100 Best Cleaning Books of All Time

We've researched and ranked the best cleaning books in the world, based on recommendations from world experts, sales data, and millions of reader ratings. Learn more

Featuring recommendations from Gretchen Rubin, Susan Block, Ev Williams, and 24 other experts.
1
Despite constant efforts to declutter your home, do papers still accumulate like snowdrifts and clothes pile up like a tangled mess of noodles?

Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you'll never have to do it again. Most methods advocate a room-by-room or little-by-little approach, which doom you to pick away at your piles of stuff forever. The KonMari Method, with its revolutionary category-by-category system, leads to lasting results. In fact, none of Kondo's clients have lapsed...

more

David Heinemeier HanssonOn a lighter note, I finished The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo. It’s a short book, but it still manages to repeat itself a lot. And yet the core patterns it covers are as effective as they are simple. I’ve been on a decluttering kick at home and feel so much better because of it. It was also the kickstarter for the conversation... (Source)

Benjamin SpallThe Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo [...] I started reading on vacation. I interviewed Marie for my own book and while the translation is somewhat quirky in places, her book is worth the hype. (Source)

Annie Loves Covfefe@Benny29143790 @Thereal_ssteele Oh how I love Kondo cleaning. Her first book is fantastic too!! (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

2
From the cleaning and homekeeping expert and creator of the wildly popular Clean Mama blog comes a simple and accessible cleaning guide with a proven step-by-step schedule for tidying a home in just ten minutes a day.

Becky Rapinchuk, the “Clean Mama,” understands that many people don’t have the time, organizational skills, or homemaking habits to maintain a constantly clean and decluttered living space.

In Simply Clean, Becky will help you effortlessly keep a tidy house and build habits to become a neat person—no matter how messy you may naturally be!...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

3
Spark Joy is an in-depth, line illustrated, room-by-room guide to decluttering and organising your home. It covers every room in the house from bedrooms and kitchens to bathrooms and living rooms as well as a wide range of items in different categories, including clothes, photographs, paperwork, books, cutlery, cosmetics, shoes, bags, wallets and valuables. Charming line drawings explain how to properly organise drawers, wardrobes, cupboards and cabinets. The illustrations also show Ms Kondo's unique folding method, clearly showing how to fold anything from shirts, trousers and jackets... more
Recommended by Deke Bridges, and 1 others.

Deke Bridges@ritawynthomas @MarieKondo Happy Friday Rita. It's a great book... part 2 of Marie's first book. Highly recommend. (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

4

Sink Reflections

Overwhelmed? Disorganized? Living in Chaos? The FlyLady's Simple FLYing Lessons Will Show You How to Get Your Home and Your Life in Order--and It All Starts with Shining Your Sink! less

See more recommendations for this book...

5
Bring your home out of the mess it’s in and learn how to keep it under control.

“The dirty little secret about most organizing advice is that it’s written by organized people,” says blogger, speaker, and decluttering expert Dana K. White. “But that’s not how my brain works. I’m lost on page three.” Dana blogs at A Slob Comes Clean, chronicling her successes and failures with her self-described “deslobification process.” In the beginning she used the name “Nony” (short for aNONYmous), because she was sharing her deep, dark, slob secret. Now she has truly...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

6
As seen in Real Simple, Shape Magazine, and on Oprah.com

Cleaning products that save money--and the planet!

Forget about chemical cleaners and pricey "green" products--all you need are a few simple kitchen staples to make your whole house sparkle! The Organically Clean Home features 150 easy-to-make recipes for cleaning products filled with all-natural ingredients you can trust (and actually pronounce!). From dishwasher detergent to antibacterial wipes, America's favorite cleaning blogger Becky Rapinchuk guides you through the steps needed to make...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

7

A Mouse Cookie First Library

The #1 New York Times bestselling If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and If You Take a Mouse to School are available in a board book set.

In the circle story If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, a little mouse runs a small boy ragged as he demands one thing after another when the boy offers him a cookie. The same boy and mouse are back in If You Take a Mouse to School, where boy and mouse learn about science, math, reading, writing, skateboarding, and basketball during their day at school.

These board book editions with...
more
Recommended by Janna Bastow, and 1 others.

Janna BastowI love this perfect gift from my colleague @lizzielove! I had this book as a kid, and I swear it set me up to be a product manager. It's a story of feature creep and demanding customers, as told by a boy and his mouse 😅 Anyone else remember this #prodmgmt gem? https://t.co/cF273dO0bd (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

8
When you think of what it will take to clean your house, are you so overwhelmed you throw up your hands and cry "It's all too much"? Do you dream of having a closet where your clothes aren't crammed in so tightly that you can actually get to them? Is your basement filled with boxes of precious family mementos you haven't opened in ten years but are too afraid to toss? Are your kitchen counters overrun with appliances you've never used? Do your kids play in the living room because there's no room left in their playroom? If somewhere along the way you've simply lost the ability to keep your... more
Recommended by Kevin Kelly, and 1 others.

Kevin KellyI actually gave it a whole page [in my book 'Cool Tools'] because I thought the message was so profound. (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

9
Have you ever wished you had the time and tools to organize your house in a clutter-free, design-conscious, Pinterest-worthy way? From storage solutions and cleaning tips to secret space-saving methods and expert strategies, The Complete Book of Home Organization is packed with the tips and shortcuts you need to effectively organize your home.

