Book Review: Unf*ck Your Habitat - You're Better Than Your Mess, Rachel Hoffman

Title: Unf*ck Your Habitat - You're Better Than Your Mess
Author: Rachel Hoffman
Published: 03/01/2017, St Martins Griffin
Pages: 222
Source: Netgalley
Format: Ebook
Rating: 4/5
Finally, a housekeeping and organizational system developed for those of us who'd describe our current living situation as a "f*cking mess" that we're desperate to fix. Unf*ck Your Habitat is for anyone that has been left behind by traditional aspirational systems. The ones that ignore single people with full-time jobs; people without kids but living with roommates; and people with mental illnesses or physical limitations. Most organizational books are aimed at traditional homemakers, DIYers, and people who seem to have unimaginable amounts of free time. They assume we all iron our sheets, have linen napkins to match our table runners, and can keep plants alive for longer than a week. Basically, they ignore most of us living here in the real world.

Interspersed with lists and challenges, this practical, no-nonsense advice relies on a 20/10 system (20 minutes of cleaning followed by a 10 minute break; no marathon cleaning allowed) to help you develop lifelong habits. It motivates you to embrace a new lifestyle in manageable sections so you can actually start applying the tactics as you progress. For everyone stuck between The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and Adulting, this philosophy is decidedly more realistic than aspirational, but the goal is the same: not everyone will have a showcase of a home, but whatever your habitat, you deserve for it to bring you happiness, not stress.

Unf*ck Your Habitat is a self-help book for cleaning - it's probably primarily aimed at young adults and those leaving home for the first time. Surprisingly, for a book about cleaning, I actually quite enjoyed reading Unf*ck Your Habitat and couldn't put it down!

Personally, I think Unf*ck Your Habitat is the perfect book for those learning to keep a house. It's full of so many tips to help clean and I particularly liked the 20:10 idea, as well as the tips for moving house. I also thought the checklists at the back were very handy and they mean that nothing is overlooked.

I loved that Unf*ck Your Habitat acknowledges that your home will never be pristine 24/7 and that we don't live in show homes. I mean I think I'm fairly tidy, but life happens and things come up so you can't be chained to the kitchen sink. I also loved that Unf*ck Your Habitat discusses specific issues, such as physical and mental health and even hoarding. These can most definitely hinder someone's ability to clean.

I found Unf*ck Your Habitat to be such a unique self-help book for cleaning (not that I've read many books about cleaning). But the humorous and colloquial language used by Hoffman makes it entertaining and I for one wanted to get up and start cleaning. It's such an easy to relate to book and, dare-I-say-it, it makes the idea of cleaning fun.

I do, however, wish there were slightly more detailed and specific tips throughout Unf*ck Your Habitat. I found that the book spoke in length about a handful of tips really - particularly reiterating the 20:10 idea a lot. I also think the book could have included a few photos or diagrams as examples to reiterate a few points, particularly during the discussions about the benefits of taking before and after pictures.

Unf*ck Your Habitat is a very good read, full of get-up-and-go. I would recommend Unf*ck Your Habitat to young adults and those moving away from home. I think even busy professionals may pick up a few tips too. It's a great starter for cleaning anyway, and I think a lot of people may benefit from this book.

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Rachel Hoffman

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