Spring is here and it is time for a good old fashioned spring cleaning session.
Now that everyone is spending more time inside our homes and apartments, you may be noticing just how much your space is in dire need of a few changes. Whether you are hoping to redecorate, clean and tidy, or completely declutter, there’s no better time than now to learn a bit from the experts.
Bust boredom and care for your living space all at the same time with these books–all worthy of a quiet afternoon.
“Apartment Therapy Complete and Happy Home” by Janel Laban and Maxwell Ryan
Written by Janel Laban and Maxwell Ryan, the founder of the popular lifestyle and interior design site, Apartment Therapy, this book is sure to please the trend-focused home dweller. The hardcover book is brimming with photographs of beautifully-styled interiors and features a few watercolor-style illustrations making it the perfect choice for anyone looking for a read with a lot of visual interest.
The book is divided into three sections: “Setting Up Your Home”, “Living in Your Home” and “Maintaining Your Home” ensuring that you will have information about every home topic you would like to know more about. The best part is that this is the ideal book for renters and apartment dwellers since it covers all styles of living spaces, rather than simply the traditional home, and the book’s visual styling makes it the perfect coffee table book once you are done reading.
“Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House” by Cheryl Mendelson
This book does far more than explain how to wash a dish. It reveals to readers that housekeeping is truly an art form as well as a science. The writing is detailed but enjoyable and even gently humorous. The author offers an education on the nitty-gritty housekeeping tasks that have been lost over the last few generations, and everything you want to know about maintaining and cleaning your living space to make it truly efficient and comfortable is contained within.
Cheryl Mendelson reveals all you need to know about food safety and home cooking, properly laundering specific fabrics or items, floor care based on its materials, all the way to info about electrical hazards, and about insurance. This is the perfect book for new renters or anyone who wants to learn the secrets of keeping a home like their grandmother.
“How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind: Dealing with Your House’s Dirty Little Secrets” by Dana K. White
If you’ve always been a self-proclaimed “messy-person” and don’t know how to change your habits, this is the book you need in your home library right away. Written in a frank and humorous tone, former slob turned-cleaning-expert Dana K. White, will guide you through tackling your home, all without judgment or impractical advice.
This book is perfect for those who readily dive headfirst into big cleaning projects, but forget to do the daily tasks that make a home run effectively. Through trial-and-error, the author learned the home basics that seem common sense to many “clean people” and is now sharing her tips and tricks to help mess-makers who need a little extra structure. While most cleaning books detail the nuances of keeping your home, this book is devoted to reality-based cleaning and organizing techniques. The author stands ready to debunk the biggest housekeeping fantasies and help readers declutter and organize quickly without making a bigger mess in the process.
“The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing,” by Marie Kondo
Marie Kondo’s work has taken the design and organization world by storm, and there’s a reason for its dedicated following. Professional organizers and average declutterers alike have found inspiration in the KonMari method. Her book is far more than simply detailing a method for cleaning up, but instead focuses on organizing and cleaning as a skill set that can be learned–and mastered. Her minimalist approach has made her a household name, and her unconventional way of letting go of unwanted belongings has helped even the most sentimental clutter bugs keep only the items that “spark joy” and bring value to the lives of their owners. After all, as Kondo proclaims, “Life truly begins only after you have put your house in order.”
Final Thoughts
Tending to your home provides dividends, especially during times of stress and uncertainty. Keeping your home clean and sanitary protects your security deposit and your health, and ensuring that your home is well-curated and organized can boost your mental health and overall enjoyment while indoors. There’s no better time than now to find a new favorite book and use its expertise to ensure that your home is the oasis you have always dreamed it could be.