From small spaces and apartment solutions to how to tackle a big, messy home with a 15-week total home organization challenge, this book covers it all. The Complete Book of Home Organization spells out everything you need to...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

10
In Clean Mama’s Guide to a Healthy Home, Becky Rapinchuk, author of Simply Clean and creator of the popular cleaning website Clean Mama, provides a step-by-step guide to take charge of your home’s wellness with a comprehensive, all-natural cleaning system.

Scientific evidence points to a clear link between household chemicals and a number of diseases and chronic health issues. Drawing on this research, Rapinchuk’s program delivers an organized, beautiful, toxic-free, environmental-friendly household by providing readers with:

• A room-by-room guide to...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

Don't have time to read the top Cleaning books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
11

The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room

"The room shared by Brother and Sister is a mess because the cubs argue over who should neaten up instead of working together. Sure to make toddlers smile while they absorb an implied lesson."--Publishers Weekly. less

See more recommendations for this book...

12
You don't have to live overwhelmed by stuff—you can get rid of clutter for good!

While the world seems to be in love with minimalism, many of us simply can't purge it all and start from nothing. In Decluttering at the Speed of Life, decluttering expert Dana White identifies the mindsets and emotional challenges that make it difficult to declutter, and then provides workable solutions to break through these struggles and get clutter out—for good!

But more than simply offering strategies, in her signature humorous approach Dana dives deep into how...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

13
The follow-up to the bestselling Complete Book of Home Organization, the Complete Book of Home Cleaning is a complete, eco-friendly guide to cleaning your home. From establishing routines, making schedules, and DIYing green cleaning solutions to help keep every area of your home neat, safe and spotless—find it all here.

Learn the best seasons to tackle home projects, storage solutions to simplify the process, and sweet  natural solutions for every room and fixture. This book will help you tackle every mess, stain, and dust-magnet, and keep things from getting...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

14
The classic bestselling resource for every American home.

Choosing fabrics, cleaning china, keeping the piano in tune, making a good fire, folding a fitted sheet, setting the dining room table, keeping surfaces free of food pathogens, watering plants, removing stains -- Home Comforts addresses the meanings as well as the methods of hands -- on housekeeping to help you manage everyday chores, find creative solutions to modern domestic dilemmas, and enhance the experience of life at home.

Further topics include: Making up a bed with hospital corners, Expert...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

15
Whether your home is small or large, an apartment in the city or a country cottage, it is a space that should be at once beautiful and livable. The key to that is managing the upkeep without feeling flustered. Until now, there has never been a comprehensive resource that not only tells how to care for your home and everything in it, but that also simplifies the process by explaining just when. With secrets from Martha Stewart for accomplishing the most challenging homekeeping tasks with ease, this detailed and comprehensive book is the only one you will need to help you keep your home looking... more

See more recommendations for this book...

16
Fumio Sasaki is not an enlightened minimalism expert; he’s just a regular guy who was stressed at work, insecure, and constantly comparing himself to others—until one day he decided to change his life by reducing his possessions to the bare minimum. The benefits were instantaneous and absolutely remarkable: without all his “stuff,” Sasaki finally felt true freedom, peace of mind, and appreciation for the present moment.

Goodbye, Things explores why we measure our worth by the things we own and how the new minimalist movement will not only transform your space but truly enrich your...
more
Recommended by Kyle Chayka, and 1 others.

Kyle ChaykaSasaki not only describes how he cleaned out his apartment, but has a list of everything he earns, and suggests that you try to buy the same things. He tells you why you should live with only one low table instead of, you know, a dining room. So I think this book in particular presents a particular aesthetic and style that goes with ‘the minimalist lifestyle.’ (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

17
Finally, a housekeeping and organizational system developed for those of us who'd describe our current living situation as a “f*cking mess” that we're desperate to fix. Unf*ck Your Habitat is for anyone who has been left behind by traditional aspirational systems: The ones that ignore single people with full-time jobs; people without kids but living with roommates; and people with mental illnesses or physical limitations, and many others. Most organizational books are aimed at traditional homemakers, DIYers, and people who seem to have unimaginable amounts of free time. They assume we... more

See more recommendations for this book...

18

Tidy

Pete the badger likes everything to be neat and tidy at all times, but what starts as the collecting of one fallen leaf escalates quickly and ends with the complete destruction of the forest! Will Pete realise the error of his ways and set things right? less

See more recommendations for this book...

19

Small Pig

No mud!

Small Pig loves to sit in good, soft mud. When the farmer's wife cleans his pigpen, Small Pig runs away. In the city he finds a new mud puddle—but it is not full of mud at all. And now Small Pig has one big problem!
less

See more recommendations for this book...

20
From the #1 New York Times best-selling author and lifestyle/cleaning guru Marie Kondo, this graphic novelization brings Kondo's life-changing tidying method to life with the fun, quirky story of a woman who transforms her home, work, and love life using Kondo's advice and inspiration.

