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Everything you need to know about laundry, cleaning, and basic home repairs—from the TikTok star who made bluing a thing, showed you how to fold a fitted sheet, and taught you to properly use your (caulk) gun.“[Melissa Pateras] makes chores enjoyable in her bawdy debut.... Doing laundry has never sounded so fun.”—Publishers WeeklyMelissa Dilkes Pateras is the most competent housekeeper, DIY-project master, and home repair genius that you've ever fantasized about becoming. When she followed her kids on to TikTok, she discovered a community hungry for her approachable, tongue-in-cheek advice on everything from balls—dryer balls, that is—to why color-coded closets are a spiritual experience. She doesn't expect you to know what you were never taught, and she doesn't care about transforming your home into a minimal, beige Instagram post; she simply wants to help make your life easier.Can housekeeping be fun? Whether you're terrified of your laundry pile or have an inner handyperson who's been longing for their moment, A Dirty Guide to a Clean Home is a joyful all-purpose guide to organizing, cleaning, laundry, repairs, and beyond. As Melissa says, “Your home shouldn't be your adversary.”

Excerpt: “This book, composed of brief and pithy articles, on almost every conceivable point of household duty, is a friendly monitor for young wives, and a mine of good sense and information for growing maidens. Originally published in the Household Department of “The Christian Union,” the articles have been so frequently called for and inquired after by those who had found help in them, that the author yielded to the desires of others, and has gathered them into this little volume. Mrs. Beecher's notion of woman's sphere is, that, whatever exceptional women may be able to accomplish, by reason of peculiar circumstances and talents, and freedom from domestic responsibilities, the place of labor and achievement for most women, and for all married women and mothers, is Home. And this book is exactly what its title sets forth,—a kind and motherly way of helping the inexperienced to make agreeable, well-regulated, and happy homes. Following the “Talks” are a choice selection of nearly five hundred Cooking Receipts, all vouched for by the author's own experience and skillful testing.'

How is gender signified, produced and reproduced through paid and unpaid labour? In what ways does gender intersect with other kinds of disadvantage? How does power work through interactions, emotions and bodies?In this original synthesis of social theory and its application to gender and work, Kate Huppatz draws from classical theory and principles of the'cultural turn'to explore how feminist sociology dismantles dualistic understandings of gender and scrutinizes the workings of power. In a tour de force of exposition and analysis of landmarks in the literature, Huppatz reflects upon continuities and departures in cutting-edge research on gender within organizations, unpaid domestic labour, and paid and unpaid care work. Close attention is paid to pressing issues such as the intersectionality of inequality in the workplace, relations between micro activities and larger social processes, and the impact of Covid-19 on exposing and exacerbating the gendered inequalities of work. Case examples drawn from North America, Australasia and the UK illustrate social theory in practice. Throughout, Huppatz emphasizes the importance of theoretical understandings in furthering empirical research about gender and work. She also considers the gendered division of labour within the study of work and employment itself. This key new addition to the Themes in Social Theory series is an essential read for advanced undergraduates, postgraduates and researchers interested in this area of study across a wide range of disciplines.

Featured in Stylist's ‘Can't Miss'Books of 2023 Sometimes I think that carrying — other people, the continuity of history, generational identity, the emotional load of the everyday — is the main thing that women do. In Marina Benjamin's new set of interlinked essays, she turns her astute eye to the tasks once termed ‘women's work'. From cooking and cleaning to caring for an ageing relative, A Little Give depicts domestic life anew: as a site of paradox and conflict, but also of solace and profound meaning. Here, productivity sits alongside self-erasure, resentment with tenderness, and the animal self is never far away, perpetually threatening to break through. Drawing on the work of figures such as Natalia Ginzburg, Paula Rego, and Virginia Woolf, Benjamin writes with fierce candour of the struggle to overwrite the gender conditioning that pulls her back into ‘the mud-world of pre-feminism'even as she attempts to haul herself out. From her upbringing as the child of immigrants with fixed traditional values, to looking after her mother and seeing her teenager move out of home, she examines her relationships with with family, community, her body, even language itself. Ultimately, she shows that a woman's true work may lie at the heart of her humanity, in the pursuit both of transformation and of deep acceptance.

