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A review by katiemack
How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing by KC Davis
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