Marie Kondo presents the fictional story of Chiaki, a young woman in Tokyo who struggles with a cluttered apartment, messy love life, and lack of direction. After receiving a complaint from her attractive next-door neighbor about the sad state of her balcony, Chiaki gets Kondo to take...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

Don't have time to read the top Cleaning books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
21
The wildly popular YouTube star behind Clean My Space presents the breakthrough solution to cleaning better with less effort

Melissa Maker is beloved by fans all over the world for her completely re-engineered approach to cleaning. As the dynamic new authority on home and living, Melissa knows that to invest any of our precious time in cleaning, we need to see big, long-lasting results. So, she developed her method to help us get the most out of our effort and keep our homes fresh and welcoming every day. In her long-awaited debut book, she...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

23
Learn how to press and clean comic books professionally or for yourself! There is much speculation in the community as to how and what this process is, and this how-to guide will show you the long-kept secrets of the pros. Gadbois lays out the entire process in a step-by-step easy to read format, materials list, and includes tips, tricks, and a troubleshooting chapter with plenty of full color photographs throughout the book.

Also included is a special chapter on washing, a method that is gaining traction as an un-"restorative" technique that can remove stains, tanning, foxing, and...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

25
#1 Amazon Best Seller! Real Life Organizing offers clutter free storage solutions and advice that can help you create a Pinterest worthy home on a small budget: Learn how to organize your home, simplify life and have more time for the things you love. Organizational expert Cassandra 'Cas' Aarssen, the guru from YouTube's ClutterBug channel, reveals her tips, tricks and secrets to a clean and clutter free home in just 15 minutes a day. Aarssen, spends her time organizing other people's homes, teaching college workshops on organization, and creating weekly videos and blog posts.... more

See more recommendations for this book...

26

Pigsty

A messy room springs to life in this award-winning story from New York Times-bestselling author Mark Teague
Wendell Flutz's room isn't a mess. It's a total pigsty. But Wendell's mother can't get him to clean it up. Wendell doesn't think the mess is so awful. In fact, he doesn't even mind it when one day he discovers a real pig sitting on his bed!
less

See more recommendations for this book...

27

Jillian Jiggs

Jillian Jiggs-- who spends most of her time making up games and playing dress-up-- is much too busy to clean her room! less

See more recommendations for this book...

28
A charming, practical, and unsentimental approach to putting a home in order while reflecting on the tiny joys that make up a long life.

In Sweden there is a kind of decluttering called döstädning, meaning “death” and städning meaning “cleaning.” This surprising and invigorating process of clearing out unnecessary belongings can be undertaken at any age or life stage but should be done sooner than later, before others have to do it for you. In The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, artist Margareta Magnusson, with Scandinavian humor and...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

30
Two sisters share the system of organising household chores that they created to make managing a home less time consuming and more efficient, in an updated handbook that explains how to reduce chaos and clutter and achieve organisation in the home. less

See more recommendations for this book...

Don't have time to read the top Cleaning books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
31

Llama Llama Mess Mess Mess

Mama Llama teaches Llama Llama a humorous lesson in cleaning up in Anna Dewdney's bestselling Llama Llama series.

Time to pick up all your toys!
Why is Mama making noise?
Mama says it's cleaning day.
Llama only wants to play.

Anna Dewdney's Llama Llama is growing up, but he still loves to play with all his toys! When Mama Llama says it's time to clean up, Llama responds like any child more interested in playing than cleaning . . . by ignoring her! But Mama has an imaginative response of her own. What if she never...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

33
The author of the hit column “Ask a Clean Person” offers a hilarious and practical guide to cleaning up life’s little emergencies
 
Life is filled with spills, odors, and those oh-so-embarrassing stains you just can’t tell your parents about. And let’s be honest: no one is going to ask Martha Stewart what to do when your boyfriend barfs in your handbag.
 
Thankfully, Jolie Kerr has both staggering cleaning knowledge and a sense of humor. With signature sass and straight talk, Jolie takes on questions ranging from the basic—how do I use a mop? —to the esoteric—what...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

34

Little Oink

From the creators of Little Pea and Little Hoot comes this tidy tale of a decidedly different pig. Little Oink is a neat little fellow. Clean, clean, clean, that's all he wants to do. But Mama and Papa won't have it! They say in order to be a proper pig, he has to learn to make a proper mess. "Don't come out until your room is a pigsty," says Papa Pig. "I won't have any child of mine going out looking so neat and clean. It's just not acceptable," says Mama Pig. Readers who hate to clean up will love this humorous twist on a universal dilemma. less

See more recommendations for this book...

35

Coming Clean

A stunning memoir about a childhood spent growing up in a family of extreme hoarders and hiding squalor behind the veneer of a perfect family. Kim Miller is an immaculately put-together woman with a great career, a loving boyfriend, and a beautifully tidy apartment in Brooklyn. You would never guess that she spent her childhood hiding behind the closed doors of her family’s idyllic Long Island house, navigating between teetering stacks of aging newspaper, broken computers, and boxes upon boxes of unused junk festering in every room—the product of her father’s painful and unending struggle... more

See more recommendations for this book...

36

A Manual for Cleaning Women

Selected Stories

A Manual for Cleaning Women compiles the best work of the legendary short-story writer Lucia Berlin. With the grit of Raymond Carver, the humor of Grace Paley, and a blend of wit and melancholy all her own, Berlin crafts miracles from the everyday, uncovering moments of grace in the laundromats and halfway houses of the American Southwest, in the homes of the Bay Area upper class, among switchboard operators and struggling mothers, hitchhikers and bad Christians. Readers will revel in this remarkable collection from a master of the form and wonder how they'd ever overlooked her in the... more

See more recommendations for this book...

