However, as I'm trying to implement some of the tasks after having returned the book, I'm finding that the checklists are good reminders but I would like to be able to refer back to the chapters for some of the tips for completing the checklists. Maybe once I internalize the routines more it could go back to the library, but as I'm starting out it's a book that I would prefer to own.

What I didn't like about it is that I would like some blank checklists to be able to customize to my particular situation. For example, one of the daily tasks is to do a load of laundry every day. I shudder at the thought. Instead, the daily task that I need to do every day is wash dishes. But all the checklists include doing laundry every day. Another thing I didn't like is that by the time you add up your 5 daily tasks, your weekly task, and whatever monthly task you might be working in, it certainly isn't ten minutes a day. More like 30 minutes to an hour, and I only live in a tiny one bedroom apartment! I can't imagine what people with more than one bathroom or bedroom would do. Also, this seems very much geared toward stay at home moms/dads or people who work from home. Her advice for people who work full time outside the home is to slowly add in the tasks until you are able to complete all of them. I don't know that that's entirely helpful, but I also can't think of any other way to do it! We have been implementing the daily 5 tasks for about two weeks now, and it really has made a difference in how I feel about the cleanliness of our home. Not perfect, but definitely much better! Next is slowly adding in those weekly tasks!

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a year to finish, if that means anything. I read what I needed at the beginning and then slowed my pace over the rest of the year.

While this book has many helpful tips and checklists, and while reading it has changed the way I think about cleaning (I actually dust now!), the promise of ten minutes a day is simply not true. Each individual task is perhaps supposed to take ten minutes; but unless your house is tiny vacuuming all of it in ten minutes is impossible! On top of that, the author divides tasks into daily tasks and weekly tasks (with a built-in weekly catch-up day and a day without weekly tasks in order to rest). This means that the minimum you'll spend each day is twenty minutes--unless you're vacuuming--and that's not counting time spent on laundry!

That said, one really helpful suggestion in the book is setting a timer and going. I find racing against time to be a wonderful motivator; but this method may not work for everyone.

I would definitely recommend reading this book if you want some pointers for housecleaning, but don't be fooled as I was into thinking that you can clean your house in only ten literal minutes each day.

[Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, LOVE this cleaning book. Everything from the simple (and detailed) cleaning schedules to the easy DIY recipes for all natural cleaners.

I'm the type of person that wants a clean home but I don't always know where to start - that's why this book is sooo helpful.

When I was first married I read this book several times but I've since forgot how helpful it is. Now that I've been a homemaker (and a mom too) for several years, I see the value in it even more. I'm currently doing the 7-Day Simply Clean Challenge and plan to start the 28 day challenge next!

[Mallory · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this for a cleaning challenge group. The author’s “ten minute” promise is a joke if you have children. And I have no intention of putting money or effort into making “cute cleaning caddies”. However, I do like the idea of assigning tasks to certain days of the week. Instead of feeling stressed every time I see a mess or cleaning opportunity (all day every day??) I am able to better focus on just the task of the day and not worry about trying and failing to get to everything. For example, I am less bothered seeing the messy sink when getting my kids toothbrush because I know that I will get to it Monday—bathroom day. The book has also motivated me to do a better job of clearing off counters and having the main living area be picked up before I go to bed. I love waking up to a clean house and not last night’s mess.

One major oversight: the author completely leaves out doing the dishes. What?? Did I miss it?

[Alison Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gave me hope for an always clean home, even with working outside the home and three young boys. I've adapted the schedule laid out to our life/schedule and I'm including the kids in helping clean because I think they need to learn how to clean. I'm not sure I buy the "10 Minutes a Day" claim in the book title, but it is fairly short for the daily basics. (I'm allotting 15 minutes) If you expand to deeper cleaning/organizing, you will be spending more time. But maybe things get quicker as you get more organized and own less stuff? If this methodology works for us, I might have to change my rating to 5 stars.

[Piepie | The Napping Bibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! So much of it doesn't apply to me/us; we live in a 1 bed, 1 bath apartment whereas the bulk of this book talked about garages, basements, multi-floors, multi rooms, kids, cleaning kids' stuff, etc. But I'm looking forward to adapting what DOES apply to our situation and staying on top of the housekeeping. My husband and I both work full-time out of the home, so we don't have the luxury of time to clean sometimes. But already our apartment looks much better and I'm in love with the nightly sink scrub. I'm looking forward to reading more of Becky Rapinchuk's materials and learning more about essential oils!

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just do a little every day. So simple, yet exactly what I needed to read. This book is full of practical tips and encouragement. Very good! I also like her homemade cleaning recipes. I will be referring back to this many times.

