Smart Housekeeping Around the Year: An Almanac of Cleaning, Organizing, Decluttering, Furnishing, Maintaining, and Managing Your Home, With Tips for

Smart Housekeeping Around the Year: An Almanac of Cleaning, Organizing, Decluttering, Furnishing, Maintaining, and Managing Your Home, With Tips for

#1 KINDLE (US) BESTSELLER IN HOME REFERENCE (JAN. 2022) #1 KINDLE (US) BESTSELLER IN HOME DESIGN (JAN. 2022) #1 KINDLE (US) BESTSELLER IN HOME MAINTENANCE & REPAIR (JAN. 2022) #1 KINDLE (US) BESTSELLER IN HOME REMODELING & RENOVATION (JAN. 2022) #1 KINDLE (US) BESTSELLER IN INTERIOR DESIGN (JAN. 2022) #1 KINDLE (US) BESTSELLER IN ALMANACS & YEARBOOKS (JAN. 2022) SPECIAL NOTE! -- ANNE WILL PERSONALLY ANSWER ANY QUESTION OF YOURS AFTER READING THIS BOOK. ASK ON HER WEB SITE, AND YOU'LL NORMALLY HEAR BACK WITHIN HOURS! In this standalone companion to "Smart Housekeeping," Anne L. Watson presents tips on cleaning, organizing, decluttering, furnishing, maintaining, and managing your home, as you'd face those tasks around the year. Travel with Anne through the calendar as she deals with every aspect of keeping the things around you just the way you want them. New homemakers will gain skills and perspective, while even veterans will find unique tips and insights. All delivered with a wit and frankness not seen in housekeeping books since the days of Peg Bracken. Anne's almanac also features the return of her photogenic family of felted mice. After their brief introduction in "Smart Housekeeping," LadyMouse and the rest now return, joined by even more critters, to help Anne illustrate many of her tips and add a touch of whimsy for readers' delight. ///////////////////////////////////////////////// Anne L. Watson is the author of "Smart Housekeeping," as well as a number of other popular books on home crafts and lifestyle, plus many novels and children's books. In a previous career, she was a historic preservation architecture consultant. Anne lives in Bellingham, Washington. ///////////////////////////////////////////////// SAMPLE Housekeeping has gotten a bad rap. Somehow, the subject has shrunk to discussions of clutter control and cleaning, a bit like when your mom told you to pick up your room. But that's the dull part. Necessary, of course -- I wrote a book, "Smart Housekeeping," that's mostly about getting to a state of order. But housekeeping is no more about clutter control than gardening is about weeding. Yes, you have to do some of both -- but why stop short of the interesting stuff? Housekeeping is making yourself comfortable in your home, whatever that takes. A lot of housekeeping is about what you do, and why you do it, after you've taken care of the obvious chores. How do you set up a guest room? Unclog a sink? Keep garbage odors out of the kitchen? Arrange toy storage so that the kids will use it on their own? What's the best way to wash a family quilt? To be safe on a ladder? To choose appliances? Housekeeping isn't just housework -- it's setting the stage for your whole life at home -- which includes play, enjoyment, and creativity. This book is arranged as an almanac because the more skilled housekeeping tasks tend to follow the calendar. We do what we need to for seasonal celebrations, and we try to get the weather on our side when we paint a room, air dry a comforter or get the carpets steam cleaned. Other tasks and concerns are less linked to the seasons, but also don't need to be revisited often, once you've arranged things to please yourself. So considering them on an annual basis is probably about right. You may want to use this book as much as a reference as a read-through, especially if your seasons are different from mine, or even nonexistent. "Smart Housekeeping" featured felted white mice, at least on the cover. As mice will do, they have now taken over the house, and are shown throughout this book, doing their chores, handling household crises, and entertaining other small animals. And they "step out" each month, enjoying adventures together and just having fun. I recommend that for all of us. CONTENTS A New Start JANUARY Beginnings First Impressions Porches Entries Living Rooms Home Systems Home Energy Saving -- Recommended Reads Emergencies Thoughts About Clutter -- Why Keep Things? The Mice Step Out! -- January Fun FEBRUARY Dining Rooms Dining Room Design and Use Dining Room Arrangement Dining Tables Dining Chairs Sideboards Serving Carts Dishes Glassware Flatware Linens Centerpieces and Candles Entertaining Housekeeping Talk Thoughts About Clutter -- Instant Housekeeping The Mice Step Out! -- Valentines and Puppets MARCH A Place to Rest? Shopping for Bedding Bed Frames Buying a New Mattress Mattress Types Mattress Care Pillows Linens Blankets Comforters and Featherbeds Bedside Tables Chests of Drawers Household Management Thoughts About Clutter -- Selling and Donating The Mice Step Out! -- A Visit from the Grandmice APRIL Outdoor Housekeeping with the Seasons Gardens Decks Patios Outdoor Furniture Yards Walkways Stairs Ladder Safety Thoughts About Clutter -- Safe and Sound Disposal The Mice Step Out! -- The Children's Birthdays MAY Work Rooms Craft Rooms Home Office Furnishings and Design Home Office Organization -- Recommended Reads Papers and Filing Caring f