Don Aslett is THE cleaning guru. His books on cleaning, time management, and “tidying up” are as popular as they are entertaining and educational. (I also really like your books on other subjects). “No Time to Clean! How to Cut Down and Prevent Professional Cleaning” is Aslett’s new approach to cleaning for a new day.
The book is written in Aslett’s entertaining and easy-to-read style and is accompanied by the artwork for which many of his texts are known. Personally, I find the style, design, and illustrations enhance the reading experience, but make no mistake about it; Aslett’s books contain a lot of meat with that sizzle. His practical home advice is straight to the point.
This book on cleaning is just under 200 pages long and contains 10 chapters. They include:
Introduction: No time to clean up! Aslett knows you don’t have time to clean, so she points out that she will show you how to avoid cleaning, as well as other strategies for solving your “no time to clean” concerns.
One: The biggest mystery in modern cleaning: when to do it. Three page chapter with the focus on whether you are cleaning more than a couple of hours a week, cleaning too much, or cleaning inefficiently. Quick motivation to start now!
Two: Adjust our standards and schedules. If it’s not dirty, don’t clean it. The great tips in this chapter include tips on how clean things really need to be and how to set standards instead of cleaning with tables or schedules.
Three: Cleaning on the go. Aslett shares some “why” regarding cleaning and some tips on how to get things done before they get bigger. You may also be surprised at what you can do in no time, and the chapter shows you how to clean faster and ways to keep things cleaner longer.
Four: The best way to cut Clean: Avoid it! This chapter is about preventing those future problems. Aslett offers great suggestions on how to do just that.
Five: Too much = Too much time cleaning. Aslett is known for getting rid of trash. This is a very short chapter because it focuses on this topic in several other books. “Clutter’s Last Stand” and his other clutter books are great if you need more help with clutter.
Six: Do your housework with a hammer. This is an interesting chapter on designing your house, or parts of it, to make cleaning easier.
Seven: Other hands that can help. If you are hiring other people to help you clean, you will benefit from reading this chapter first. Aslett offers good advice on how to get others to help you with your cleaning needs.
Eight: The Big One: Get the kids to help clean up. Aslett suggests that this might be the most important topic in the book. In addition to the help you receive to clean your home, you will also help the young in old age. He has great suggestions for children to help out.
Nine: Quick cleaning room by room. Tips and strategies for cleaning every room in the house, as well as the garage and outside. Simply implementing a few of these would make a huge difference.
Ten: Quick Cleaning Guide. This “guide” is 68 pages long and covers tons of professional cleaning tips, from dusting to pet clutter. If you want to clean like the pros and get more done in less time, Aslett shows you how.
Face it, cleaning is a big pain. It is one of the necessary evils. We have to, but none of us really enjoy it. (well … maybe some will …) Cleaning is not a topic you read about calmly either. So grab this book, read it (it won’t take long), and implement the tips so you can clean more in less time and then get on with the best things in your life – after all, that’s what life is all about. Highly recommended if you want to clean faster, better and cheaper.
