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How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing by KC Davis
24 reviews
avisreadsandreads's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Oh gawd, I feel like I've needed this book my whole adult life! I definitely need my own copy -- it feels like something to read over and over again.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Mental illness, Ableism, and Chronic illness
Minor: Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Sexism, Addiction, and Body shaming
gwenswoons's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
relaxing
fast-paced
5.0
I loved this book so much. It’s way outside my usual reading palette, and I’m so grateful Storygraph’s 2024 Genre Challenge helped nudge me to read it! A non-fiction book about psychology?!? Would never have found my way to this on my own, and I already feel the huge impact it will have in my life. I was struck again and again by the author’s ability to both do necessary reframing for us - like separating care tasks from moral successes/failings, as they’ve been societally framed for us - and to simultaneously reassure us, letting us know that changing these patterns in our brains will take time, and giving us inspiring achievable ideas to begin that work. I also deeply appreciated Davis’s acknowledgment of different needs and circumstances - so many conversations about self care and self help ignore forms of oppression and challenge, like systemic racism, financial inequity, neurodiversity, and mental health struggles: factors that can quite literally change and affect people’s abilities to do the same tasks others find easy and accessible. This book explores these things honestly and gently, and as someone who’s had serious struggles with anxiety and depression I felt seen and reflected in this book in a way I haven’t in many modern takes on related topics (whether in books or on social media, journalism, etc.). I’m short, I can’t recommend this book highly enough - truly helped me and I hope it might do the same for you. 💜
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Minor: Ableism, Body shaming, Pandemic/Epidemic, Addiction, Sexism, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Grief, Rape, and Fatphobia
leighwitz's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.0
I’m sad to give this 3 stars because I adore KC Davis and this what she has to say is fantastic. The book just didn’t do it for me, probably because I’ve followed her on TikTok for years and have already gotten the gist. I guess what I mean to say is that there just isn’t enough material here for a book. The concept of care tasks as morally neutral is wonderful and has been life-changing for so many people, but it’s a short and sweet concept that I think works best on a platform like TikTok. That being said, I’m glad this book exists and I think people who don’t follow KC on other platforms will get a lot out of it.
Some things I loved: the neurodivergent accessibility with bite-sized chapters, bringing in a Black writer to speak on protective hairstyles, and explaining metaphors as an access tool.
Some things I didn’t love: the bit of the book felt disjointed. I didn’t think the part about exercise and food really fit into the book which was about home care tasks. It’s not that I disliked what was being said (in fact k wholeheartedly agree with her points) but for me it serves as a friendly reminder because these are things I know and have thought about a lot. I worry that someone who really needs to hear these messages about food and exercise as morally neutral may need something more in depth.
Some things I loved: the neurodivergent accessibility with bite-sized chapters, bringing in a Black writer to speak on protective hairstyles, and explaining metaphors as an access tool.
Some things I didn’t love: the bit of the book felt disjointed. I didn’t think the part about exercise and food really fit into the book which was about home care tasks. It’s not that I disliked what was being said (in fact k wholeheartedly agree with her points) but for me it serves as a friendly reminder because these are things I know and have thought about a lot. I worry that someone who really needs to hear these messages about food and exercise as morally neutral may need something more in depth.
Content Warnings
Minor: Chronic illness, Mental illness, Addiction, Drug use, Body shaming, and Ableism
maddamreads's review
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
5.0
I will be re-reading this book. Care tasks are very difficult for me and I struggle with perfectionism. KC has accessibly and genuinely laid out different ways of thinking of care tasks, applicable strategies, and reflective questions. The input from Imani Barbarin also expanded the book to be inclusive for disabled people and considerate of the black experience. Whether read as a reference or straight through, this is a wonderful book for ADHD, mentally ill, busy, and disabled adults (or even just any adult) to experience. There is a lot of stuff about parenting applicable to self-parenting. I wish she would have gone more into movement or in the future expand to working from home tasks.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Chronic illness, Alcohol, Body shaming, Forced institutionalization, Ableism, Addiction, and Eating disorder
bmpicc's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
I joke all the time about being a terrible "housekeeper", but this book... I feel SO validated right now! We are not all hardwired to be Marie Kondo. While I am not currently drowning, I am a human, a partner, & a mom who spent a year celebrating emotional milestones. They left me wondering at times if I was doing enough, keeping up, or simply existing. This was a wonderful reminder that we need to be gentle with ourselves and that is OK.
