Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook: The Essential Guide to Caring for Everything in Your Home
by Martha Stewart
List Price:
Our Price: $24.98
You Save: $20.02 (44%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $12.99 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Martha StewartEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-10-31
ISBN: 0517577003
Number of pages: 752
Publisher: Clarkson Potter
Book Reviews of Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook: The Essential Guide to Caring for Everything in Your Home
Book Review: Another Excellent Manual from Martha and Company
Summary: 5 Stars
`Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook' might be entitled `A Guide to Living Well'. It is authored by the magazine staff of Martha Stewart Omnimedia Incorporated, and edited by Stewart herself, is the second major book, to come from Miss Martha and Company since she got out of the slammer, the first being her excellent `Baking Handbook'.
While much material in the book is probably reprinted from the magazine, the book is a far superior repository than 15 years worth of `Martha Stewart Living', since, like her cookbooks, it collects and organizes all the material in a far more useable form.
The first thing I noticed about the book is that it deals with more than simple cleaning and even more than keeping organized. The book is literally a guideline for the design of the most important rooms in the house in order that keeping them clean and organized is a manageable task. Its no surprise that Martha's first subject is the kitchen, as that is the venue for much of her magazine's other concerns. As an example of material for home design, the kitchen chapter includes sidebars on all the different kitchen counter materials with their pros, cons, cleaning, and repair instructions. A similar section follows this on the materials and designs of kitchen sinks, sink fixtures, and major kitchen appliances.
As you browse through the book, one gets the feeling that simply no subject has been overlooked. One may wonder whether any one person would use as much as 1/10 of the material in the book. But, as someone who considers a book valuable if it has but one important idea, Martha's book far exceeds my needs for a book to be valuable. My favorite item is the instruction on how to fold a fitted sheet. I have seen Martha do it on TV at least three times, and I simply can never remember how it's done when I actually get one in hand. Her authority on most matters is also reassuring. When Martha tells me to clean my dryer lint trap after every load, and gives good reasons, I'm ready to fall in line.
All this means that this is a perfect reference book. One problem with having the book is to take some simple task for granted and proceed on your own without consulting the book. An example is the task of scrubbing surfaces, which is a much differen than simply wiping clean of loose dirt. My instincts when I'm about to clean a difficult surface is to simply go to the store and look for the strongest cleaner I can find which seems remotely applicable to the surface. Martha advises exactly the opposite, and recommends a cautious approach, starting with the mildest cleaners. She even points out that before beginning, one must take into consideration that the surface you are about to attack may not even be suitable to standing up to a lot of water, which is a typical aspect of `scrubbing'.
I'm still finding things I needed (at least once in my life) but didn't now until now. I've gone through life seeing only twin, standard, queen, and king sized beds, and felt at a loss when I had to find a mattress smaller than twin. It turns out that there are actually nine (9) `U.S. Standard Sizes' for bed linens, with at least two smaller than the standard twin. Another major surprise was the amount of space in the book dedicated to cleaning, organizing, and maintaining outdoor spaces. While much of this tends to border on the subject of landscaping, it all fits into the overall scheme of the book and it's objective to cover simply everything.
Since Ms. Martha is known to have several dogs and cats, it was not surprising to find much on the care and comfort of both species, although there is nothing I could find regarding either pet fish, pet birds, aquariums or birdcages. This may be the sole oversight. I was delighted to find even instructions on how to correctly store vinyl records, with the surprising instruction to remove the plastic outer wrapping. I have been saving this plastic on my vinyl dating back to records acquired almost 40 years ago. I could find nothing under `allergens'; however there was much under the very similar topic of `biological pollutants'.
The most useful advice is the guidelines for when to do weekly, monthly, seasonal, and yearly tasks. On the other hand, these schedules also appear to be the impractical for the average working adult living alone or with only a working spouse. Those who are retired or who have one or more able adolescents in the house will probably be able to handle much of these things. The first advice in the book is `Six things to do every day!'. Since I'm retired, I have ample time to do all these things; except that I am in love with `living in the moment', and having imposed on me the tasks of making a bed, tidying up every time I leave a room, and sweeping the kitchen floor every day may seem to be a bit much. But then, the trick is to make these part of your routine, so that they become second nature, a matter of habit, and no longer a distraction. Still, there are items on these lists that may be excessively fussy for many people. One example is the advice to dust the top of books on a weekly basis. Now I suspect Miss Martha may do that in some of her rooms, but if, like me, she has a library of over 1000 volumes, she does NOT dust the tops of all THOSE books. In fact, I do virtually none of the weekly tasks more often than once every two weeks, and feel none the grimier for that fact.
Martha shares with Julia Child the fact that it is her books and not her TV presence which is her greatest work.
More Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook: The Essential Guide to Caring for Everything in Your Home reviews:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Summary of Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook: The Essential Guide to Caring for Everything in Your Home
Whether your home is small or large, an apartment in the city or a country cottage, it is a space that should be at once beautiful and livable. The key to that is managing the upkeep without feeling flustered. Until now, there has never been a comprehensive resource that not only tells how to care for your home and everything in it, but that also simplifies the process by explaining just when. With secrets from Martha Stewart for accomplishing the most challenging homekeeping tasks with ease, this detailed and comprehensive book is the only one you will need to help you keep your home looking its best, floor to ceiling, room by room.In Martha Stewart?s Homekeeping Handbook, Martha shares her unparalleled expertise in home maintenance and care. Readable and practical?and graced with charts, sidebars, illustrated techniques, and personal
anecdotes from Martha?s decades of experience caring for her homes?this is far more than just a compendium of ways to keep your house clean. It covers everything from properly executing a living room floor plan to setting a formal table; from choosing HEPA filters to sealing soapstone countertops; from organizing your home office to polishing your silver and caring for family heirlooms.
Martha Stewart?s Homekeeping Handbook is organized for clarity and maximum practicality:
Room by Room covers the upkeep of the appliances, tools, furnishings, and surfaces found in each room, from the entryway to the kitchen, from the attic to the laundry room.
Throughout the House instructs the reader on the proper ways to routinely clean and periodically maintain everything in the home, including dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, polishing, scrubbing, waxing and much more.
Comfort and Safety focuses on techniques to ensure your home is running properly and safely, such as recognizing when to clean vents, fixing a leaky faucet, and eradicating pests.
A-to-Z Materials Guide provides an invaluable resource that explains the unusual materials that many favorite objects are made of?from abalone to zinc?
and how to care for them so they last.
Encyclopedic yet friendly, Martha Stewart?s Homekeeping Handbook is a seminal work?a must-have for everyone who wants a well-cared-for home that will endure for generations.
Martha Stewart's new home reference book is a must-have for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that it's gorgeous. Printed on thick, glossy pages covered with subtle sepia photos and that perfect Martha-blue as an accent color, Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook is a pretty and practical package for everyone: "all mothers and daughters, fathers and sons who have a room, an apartment, or a home to care for." Stewart's exhaustive handbook features a handy "how to use this book" introduction; a room by room guide with weekly, monthly, and seasonal checklists; tips for cleaning, creating a comfortable and safe home, and moving; and a guide for identifying and caring for materials in your home. Curious? Take a look at some excerpts below. You'll be sweeping and shelving your way to a happier home in no time. --Daphne Durham
How to Use This Book: An Excerpt
When the first issue of Martha Stewart Living was published in 1990, I could not have begun to anticipate how wide-ranging our readers' homekeeping concerns would be. Since then, we have discovered new solutions to age-old problems, brought in experts to advise us on very specific questions about very specific?c concerns, and experimented with all the new (and not so new) home-care products. Over the years, I've brought these lessons home with me, too, which has made me more organized and made my homes better cared for and maintained.Households are busy places, works in progress where there is always something needing immediate attention and always something more that can be done. With that in mind, I have organized this book to address the tasks at hand and also to address the "more that can be done" for when you have the time and the inclination go beyond the essentials.
It starts with the big picture--an examination of every room and everything you will find within each. The eleven chapters in the "Room by Room" section take you on a tour through the house, focusing on the surfaces and furnishings you might find in any room, and offering strategies for their care and maintenance. Starting with the kitchen, the central staging area in any home, these chapters open with practical space-planning advice, followed by the golden rules of organizing. This information is intended to help contain your belongings and make each room clutter-free and functional. Relevant homekeeping concerns particular to each room are explored in depth--so stain-removal basics appear in "Laundry Room," the best way to clean grout in "Bathroom," and easy sewing repairs in "Utility Spaces." The equipment essential to each room is also addressed, so if you are considering what kind of bathtub to install during a bathroom renovation or whether a gas or electric range would best suit your style of cooking, you will have the information necessary to make such an investment with confidence.
Organize Your Kitchen: Martha's Golden Rules
 |  |
Martha Stewart Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Martha Stewart Books
Everyday Food From the Kitchens of Martha Stewart Living December 2003 (Issue #8)by Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart Living; Published: 2003; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.98
Martha Stewart Living February and March 1992 Number 6Martha Stewart Living; Published: 1992; Paperback; Book
The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The Original Classicsby Martha Stewart Living
Clarkson Potter; Published: 2008-05-05; Kindle Edition; eBooks
Price in other shops:
Martha Stewart Everyday 10 Recipes (stainless steel cookware)by Marha Stewart
Marha Stewart; Published: 2000; Pamphlet; Book
Martha Stewart Living Magazine March 1997 - Special Gardening Issueby Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart; Published: 1997-03-01; Single Issue Magazine; Book
Nobu: The Cookbookby Nobuyuki Matsuhisa, Robert De Niro
Kodansha USA; Published: 2001-09-07; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $20.40
Price in other shops:
Parties And Projects For The Holidays (Christmas With Martha Stewart Living)by Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia - Oxmoor House; Published: 2000-01-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.77
Good Things for Organizing (Good Things with Martha Stewart Living)by Martha Stewart Living Magazine
Clarkson Potter; Published: 2001-03-13; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.00
Price in other shops:
Martha Stewart Hors D'Oeuvresby Martha Stewart
Crown Pub; Published: 2002-03; Hardcover; Book
Martha Stewart's Pies & Tartsby Martha Stewart
Clarkson Potter; Published: 1992-05-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.97
Price in other shops: