Clean Like a Man: Housekeeping for Men

by Tom McNulty

Most men have a problem with cleaning house: They don't konw how to do it, and they don't particularly want to learn. The results are usually a messy house or a bitter spouse—or both. Clean Like a Man is the solution. Written specifically for the attention-challenged and motivation-impaired male, it's the first and only housekeeping primer that tells men how to clean the house their way: getting everything done quickly and easily, without getting to Felix Unger about it. It's such a great approach to housekeeping that women will love it too.

Genres: Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published March 30, 2004

Reviews

[Greg B · Rating 3 out of 5]

McNulty's Clean Like a Man feels like it was tailor-made for me: it admits up front to being a series of guideposts to help lazy, clueless manchildren like myself keep their homes (and spouses) happy with a minimum of fuss and effort. It starts off with the very basic basics of Housework 101, and works you through a slow learning curve of getting the right tools for the job, treating the various cleaners and implements you need like fun toys you get to buy and show off. Behind its caveman veneer, however, Clean Like a Man is a wealth of fantastic tips, tricks and techniques to simplify everything from how you clean the bathroom to how your organize your stuff. I'm a very list-focused person when it comes to complicated tasks like “clean the house,” tending towards itemizing everything and keeping a running tally of what “percent done” I am, so ClaM's simple breakdowns and no-nonsense approach suited me just fine.

There's really only two things I disliked about the book, neither having anything to do with it's cleaning content. The first is that while you can tell Clean Like a Man is obviously a “manly” book from the title, McNulty sometimes goes a little too over the top with the whole manly-man-no-like-cleaning thing. Mentioning after almost every task that you'll have more time for “the game” or to grab a beer is understandable, editorializing about political incorrectness and female empowerment is frankly baffling in the context of a book about cleaning shit up. The second is McNulty's fetish for the vacuum cleaner. I understand the importance of having a good and versatile cleaner to accomplish a variety of household tasks quickly, but the vacuum is talked up to such a degree as the 'power tool' of housework that the author comes up sounding like Tim fucking Allen. Regardless, these off-key moments produced some chuckles and the occasional “you gotta hear this guy” quote, so maybe it actually increased my enjoyment of Clean Like a Man.

Final verdict: whether you're a lazy slob like yours truly, or just confused as hell about this how this whole “pick up after yourself” thing works, grab a copy of Clean Like a Man ASAP. The world needs fewer slovenly nerds.

[Joseph Inzirillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fantastic—not just as an educational tool but also as a reference. Many men my age were not exactly “trained properly” on the type of in depth cleaning described in this book and here it is presented in a simple way to make any one of us who fall into that category not just good at it, but also efficient.

Highly suggested for any guy that needs help trying to figure these things out.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chapter 14- "Going Pro: Finding, Evaluating, and Hiring a Cleaning Service."

[Cary · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite of the 30 or so books on housekeeping I've read. Fun, short, fast and easy book written for single men whose parents didn't teach them anything. A great way for anybody to get the basics without a lot of detail or tech speak. Of course you could check a Tiktok, but this is whole flat or apartment or room in one book.

It's not new, but the basics haven't really changed.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe I should show this to my brother

[Jamie Dacyczyn]

2016 Reading Challange: A book geared toward men.

I'll be honest...I only read the introduction and the first couple of chapters before skimming the rest of the book. I got the gist of it........which is that the author thinks men are absolute morons. Here's a secret: cleaning like a man is exactly the same as cleaning like a woman as long as you actually CLEAN. The tips and strategies in this book are exactly like those in any other basic cleaning book.

However, the author tried to repackage regular cleaning as "cleaning like a man" by using the terms "manly" or "MANeuver" over and over, or referencing enjoying the game or impressing ladies (yeah, no heteronormative stereotyping here, that's for sure *rolls eyes*). That, and making the font blue. Yes, the lettering in this book is LITERALLY BLUE, just so that you can be absolutely sure this is a book for *boys only*, not for those gurls who'd for sure have pink font.

So...yeah. As a basic cleaning book, this is totally fine.....it's just that it's the same info repackaged in such a way that is screams FOR MEN. The guys that would benefit from this book specifically are either guys who are so gullible as to think that men need a specific kind of cleaning technique, or so shallow that they refuse to read a book about cleaning unless it's got MAN on the cover...and blue font.

[Andrew Hecht · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's no better book for lazy men to learn how clean shit up and take care of their place with the least amount of effort possible. As one of the laziest people on the planet, I found this book indispensable.

http://www.cleanlikeaman.com/

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Top-to-bottom. Circle the room. Some brands are worth buying.
A fun, quick read - full of handy tips from this very practical, no-fuss, time-minimizing guide.

[Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I know the basics of cleaning, this book has some great tips for cleaning and is an easy read if you are looking for something to inspire you to get back on that cleaning project

[Tom · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some good ideas but some that are just wrong.

[Fluffy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is really awesome!

It helps you maintain a spotless house and has tips and tricks to boot!

Would recommend!