Books Movies & Music / Non Fiction Books / Good Housekeeping: The Complete Guide to Clutter

I am a packrat and a compulsive shopper. Meaning, I have a lot of clutter, and having recently moved into my own home, I have been hunting ways to keep my house clean and organized from the start. I picked this book up awhile ago, when I joined a book club, but never really used it until recently.

When I first opened it, I was amazed at the photographs. There are a great variety, illustrating clearly the various systems they suggest. The only downside on this is that they only feature very well decorated, obviously custom rooms, which many of us are not lucky enough to have. If you can get past the immaculate rooms though, there are many great suggestions and plans for organizing and decluttering every room in the house.

The book is divided into sections by room, each featuring information tailored to the room being discussed. The chapters feature not only advice, but actual plans for tackling various locations - pantries, entertaining areas, desks, etc. They include approximate times for each activity, and how to go about doing it effectively. There are also lots of mini suggestions throughout for maximizing space, creating storage suited to your needs, how to keep up with daily room usage, etc.

Overall, the book is very colourful, easy to follow, and both informative and instructional. Having read through it, I plan to use the techniques inside to clean and organize my home, and I know it would do very well to help anyone who is a clutterer or horder by nature.