Mrs. Meyer's Clean Home - Thelma Meyer

With Spring finally here, I always want to fling open the windows and clean. Note- I said want - I don't always get to as much of it as I'd like to...

The subtitle promises 'No-nonsense advice that will inspire you to clean like the dickens.' And that's what this book delivers. Thelma Myers raised nine children (born over the course of ten years!) in small town Iowa. Her philosophy - " I like to focus on the big picture - getting the chores done daily so there's more time to enjoy life."

In Mrs. Meyer's Clean Home, she has done just that. There are plans for what to clean when - daily, weekly, monthly and seasonal. It is further broken down into specific areas with particular instructions for items in those areas:

Kitchen - cabinets, silverware, pans, floors, counters and more
Bathroom - floors, sinks, toilets, first aid kit etc.
Living room - furniture, pictures, fireplaces, lamps, etc.
Bedroom - linens, how to make a bed, closets, etc.
Home office - computers, correspondence, organizing your household
Laundry - ironing, stains, washing, sewing etc.
Outside - gardening, decks, patios, pets and pests and more

The book is laid out very cleanly. (pun intended) It's easy to read with lots of graphics and white space. It's narrated in what I would assume to be Thelma's rather folksy, homespun tone. I enjoyed the references to her children and their comments that were included. No comments from her husband Vern, but he seems to be a very handy guy - fixing and building many items in their home.

Interspersed throughout are sections called My House, My Rules in which Thelma (very) firmly states her beliefs. A lot of them are good common sense advice and born from the need to organize a house with nine children. Some statements made throughout the book are, in my opinion rather dated - " My husband never complained about my house keeping".
"When Dan (the youngest) turned five, Vern said I could go back to work." (she worked as a nurse on the night shift) Some of her advice I thought unwise - keeping stain remover in a child's bedroom to pre-treat stains right away. Makes more sense (and safer) to me to take the clothes to the laundry room to pre-treat. I was actually offended by her declaration -"When I go to people's homes and they either ask or suggest that I take my shoes off, well, I just won't do it. That's inhospitable! What's more important - having a spic and span house or being hospitable?"

Meyer's oldest daughter Monica Nassif started a line of aromatherapeutic cleaning products bearing her mother's name - Mrs.Meyer's Clean Day. I hadn't been aware of these products before - they are available in both Canada and the US.

This is a good reference book to have around the house, filled with advice on just about anything you may feel the need to clean! Pick and choose what works for you. I do like that she endorses using more 'friendly' cleaning products as well as reusing and recycling. You can read the first chapter here.

Want a chance to own it yourself? Enter my giveaway here!