Does it ever feel like you have no free time? You come home after work and instead of finding a space of rest and relaxation, you're confronted by a pile of new tasks to complete - cooking, cleaning, looking after the kids, and so on.In this ground-breaking book, Helen Hester and Nick Srnicek lay out how unpaid work in our homes has come to take up an ever-increasing portion of our lives - how the vacuum of free time has been taken up by vacuuming. Examining the history of the home over the past century - from running water to white goods to smart homes - they show how repeated efforts to reduce the burden of this work have faced a variety of barriers, challenges, and reversals.Charting the trajectory of our domestic spaces over the past century, Hester and Srnicek consider new possibilities for the future, uncovering the abandoned ideas of anti-housework visionaries and sketching out a path towards real free time for all, where everyone is at liberty to pursue their passions, or do nothing at all. It will require rethinking our living arrangements, our expectations and our cities.

Give your kids the decluttering guide that will encourage their independence and create a more peaceful home for your family. Allie Casazza has created a resource for you to show kids how to create and design their own space, offering practical ideas on organization and productivity, kid-friendly inspiration for mindfulness, and interactive pages for creativity.Allie has encouraged women to simplify and unburden their lives as the host of The Purpose Show podcast and through her first book Declutter Like a Mother. Now she's helping you equip your kids and tweens to discover the same joy of decluttering as theydesign and create a space that supports their interests and goals,make more room in their lives for playtime and creativity,increase productivity and find renewed focus for schoolwork,learn valuable life skills, andcut down on cleaning time, reduce stress, and feel more peaceful.Your kids will start to understand that the less they own, the more time they have for what's important. Written in Allie's fun, motivational voice, Be the Boss of Your Stuffis ideal for boys and girls ages 8 to 12,includes photography and interactive activities with space to write, draw, imagine, and plan,shares step-by-step instructions for decluttering,offers added practical, personalized instruction from Allie's children, Bella and Leeland,and is a great gift for coming-of-age celebrations, the first day of spring, New Year's, Easter, birthdays, back-to-school, or school milestones.As your kids become more proactive in taking care of their stuff, you'll find your whole family has more time and space for creativity and fun. After all, less clutter, less stress, and less chaos in your kids'lives means more peace, more independence, and more opportunity to grow into who they're meant to be.Read Allie's first book, Declutter Like a Mother, to further equip yourself in decluttering while you empower your kids to embrace their space.

If you want to get organized but never have, or never have successfully, you need the no-fail organizing plan from the Real Simple team. Get motivated to declutter with real-life makeovers and then follow through using the three-step Real Simple Method. Stock your organizing toolkit with the essentials, including the best containers, labels, schedules, to-do lists, and more. Target your home's clutter hot spots with focused projects for every space. Keep it going with maintenance strategies, rewards, and special help for your most challenging clutter.

From the powerhouse couple behind the blog Probably This and #YourGayUncles, a comprehensive guide to living comfortably and beautifully on the cheap by and for millennialsIn Probably This Housewarming: A Guide to Creating a Home You Adore, Armato and Ciolino show you how to live your best, fullest, most beautiful life while dealing with all of the limitations that come with renting, working 40 hours—or more—a week, and having little-to-no disposable income. This fun, accessible guide is organized into three sections—Design, DIY, and Entertain—in the order you would naturally do them. First, you'll learn to design your space to look just right, then you'll find DIYs that will help add character and round out your home decor on a budget, and finally, you'll get hosting tips for when your home is ready for entertaining. Whether you need help picking out a paint color, refurbishing vintage furniture, or mixing a batch of cocktails that slap, Matt and Beau are here to help transform your house (or apartment) into a home. A no-nonsense introduction to homemaking written by and for millennials, Probably This Housewarming is all about embracing your true self in your home design, guiding readers to create a space that reflects their personality and fits their individual needs. And as your needs grow and expand with every new place you call home, this book will be there for you every step of the way. Full of charm and humor, Probably This Housewarming is a charismatic and comprehensive guide to making any house a home.