37
Anyone who wants to learn basic living skills--the kind that were common to earlier generations--need look no further than this full-color, eminently practical guide. Created to both inspire and instruct, it returns readers to an era before power saws and fast food restaurants so they can rediscover the pleasures and challenges of a more self-sufficient, economical, and healthy lifestyle. Packed with hundreds of projects, step-by-step sequences, charts, tables, diagrams, and illustrations, it explains how to dye your own wool with plant pigments, graft trees for propagation, raise chickens,... more

See more recommendations for this book...

38
Having less stuff is the key to happiness. Do you ever feel overwhelmed, instead of overjoyed, by all your possessions? Do you secretly wish a gale force wind would blow the clutter from your home? If so, it's time to simplify your life! The Joy of Less is a fun, lighthearted guide to minimalist living. Part One provides an inspirational pep talk on the joys and rewards of paring down. Part Two presents the STREAMLINE method: ten easy steps to rid your house of clutter. Part Three goes room by room, outlining specific ways to tackle each one. Part Four helps you trim your to-do list and free... more

See more recommendations for this book...

39
Bestselling author of The Four Tendencies and The Happiness Project Gretchen Rubin illuminates one of her key realizations about happiness: For most of us, outer order contributes to inner calm. In a new book packed with more than one hundred concrete ideas, she helps us create the order and organization that can make our lives happier, healthier, more productive, and more creative.

In the context of a happy life, a messy desk or crowded coat closet is a trivial problem–yet Gretchen Rubin has found that getting control of the stuff of life makes us feel more in control of our...
more
Recommended by Brene Brown, and 1 others.

Brene BrownGretchen Rubin’s superpower is curiosity… Weaving together research, unforgettable examples, and her brilliant insight, Better Than Before is a force for real change.” (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

Don't have time to read the top Cleaning books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
41
50 pages x 52 stickers per page = 2,600 bright, beautiful stickers to spruce up your planner!
 

Too many planner stickers? No such thing. This HUGE collection of fun and functional stickers will take your planner to the next level and make everyday planning a little more awesome. Use them to flag appointments, track goals, or mark vacations, paydays, book club meetings, brunch, and beyond. Stay organized all year long—and spread the sticker love!
less

See more recommendations for this book...

42
It's summer, school is out, and the monkeys are bored. When five little monkeys ask for something to do, cleaning the house for Grandma Bessie's visit isn't exactly what they had in mind. But leave it to those mischievous monkeys to find a way to make housework fun . . . and messy! Featuring Eileen Christelow's irresistible art in a classic book about everyone's favorite bestselling monkeys. less

See more recommendations for this book...

43

Franklin Is Messy

Franklin's room is messy. He can never find his favorite toys. Then he learns about cleaning up. less

See more recommendations for this book...

44
Piles of junk in garages and closets, overflowing papers on desks, items unused for years, masses of unanswered email, clothing never worn, useless gifts that collect dust — all these things, says Brooks Palmer, come weighted with shame and guilt and have a suffocating effect on spirit and soul. In this insightful book, Palmer shows how to get rid of the things in our lives that no longer serve us. By tossing out these unneeded items, we are also eliminating their negative influences, freeing up energy, and unlocking our potential.

Loaded with inspiring anecdotes and practical...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

45
Mini Farming describes a holistic approach to small-area farming that will show you how to produce 85 percent of an average family’s food on just a quarter acre—and earn $10,000 in cash annually while spending less than half the time that an ordinary job would require. Even if you have never been a farmer or a gardener, this book covers everything you need to know to get started: buying and saving seeds, starting seedlings, establishing raised beds, soil fertility practices, composting, dealing with pest and disease problems, crop rotation, farm planning, and much more. Because... more

See more recommendations for this book...

46
This book has been revised and updated, see the revised edition here

Journey with me for 31 Days as we get our homes and our hearts in order. Give me 31 days and I'll give you not only a cleaner home, but a vision for one.

I am not a natural when it comes to cleaning. In fact, sometimes I think my DNA is allergic to it! However, I know that if I am to care for my home, and more importantly my family, I need to persevere in creating a clean, peaceful home environment (not a...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

47

Clean House Clean Planet

Librarian's note: This ISBN was previously used on another book.

Go green with this rollicking guide to eco-friendly cleaning alternatives that will help you save your health, your money, and your planet.

How many times have you said you’re killing yourself trying to keep your house clean? You might have been joking, but you’re closer to the truth than you think if you’re using expensive commercial cleansers. Karen Logan, an environmentalist with years of experience...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

48
Chapter book meets graphic novel in this first book in the series everyone will be talking about. Like most kids, Frankie Pickle hates cleaning his room. But what happens when his mom says he never has to clean it again? For Frankie and his unstoppable imagination, it means he and his sidekick, Argyle, can become explorers swinging on vines, forging paths through piles of clothes, and scooting past lava pits. They can perform flawless surgery on a broken action figure. They can spend time in the big house. They can even become superheroes. But when junk piles grow too high, will all this... more

See more recommendations for this book...

