Make Your House Do the Housework

Arrived on time as described

I adore this book. In out last house I put cream colored carpet in and was always spending $100 to have them cleaned because everything showed. In our new house I chose a deep grey color and I finally had it cleaned after four years bacuase I realized it must be really dirty. It looked perfect and we never see the dirt. Just one example of making my house do the housework. I also have taken Aslett's advice and had two couches covered in a beautiful print with a random design which is perfect for disguising dirt. Again, they never show spots. If you used all the ideas in his book your house would look like an airport lounge, but most of his wisdom is wonderful.

I wish the concept of low maintainance living was a genre onto itself. But so far this and "Ergonomic Living" seem to be the only books that embrace this practical concept. I think most people wouldn't use all the ideas Anslett suggests (like suspended furniture, toilets, etc), but this book makes you keep maintainance in mind before you make any design purchase. Now when I see people who choose to have white floors or furniture or tons of "accessories", I am not impressed with the beauty, I'm thinking of what a hassle it must be to keep it that pristine. I think the part of the book that most sticks out in my mind is a cartoon he puts in the introduction. It shows two neighbors, one with a fancy Victorian house and landscaping. The other with a spare and simple house. The owners of the fancy house are spending their day painting, pruning, fixing and cleaning. Whereas the owners of the simple house are spending family time together playing. That is the reason I bought this book. I enjoy a clean house, but I don't want to sacrifice time with my family to keep it looking impressive for others. I highly recommend this book, but wish it was updated for all the newest innovations that have recently come out.

Obviously no book about decorating/renovating is a bible. Everything is not going to be to your taste; everything will not be practical for you. But this book has a lot of sound advice on what materials and items last longest and are the least work to maintain. Our house is only in the planning stages, but this book has already taught us a lot. My parents followed its advice with the remodel of their bathroom and are so pleased at the low-maintenance results that they've requested a copy of their own for Christmas as a guide for doing the rest of the house.The other book I'd recommend for people in the planning stages of a build or remodel is Ergonomic Living: How to Create a User-friendly Home and Office by Gordon Inkeles (ISBN 002093081X). Aslett shows you how to make things easy-care; Inkeles shows you how to make them comfortable and useful.

I just read this book, and I can't say enough good things about it! I love a clean home, but hate housework, so every time I do housework now I think how much easier it would be, using Don and Laura's guidelines. My husband and I are currently designing a new home and we're implementing dozens of the suggestions outlined in the book... they just all make so much sense! If we were planning on staying in our current home I'd insist on changing many of its features to be lower maintenance. I can't wait for the day in our new home when I think, gee, housework is almost fun now!

Great book, if only to impart the notion of considering maintenance and upkeep when making various design decisions in your home. Even if you don't agree with the Asletts' decisions, the thought process behind them can still be used. Every time I empty the bugs out of the living room light, I remember that I bought it in spite of their advice... :-) ...but that I needed a "low-profile" fan and accepted that tradeoff.I've given this book as a gift to several new homeowners and recommend it to everyone who runs a home, owned or rented.