"You do not exist to serve your space, your space exists to serve you."
This publication notes in the intro that it is designed for neurodivergant readers too. I love the option to read this in the way that best suits you.
"You do not exist to serve your space, your space exists to serve you."
This publication notes in the intro that it is designed for neurodivergant readers too. I love the option to read this in the way that best suits you.
Content Warnings
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, and Addiction
alysereadsbooks's review
hopeful
informative
slow-paced
4.0
I listened to the audiobook and it did not disappoint! I really appreciated KC Davis’ empathetic and realistic approach to cleaning, specifically the ways she talks about accommodations for neurodivergent and disabled communities. I already use her closing duties strategies and I am looking forward to implementing her other strategies as well.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness and Chronic illness
Minor: Addiction
katiemack's review
emotional
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
5.0
I read this book at the optimal time in my life. As someone who is postpartum and has perpetually dealt with a lifetime of blaming and shaming myself for not keeping a clean house or yard, KC Davis' words really resonated with me.
The book is short--150-ish pages--and concise, as Davis knows that some of her readers don't have the time or capacity to take in all of what they read. It's packed full of useful methods of perspective-shifting that aren't just "clean as you go" or "make a schedule" and emphasizes doing what works best for you. For me, the most valuable pieces of advice are about reframing chores as "care tasks" and doing them not because it's the morally correct thing to do but because I deserve to live in a clean house, to be kind to myself in this way. Her giving permission to not have everything be spotless all the time is also exactly what I needed to read right now.
If you're struggling in life right now, pick this up. If you don't want to read 150 pages, take her advice about which chapters to skip.
The book is short--150-ish pages--and concise, as Davis knows that some of her readers don't have the time or capacity to take in all of what they read. It's packed full of useful methods of perspective-shifting that aren't just "clean as you go" or "make a schedule" and emphasizes doing what works best for you. For me, the most valuable pieces of advice are about reframing chores as "care tasks" and doing them not because it's the morally correct thing to do but because I deserve to live in a clean house, to be kind to myself in this way. Her giving permission to not have everything be spotless all the time is also exactly what I needed to read right now.
If you're struggling in life right now, pick this up. If you don't want to read 150 pages, take her advice about which chapters to skip.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Mental illness
Moderate: Addiction, Chronic illness, and Grief
Minor: Emotional abuse and Body shaming
quasinaut's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5
There wasn't that much that was new to me because I already follow KC Davis on Instagram and I've read some other similar books that break down cleaning/organizing/managing household tasks, but I can see this book being invaluable to anyone who's overwhelmed or stuck or filled with shame because society teaches us we should feel bad about ourselves when we can't stay on top of life.
I appreciate Davis' framing: that it's better to be kind to yourself, that laziness doesn't exist, that your spaces and systems and routines exist to serve you. The book can be repetitive at times, but sometimes we need to hear these things again and again for them to sink in.
I appreciate Davis' framing: that it's better to be kind to yourself, that laziness doesn't exist, that your spaces and systems and routines exist to serve you. The book can be repetitive at times, but sometimes we need to hear these things again and again for them to sink in.
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction and Mental illness
melodyseestrees's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Ableism
Moderate: Addiction, Chronic illness, and Grief
Minor: Emotional abuse, Body shaming, and Child abuse
kayschwe's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Chronic illness, Fatphobia, Pregnancy, Ableism, and Body shaming