49

Chicken and Cat Clean Up

Sara Varon follows up on her irresistible CHICKEN AND CAT with a new tale about the fabulously sweet and charming duo.

When Chicken starts his own housekeeping business, he hires Cat to help him out. It's tough going at first. No matter how hard Cat tries, he is clumsy and keeps making mistakes, which causes Chicken to be upset and Cat very sad. Finally Cat listens to his inner-species calling when he bravely catches a mouse thief. The two friends make amends and decide to start a brand-new business called Chicken and Cat's Housekeeping and Mousecatching Services. This story about...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

50
Homemade Shouldn't Be Hectic

Do you wish you could slow down and create a home you and your family love and enjoy spending time in? Melissa K. Norris, author of The Made-from-Scratch Life and voice of the Pioneering Today podcast, offers down-to-earth tips and guidance to help you learn how to...


bake old-fashioned recipes (everything from biscuits to shepherd's pie) with quick, stress-free steps
grow, harvest, and preserve culinary and medicinal herbs (with DIY tutorials for soaps, salves, and balms)
make your own cultured and...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

Don't have time to read the top Cleaning books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
51

Great, Now We've Got Barbarians!

An untidy kid sets off a pest invasion like no other in this boisterously fun picture book about the perils of messy habits.
Playing and having fun is a kid s job, right? Cleaning up is a parent's job, right? Why do grown-ups make such a fuss about tidiness and cleanliness, anyway? What s the worst that could happen? A couple of ants pass through? A lone little mouse pays a midnight call? No big deal, right? Right? Author Jason Carter Eaton and illustrator Mark Fearing are here to caution you that being a slob might in fact be a big deal a really big deal. Maybe even a...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

52
The Messie's Manual has helpled over a quarter million readers overcome disorderly lives. Reading it is not guaranteed to make you a professional housekeeper overnight, but it's a real beginning for overcoming procrastination and conquering the battle against messiness once and for all. less

See more recommendations for this book...

53
For anyone looking to declutter, organize, and simplify, author Erin Boyle shares practical guidance and personal insights on small-space living and conscious consumption. At once pragmatic and philosophical, Simple Matters is a nod to the growing consensus that living simply and purposefully is more sustainable not only for the environment, but for our own happiness and well-being, too. Boyle embraces the notion that “living small” is beneficial and accessible to us all—whether we’re renting a tiny apartment or purchasing a three-story house.
 
Filled with personal essays,...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

55

Little Rabbit and the Meanest Mother on Earth

Little Rabbit hears the drums and watches performers parade by. He really wants to go to the circus! His mother says he may go, but only after he cleans his playroom. Little Rabbit tries, but it’s no use. There’s only one thing to do: Join the circus and sell one hundred tickets to see the Meanest Mother on Earth! She’s terrifying! She’s not fair!

Mother Rabbit is tough, but only because she loves her Little Rabbit. He starts to understand this at the last sleepy moment, as he snuggles up under a homemade circus tent in his now clean playroom.
less

See more recommendations for this book...

56
Don’t Settle for More
 
Most of us know we own too much stuff. We feel the weight and burden of our clutter, and we tire of cleaning and managing and organizing.
 
While excess consumption leads to bigger houses, faster cars, fancier technology, and cluttered homes, it never brings happiness. Rather, it results in a desire for more. It redirects our God-given passions to things that can never fulfill. And it distracts us from the very life we wish we were living.
 
But it doesn’t have to be this way. 
 
In The More of...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

57

Fix This Mess!

A funny story about a boy, a robot, and a BIG, BIG mess! This Level D book is perfect for kindergarten readers. From the creator of the widely popular Fly Guy books!

"Fix this mess!" Jake tells Robug. But Robug just makes things worse. Robug finally figures out how to fix the mess--but it's not what Jake expected.

Tedd Arnold's illustrations of Robug's frantic efforts are laugh-out-loud funny, as Robug tries again and again to fix the mess--stirring up clouds of dust, old pizza boxes, and banana peels, and leaving Jake's cat more and more confused as he bounces...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

58
We all have treasured possessions—a favorite pair of shoes, a much-beloved chair, an ever-expanding record collection. But sometimes, this emotional attachment to our belongings can spiral out of control and culminate into a condition called compulsive hoarding. From hobbyists and collectors to pack rats and compulsive shoppers—it is close to impossible for hoarders to relinquish their precious objects, even if it means that stuff takes over their lives and their homes.

According to psychologist Dr. Robin Zasio, our fascination with hoarding stems from the fact...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

59
Recipes, DIY projects, and inspiration for a beautiful and low-waste life, from the creator of @simply.living.well on Instagram
 
In this timely and motivational guide, author Julia Watkins shares rituals, recipes, and projects for living simply and sustainably at home. For every area of your household—kitchen, cleaning, wellness, bath, and garden—Julia shows you how to eliminate wasteful packaging, harmful ingredients, and disposable items. Practical checklists outline easy swaps (instead of disposable sponges, opt for biodegradable sponges or Swedish dishcloths; choose a...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

60

Joy at Work

Organizing Your Professional Life

DECLUTTER YOUR DESK AND BRIGHTEN UP YOUR BUSINESS WITH THIS TRANSFORMATIVE GUIDE FROM AN ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGIST AND NUMBER ONE 'NEW YORK TIMES' BEST-SELLING AUTHOR OF 'THE LIFE-CHANGING MAGIC OF TIDYING UP.'

The workplace is a magnet for clutter and mess. Who hasn't felt drained by wasteful meetings, disorganized papers, endless emails, and unnecessary tasks? These are the modern-day hazards of working, and they can slowly drain the joy from work, limit our chances of career progress, and undermine our well-being.

There is another way. In 'JOY AT WORK', best-selling...
more
Recommended by Bob Sutton, and 1 others.

Bob Sutton@ScottSonenshein I love the book! (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

Don't have time to read the top Cleaning books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
61

Max Cleans Up

Max's room is a mess! There's a Popsicle melting in the closet, a tube of opened Miracle Bubbles on the floor, and the ant farm ants have escaped under the bed! It's definitely time to clean up. Max's sister, Ruby, is quick to take charge, and of course Max wants to help. But Max has his own ideas about picking up his room, so things don't turn out exactly as Ruby planned. Children will cheer as Max innocently and humorously outsmarts his older sister once again. less

See more recommendations for this book...

62
With a style that is razor sharp, an eye that never shies from the gritty details, and a taste for stories that simultaneously shock, disturb, and entertain, Charlie Huston is one of a kind. And The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death is the type of story–swift, twisted, hilarious, somehow hopeful—that only he could dream up.

The fact is, whether it’s a dog hit by a train or an old lady who had a heart attack on the can, someone has to clean up the nasty mess. And that someone is Webster Fillmore Goodhue, who just may be the least likely person in Los Angeles County to...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

63
If you want to build your own AR-15 style rifle, this is the book you need. The AR-15 Rifle Builder's Manual is the fully illustrated step-by-step guide to building the AR-15 style rifle. No procedure is left out or glossed over. The primary AR-15 groups (upper receiver assembly, lower receiver assembly, and bolt carrier group) are broken down into their component assemblies to provide every detail in the AR-15 assembly process. This book is not only the authoritative guide to building an AR-15 rifle, it is an invaluable resource for anyone looking to upgrade or modify their existing AR. Key... more

See more recommendations for this book...

64

Little Miss Neat

Get ready for the second invasion of Little Miss and Little Mr. Men! That's right - those zany, pint-sized characters are back. Easy enough for young readers and witty enough for adults!Little Miss Neat keeps her home as tidy as can be -- until Mr. Muddle comes to visit! less

See more recommendations for this book...

65

The Messy One

Vivienne is a messy girl, but it doesn't seem to bother her. But when Vivienne loses her favorite necklace, she must evaluate her messy ways and do the unthinkable. Vivienne must finally clean her room! less

See more recommendations for this book...

66
Discover Dr. Mariza Snyder's indepth guide to essential oils with over 50 of the most useful essential oil recipes for tackling every mom's daily needs

As a mother, you are always looking for ways to make your family safer, happier and healthier. This book shows how essential oils can help you achieve all those things. And you’ll save money!

An easy-to-use handbook for creating natural solutions, green cleaners, and toxin-free personal care items, the Smart Mom’s Guide to Essential Oils provides pure and potent recipes, including:

•...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

67
Yes! you really can clean your house and everything in it using just 3 products and it will cost you about $20 per year.

I have owned a residential cleaning company since 2004 and this book actually started life as my employees' handbook. Since this book was first published not much has changed. Dirt is still dirty and whether or not you want to clean your home, it still has to be cleaned.

Most people hate to clean simply because they don't know how to do it, they were never taught. Were you actually taught how to clean? Probably not, but that's not your fault. Do you...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

68
With the help of New York Times bestselling author and housekeeping guru Marla Cilley, you'll cure your household CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) by changing your messy home into a soothing sanctuary

Are you suffering from CHAOS, otherwise known as Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome? If your house is a jumble of dirty dishes, piles of paper, and never-ending laundry, you are probably afflicted. But don't give up hope, because now there's an antidote: The CHAOS Cure.

In her eagerly anticipated new book, Marla Cilley--aka "The FlyLady" to the hundreds...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

70
A completely revised and expanded edition of the New York Times bestselling guide to putting things in order

Getting organized is a skill that anyone can learn, and there's no better teacher than America's organizing queen, Julie Morgenstern, as hundreds of thousands of readers have learned. Drawing on her years of experience as a professional organizer, Morgenstern outlines a simple organizing plan that starts with understanding your individual goals, natural habits, and psychological needs, so that you can work with your priorities and personality rather than...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

Don't have time to read the top Cleaning books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
71
“A gentle, knowledgeable guide to a fate we all share” (The Washington Post): the first and only all-encompassing action plan for the end of life.

“There is nothing wrong with you for dying,” hospice physician B.J. Miller and journalist and caregiver Shoshana Berger write in A Beginner’s Guide to the End. “Our ultimate purpose here isn’t so much to help you die as it is to free up as much life as possible until you do.”

