My Boyfriend Barfed In My Handbag and Other Things You Can't Ask Martha by Jolie Kerr
Published by Plume ISBN 978-0-14-21963-9
Trade paperback $15, 238 pages
I don't like cleaning. There, I said it. I'm not one of those people who look forward to spring because it means I can get out the cleaning supplies and go to town.
Published by Plume ISBN 978-0-14-21963-9
Trade paperback $15, 238 pages
I don't like cleaning. There, I said it. I'm not one of those people who look forward to spring because it means I can get out the cleaning supplies and go to town.
But I was intrigued by the title of Jolie Kerr's book My Boyfriend Barfed In My Handbag and Other Things You Can't Ask Martha. You gotta admit, that's a catchy title. Kerr's book expands upon her cleaning column "Ask A Clean Person."
The book is filled with practical advice, her most important "Never mix bleach and ammonia", something you know must be very dangerous because she repeats it until she is sure you have it.
I liked the layout of the book; the chapters are divided into rooms- kitchen, bathroom, and specialty cleaning like bridal dresses and how to clean your car. I never thought about all of the mishaps that can occur to a wedding dress, but have no fear, Kerr has your answer (and it frequently involves club soda).
She has fantastic charts for types of flooring, beauty items, and kitchen appliances that are great for quick references. I made a list of her suggested cleaning products and headed to the store to stock up.
I put the book to the test and followed her advice to make my bathroom sparkle. I gave it a thorough scrubbing, following her step by step instructions, including mopping the floor using the handsie kneesie method. It looks amazing, but I don't want anyone to use it. I'd love to velvet rope it off.
There are some funny anecdotes, mostly questions sent in to Kerr (like the title question) and the chapter on cleaning sex toys is unique for sure. I have not seen that topic covered in Ladies' Home Journal or Real Simple magazines.
My husband is thrilled that I read this book because our apartment will be shiny clean, and so he doesn't even mind that I am adding another book to my permanent collection.
Rating 4 of 5
Thanks to TLC Tours for putting me on this tour. The rest of Jolie's tour stops are here.
Jolie Kerr’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:
Monday, March 17th: Sara’s Organized Chaos
Thursday, March 20th: Literate Housewife
Monday, March 24th: Daily Mayo
Tuesday, March 25th: Svetlana’s Reads and Views
Thursday, March 27th: Bookchickdi
Monday, March 31st: 2 Kids and Tired
Monday, March 31st: 5 Minutes for Mom
Wednesday, April 2nd: A Novel Idea
Monday, April 7th: A Bookish Affair
Tuesday, April 8th: Bibliophilia, Please
Monday, April 14th: Cici’s Theories
Wednesday, April 16th: The Book Wheel
Thursday, April 17th: Books a la Mode
Monday, April 21st: Mockingbird Hill Cottage
Too funny -- I hate to clean too.
ReplyDeleteI'd be like you and not want anyone to use my bathroom after I made it look so good! Too funny!
ReplyDeleteThanks for being on the tour. I'm featuring your review on TLC's Facebook page today.
As an avid reader of the Ask A Clean Person column, I have been waiting for this book with bated breath! Jolie Kerr gets down to the nitty-grits of cleaning and breaks it all down in manageable tasks with hilarious asides. I, for one, will devour every single thing she ever writes. I mean that in a totally clean, non-creepy way.
ReplyDelete