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is intermediate to advance levels of cleaning and organizing. I'm still a beginner. So I couldn't use much, but it gave me a bunch of cool ideas.

[Clifton D. Healy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a single guy. Why did I buy a copy of, and read, this book? As I mentioned, I’m a single guy. Now, in my mom’s defense, I was taught properly to clean and vacuum and dust and launder clothes. As grade school kids, my sisters and I rotated on a weekly basis with responsibilities for different rooms of the house. I hated bathroom week the most. Living room week was the best because all it involved was dusting and vacuuming. Kitchen and laundry weeks were a middle realm of onerous responsibility. And of course we each had responsibility over our respective bedrooms. As a single guy in an apartment it’s all up to me. And for all my adult life Saturday (or a corresponding day off in my work schedule) was … dun dun DUN! … Cleaning Day. And that is no fun doing all that on one day. But despite a lot of graduate school and smart guy stuff I was too stupid to figure out a better way. This book and it’s seven day (really only four and kinda one more), 10-15 minute routine has already been a labor (and sanity) saver. I haven’t done the 28 Day challenge, nor have I followed the DIY cleaning supplies recipes, but, a cleaning caddie is on my shopping list this week. Great book.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will follow this woman to the ends of the earth.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 I knocked a whole star off bc of the title. I have a 2000 sq foot house but even if it were half or a quarter of the size, I don’t think I could complete the daily cleaning tasks in 10 minutes a day.

That being said, it’s a great resource. If you take the time to work through the 7 day and then 28 day challenge I really think the change would be remarkable. Maintaining with the daily tasks would definitely keep you on track. My first run through took me about 30 min a day towards the end. The better maintained, the faster the cleaning.

[Brave · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is excellent as a reference, and I will be keeping it on hand.

HOWEVER...

If you are looking for a guide to help implement systems into your home beyond "set a timer and try these common sense tasks," this is not it. If you're looking for specific cleaning and organization tips, a google search may be more effective. If you're looking for recipes for make-yourself cleaning materials, again with the google. I don't think this "method" is really a method, it's (at least to my clinical-OCD-diagnosed mind) common sense.

Note that MOST of these things WILL take ten minutes a day, period, no matter how much she touts that ONLY ten minutes will be needed per day and that you'll get quicker about it over time. That may be true, but it still takes 10 minutes (or more) to wipe your counters, make your bed, pick up the house, do laundry, and do spot vacuuming or sweeping (which are her DAILY tasks, not mentioning the weekly and less frequently done chores). I live in a small, two-bedroom apartment currently and it takes me at least ten minutes to do those 5 daily tasks...and that's not even factoring in another daily task in my household: dishes.

So again, this is good, but the method overall for claiming that only working 10 minutes a day for an "organized, clean, and beautiful" home is hopeful at best and destructive to self-esteem and detrimental to mental illness at worst.

For me personally, it's worth having the book for a compact way to quickly reference things that I can access in one spot instead of through a variety of Google searches, should I need one. I think all the checklists and things at the back appeal to my nature and thus, I give the book 2 stars.

[Tawnya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Most of the ideas about cleaning were not revolutionary to me. Pick up after yourself, do a little every day, have a cleaning schedule... I started reading the introduction with the promise of a sparkling home in 10 minutes a day and I became hopeful. Maybe she really does have something new to offer? Not only was I disappointed to learn she had nothing new to suggest but extremely frustrated because hey promise of 10 minutes is misleading. She is suggesting you do a small checklist of items daily and spending 10 minutes on the once a week daily chore. Hey system only works for someone with a small home and only one or two small children. What about if you have a large house with several older children? She doesn't address this situation which I think is a glaring flaw in the book.

[Kelly R · Rating 4 out of 5]

This method makes sense to me. I like how it’s divided so you don’t have to dedicate an entire day to cleaning the entire house. I think this system would work quite well. It was interesting that there is absolutely no mention anywhere in this book about doing dishes/cleanup after meals except for the “3-4 minutes it takes to unload a dishwasher”.
The promise of 10 minutes/day is also somewhat misleading: there is one chore assigned to each day: bathrooms Monday, vacuuming Wednesday etc PLUS one task that should take about 10 minutes (like wiping down all kitchen appliances). The main daily chore doesn’t appear to count in the 10 minutes advertised. Other than that, great ideas here. sign me up!

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm habitually tidy. Clean is another story. I like her scheduling idea for cleaning chores, and keeping tasks to 10 minutes... though mine have taken way longer.

The one tip that has stuck: Do one load of laundry a day, start (wash) to finish (fold and put away). I'm notorious for leaving forgotten damp clothes in the washer for days. This is definitely helping.