Theirs is a clear-eyed and big-hearted action plan for approaching the end of life, written to help readers feel more in control...
more

Susan BlockMiller and Berger, through their honesty and deep experience, help us to live the best life possible with a serious illness. This is a beautiful, poignant, expert, and human handbook for all of us. (Source)

Adam GrantYou know what would be fun today? Reading a book about death,’ said no one ever. So you can imagine my surprise when I opened these pages and found myself smiling on the first one. BJ Miller and Shoshana Berger have done something impressive: they’re written a book about dying that’s not only moving and practical, but also delightful to read. (Source)

Elizabeth GilbertI wish I’d had this book when I needed it. Death and dying are not subjects that many people are comfortable talking about, but it’s hugely important to be as prepared as you can be—emotionally, physically, practically, financially, and spiritually. This book may be the most important guide you could have. (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

72
Ellie Haskell swaps scrubbing for sleuthing when yet another member of the Chitterton Fells Charwomen's Association bites the dust. Someone has more than dust bunnies and dirty dishes to hide. Ellie is helped by handsome husband Bentley, feckless cousin Freddy, and caustic home helper Mrs Malloy. less

See more recommendations for this book...

73

Speed Cleaning

Clean your entire house in 42 minutes with the Clean Team's unbeatable system that makes every move count. less

See more recommendations for this book...

74
America's leading housekeeping expert shows you how to de-clutter, organize, and clean your home, with easy-to-remember tips for every job, from keeping your bathroom clean and doing the laundry to sorting out paperwork and organizing the family photo album. less

See more recommendations for this book...

75
Offers advice on how to clean a multitude of household objects including everything from the kitchen sink to leather car upholstery, and provides tips on how to use tea to clean wood and vinegar to remove rust. less

See more recommendations for this book...

77
From the author of Tragedy at Two-the latest Lois Meade mystery in which timing is everything.

Lois Meade has worked through all the days of the week, turning up clues and scrubbing up both messes and murderers in the village of Long Farnden. But crime is a persistent stain...

When a dead body is found in a canal, Detective Cowgill believes the murder is connected to a suspicious fire and a heated dispute over saving the local village hall. Time to turn to the ever reliable Lois Meade to sort out the culprits and pick up the loose ends-before their...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

79

William Wakes Up

William and his animal friends have had the whole winter to nap. Now it's time for them to wake up and welcome a very special guest. There's lots to do to get ready, from scrubbing the floors to decorating the house to baking a tasty treat. But it's so hard to leave a cozy bed. . . . Will everyone get up in time to do their part?
This book's gentle rhymes and humorous illustrations full of signs of spring will make it a little easier to wait for the first warm days of the season.
less

See more recommendations for this book...

80
Keep Your Home Clean...and Green

Common, nontoxic kitchen ingredients such as baking soda, borax, lemon, and vinegar are wonderfully effective household cleaners. Pair them with essentail oils to disinfect and freshen every room. With 150 all-natural, easy-to-prepare cleaning solutions you can:

• Soften and whiten clothing
• Break up kitchen grease
• Polish wood floors
• Scrub the oven
• Brighten bathroom mirrors
• Scour porcelain and tiles
• Deodorize carpets
And much more!

Banish harmful chemical cleansers from your...

more

See more recommendations for this book...

Don't have time to read the top Cleaning books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
81
Home. It is an elegant word, at once both simple and far-reaching. Home is a place to live in and feel comfortable, but it is much more than that.

Home is where we are nurtured, where we live, and where we love. The language of Home is universal. It is where we find the eternal in the everyday.

But the Home has been neglected. To millions of women today, there is nothing worse than being a “homemaker.” If only they knew the supreme value (and reward) of giving loved ones a place to call Home.  
 
Written by three wives and mothers, Theology of...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

82
Tidy the F*ck Up is a funny, down-to-earth parody of Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, where you’ll be handed the most useful tools for keeping your crap clean and organized without all the pressure.

In this book, you’ll discover useful ways to figure out what to do with your sh*tpiles in an approachable, care-free way, and you’ll say farewell to the hair-pulling stress of marathon cleaning. Tossing all your junk in a closet doesn’t make it any less of a clusterf*ck, but approaching it little by little and making use of some helpful hints can...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

83

Downsizing the Family Home

What to Save, What to Let Go

It s a rite of passage almost no one will escape: the difficult, emotional journey of downsizing your or your aging parents' home. Here, nationally syndicated home columnist Marni Jameson sensitively guides readers through the process, from opening that first closet, to sorting through a lifetime's worth of possessions, to selling the homestead itself. Using her own personal journey as a basis, she helps you figure out a strategy and create a mindset to accomplish the task quickly, respectfully, rewardingly and, in the best of situations, even memorably. Throughout, she combines her... more

See more recommendations for this book...

85

Let's Clean Up!

Mother cleaned high. Mother cleaned low. Mother cleaned the room for Joe.

