Reviews for The ultimate book of household hints & tips

The average rating for The ultimate book of household hints & tips based on 2 reviews is 2.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2020-04-11 00:00:00 Mark Sculley 2.5 It's worrisome to read a book giving practical life tips without much scientific proof being presented, and while I was reading this and found some things true to as I've been taught, there were a slight amount of things that were outdated or were untrue (such as keeping coffee grounds in the fridge) or lacking proper warnings (such as that the teeth whitening methods proposed will cause teeth sensitivity). The lack of details was also present, when it came to amounts. The book would propose to add 15ml of whatever to a bucket of whatever. What is the volume of that bucket? There were various instances when this was the case. There were things I did not know and will have to test out if they are true, but some of it is no longer useful in this day and age. I can't say much more about most cleaning tips and usefulness of the suggested methods, but to me using bleach and methanol for solving most cleaning issues seemed a bit rash. Also, the translated version I read had some typos and issues with formatting/editing, where the bold of some words was missing. Overall, I think the author takes for granted some knowledge the reader would have, especially, when it comes to the cooking section, where it could have provided more information even about the basics. Though, at least it is easily navigable and well formatted.

Review # 2 was written on 2017-03-19 00:00:00 Kevin Mattingly This is a throwback from the 1980s. I read it back then, enjoyed it, but never owned it. When I saw a pristine copy at a used book sale, I picked it up for old time's sake. The subject of happiness has always intrigued me. I've read Benjamin Franklin's autobiography at least twice and it is the gold standard on the subject. Have read the more current _Happiness Project_ by Gretchen Rubin and found it interesting to compare views from the three different eras. There are definite correlations; all three books suggest order, relationships, growth, and virtue as elements that are essential to happiness. There must be a means to measure progress, too. In this book, _Happiness File_, the co-authors have developed a tickler file system using 3x5 cards. Their system is enjoying a current revival, as all sorts of people---techie or not---are using index cards as a tool for personal and business organization. Google "hipster PDA" if you aren't familiar with the trend. The cards are visual, portable, cheap, and satisfying as a blank canvas. The "Slob Sisters," as they call themselves, have a rather elaborate system of household organization that is detailed in an earlier book. The _Happiness File_ takes it a step farther with journaling, dreaming, prioritizing, setting goals, etc. It's fun to read because the ladies have a GREAT sense of humor! I suspect it was funnier to me than it would be to someone in her 20s or 30s because the book is definitely dated. The principles are sound, though, and I suspect the books by Pam Young and Peggy Jones will be vintage delights some day, perhaps in the same way we enjoy Mrs. Beaton's household tips as nostalgic charm with a dash of practical value.