I grew up with the notion that housework was somehow
anti-equality. Then I bought a house. It occurred to me that I would have
to start keeping this house, and it also occurred to me that I didn't
really know how.
Salvation arrived in the form of this book. Thicker than
most Bibles, its subject matter is broken down so extensively that it
takes the author nine chapters to properly explain how to do laundry. And
it is a godsend. Mendelson's theory of untidiness (it breeds--leave a
newspaper on the couch and observe the mess that's accumulated a week
later) proves indeed correct. Chores such as laundry, taking out the
trash, and cleaning the catbox are actually less onerous if done regularly
and often. Her book doesn't just tell you how to clean something; it also
tells you why. Letting dirt pile up in kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, and
other living spaces provides fertile ground for bacteria, which can cause
illness.
Home Comforts is hardly the sort of thing one should
read from cover to cover, but if, like me, you've discovered that you
like a tidy home, this book is worth its weight in gold (if you own
a lot of gold, actually, there's a chapter on caring for metals, too).
It'll tell you how to properly clear a drain, how long canned food is
really good for, and what the difference is between acetate and rayon. The
saying goes that a woman's work is never done; the truth is that
housework is never done. But this book, worth more than every hint
from Heloise, will help you Just Do It.
-- Originally appeared in Bust Spring 2001, p.
102