Joe is delighted with his newly cleaned room. Now he can find all of the toys he wants to play with. But with so much space and so many great toys, which ones will he choose? His train? Or his planes? His racing cars? Or his rocket? As he pulls each from the closet and the toy box, his room grows messier and messier. So when Mother returns to his room, she discovers all of her hard work undone.
Readers will delight in Joe’s pure joy in rediscovering all of his favorite playthings, the brightly colored...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

86
If you graduated from college but still feel like a student . . . if you wear a business suit to job interviews but pajamas to the grocery store . . . if you have your own apartment but no idea how to cook or clean . . . it's OK. But it doesn't have to be this way.
Just because you don't feel like an adult doesn't mean you can't act like one. And it all begins with this funny, wise, and useful book. Based on Kelly Williams Brown's popular blog, ADULTING makes the scary, confusing "real world" approachable, manageable-and even conquerable. This guide will help you to navigate the stormy...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

87
Essential life skills from America's most trusted lifestyle expert—together in one beautiful and practical handbook, with hundreds of ideas, instructions, and inspirations

Martha Stewart is America’s go-to source for the best answers to nearly every question. As an authority on the many worlds upon which she’s built her domestic empire, she can advise on everything from creating a cutting garden and setting the table to playing classic lawn games or building a campfire. Whether it’s organizing, celebrating, cleaning, decorating, or any number of other life skills,...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

88
The anti-clutter movement is having a moment. You may have heard about a book—an entire book—written on the topic of tidiness and how “magical” and “life-changing” it is to neaten up and THROW AWAY YOUR BELONGINGS. Yes, you read that correctly. It’s time to fight that ridiculousness and start buying even more stuff and leaving it any place you want. Guess what, neatniks? Science shows that messy people are more creative.*


Being a slob is an art, and there’s a fine line between being a consumer and being a hoarder. Don’t cross that line. This book shows you how to clutter...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

89

Brownie & Pearl Make Good

Uh-oh. Brownie and Pearl are in trouble! They were having a great time racing around the house until—oops—they knocked the radio off the table. Someone is NOT happy about their little accident. Luckily these plucky pals have a clever and sweet Brownie-and-Pearl style solution to make good on their mishap! less

See more recommendations for this book...

90
Part inspirational story of Bea Johnson (the “Priestess of Waste-Free Living”) and how she transformed her family’s life for the better by reducing their waste to an astonishing one liter per year; part practical, step-by-step guide that gives readers tools and tips to diminish their footprint and simplify their lives.Many of us have the gnawing feeling that we could and should do more to limit our impact on the environment. But where to begin? How? Many of us have taken small steps, but Bea Johnson has taken the big leap. Bea, her husband Scott, and their two young sons produce just one... more

See more recommendations for this book...

Don't have time to read the top Cleaning books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
93
Clean everything in your home from your clothes and sheets to your shower curtain, vents—even the inside of your washing machine—with this simple short-cuts using all-natural cleaning products.

Did you know you should be cleaning your sponge on a weekly basis by putting it in the microwave for just 90 seconds? Or that you could use a rubber glove to clean up pet hair instead of a lint brush? Or that wax paper can be used to make your faucets and sink fixtures shine instead of a chemical polish?

Avoid long lists of mysterious chemicals and skip buying multiple...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

94
Demons do not need a specific invitation to oppress and influence people’s lives; they sneak into homes, families and churches at the smallest opportunity, often under the noses of even the most vigilant believers. Spiritual House Cleaning explains, step by step, how readers can rid their lives of the enemy’s influence. This revised and updated edition includes new, amazing stories from people who have experienced spiritual victory using biblical warfare methods described in the book. Parents and church leaders will be inspired and equipped to establish the Lord’s reign in their homes...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

95
In Organizing Her Life, Laura Souders, Professional Organizer and motivational speaker, invites us into her personal journey, traveling through her struggles and triumphs, to create a meaningful life. She shares how small steps led her to big change that positively impacted her physical space as well as her life path.

Organizing Her Life is for people who want to improve their lives, without getting bogged down by reference books about organizing.

In Organizing Her Life you will:
• Learn Laura’s 4 Step System to organizing any space
• Discover ways to change...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

96
This valuable, practical guide is your answer to provide your family with a life free from harsh everyday chemicals. WithNatural Solutions for Cleaning & Wellness and a few ingredients from your kitchen, you can clean your home and treat minor ailments, naturally!

Halle Cottis shows you how to use all-natural concoctions to transform your house into a toxic-free home. She details how common kitchen ingredients can be used as natural solutions to save time and money, both in the home – with Kitchen Disinfectant Cleaner, Dry & Liquid Laundry Detergent or Pest Control –...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

98
Dr. David Perlmutter, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Grain Brain, and Dr. Austin Perlmutter, his son, explore how modern culture threatens to rewire our brains and damage our health, offering a practical plan for healing.

Contemporary life provides us with infinite opportunities, along with endless temptations. We can eat whatever we want, whenever we want. We can immerse ourselves in the vast, enticing world of digital media. We can buy goods and services for rapid delivery with our fingertips or voice commands. But living in this 24/7 hyper-reality...
more

See more recommendations for this book...

99
Whatever your level of CHAOS in your home and life, don't give up. There is a solution. Marla Cilley's book, CHAOS to Clean in 31 Easy BabySteps will take you through a 31 day program that will teach you how to live a life that is CHAOS free! Learn small BabySteps that build upon each other in order to live a clutter-free life.

1. Realize the power of what you can accomplish in 15 minutes.
2. Find more time to enjoy life by eliminating stress and clutter one step at a time.
3. Build routines to eliminate all day cleaning sessions and make house work seem automatic....
more

See more recommendations for this book...

Don't have time to read the top Cleaning books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.