I'm 4 days in with the 28-day simple clean challenge. Just having my toaster and oven clean--REALLY clean--is a relief and makes me feel like a put together, even if I don't finish the 28 days. Baking soda and dish soap truly worked on the oven--I'm amazed!

This is the stuff I wish my mother had taught me!

[Karly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good tips and helpful schedules to keep you on top of house cleaning! It took a while to sell me on the "only 10 mins a day" mantra, however I can see how with some practice and perseverance this could be attainable. I'll give it a whirl!

[Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had hoped for some amazing motivation here, but really, there was none. The idea of "just pick up after yourself" is great, but the concepts did not seem logical. Her 10 minutes would take me much longer.

[Ann Downey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not much new here. You need lots of 10-15 minute periods per day to follow her plan.

[Cristey Gibson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ten minutes a day is laughable. It's evident she spends far more time than 10 a day as anyone who lives in a space bigger than a dollhouse. Besides nothing new here-move along.

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

Simply Clean is a way to approach cleaning to make it easier and less frustrating. Author Rapinchuk zeroes in on the big problem with housecleaning: it's easy to let it snowball until tasks become a day long episode of unfriendly burden. By breaking tasks down into 5-15 minutes a day, she creates a plan for keeping the house consistently clean but without becoming overwhelmed by the scope of it all. This also ensures that the home is always clean - rather than messy until the monumental weekend cleaning rage occurs.

The book breaks down as follows: Part one delves into
the Simply Clean plan of breaking tasks down into small bits as well as the initial 'big clean' to get the house ready for the plan. Part Two is the 28 day challenge - with 4 weeks dedicated to different parts of the house (kitchen, living spaces, bathrooms, bedrooms). P:art Three is about customizing the plan for your particular lifestyle. Part Four gives tips for organizing, cleaning options, and decluttering.

The book is quite thorough on the subject and the author covers nearly all topics - from making your own cleaning solutions to how to wash window. Lifestyle changes include eg., a decluttering plan of attack (to make dusting easier) to organizing your socks and undies.

Because there is a clear plan in the 28 day period to get the house ready for easy cleaning for years afterwards, I feel this is a good book for those having trouble keeping their houses in shape. But for those who love the warmth and 'hominesss' of chochkis and clutter, they may find the spartan approach to keeping a home a bit anti-intuitive. That said, though, there are great tips in here that are well worth the read alone. The information is nicely presented, broken down in small chunks, with a friendly tone and easy to follow. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Keri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend recommended this to me when I asked for practical how-to's and regular routine suggestions for keeping a cleaner home. 🫧🧺🧼 I didn't really want something motivational or minimalist, literally just cleaning tips: And this fit the bill!

I will say, I was not in love the first chapter or two, neither did I feel like the writing itself was particularly brilliant or endearing. So if you're looking for humorous, inspiring motivation without getting overwhelmed, keep that in mind... It did feel a little overwhelming at first and some suggestions were more helpful than others. BUT KEEP GOING!!

My favorite thing about this book was the flexible suggested cadences and practical how-to's for cleaning each type of surface, appliance, room, etc in your home. If you read it with an open mind and adjust the routines or habits to your lifestyle and home, I think it will prove immensely useful!

She also talks a little about laundry, decluttering, prepping your home for sale/showings, etc. which was helpful too.

🎧⏩ I listened to the audiobook (a short 2.5 hours on 2x while I was doing other chores,) but ordered a hard copy so I can mark it up and reference it as needed!

I can't wait to get started on the 7-day kickstarter and see what works for our family...

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a really helpful and insightful cleaning book. When I first checked it out, I assumed it was going to be one of those "dream world scenario" books. You know the type, I'm sure. Those books have authors who somehow manage to clean their whole house every week AND they make their own organic, cleaning agents.

However, this book was a breath of fresh air. Many times throughout the book the author reiterates that no system is perfect, no house is perfect, and that setting a timer each day for 10 minutes is a practical, low pressure way of getting housework done. The last half of the book is really just a reference guide that the reader can flip through rather than read through entirely.

Overall this book creates a practical, grace-filled routine for house cleaning and keeping. I recommend this to those looking for a cleaning routine that doesn't require hours of scrubbing on a Tuesday night after work.

[Elise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as part of a personal project to develop a more streamlined and consistant home cleaning routine. This was the first book I read for my project and it inspired me enough to give this method a try! I am working through the 7-Day Challenge and plan to do the 28-Day Challenge in December.

I like the simplicity of the checklists and how the tasks build on each other. She also has some different methods for grouping tasks that I think will make my cleaning more efficient. I also appreciate the built-in "catch-up" day in each week. And weekends are mostly clear, which I also appreciate.

I may update this review after I've completed both challenges to see if I stick with it!