My mom got this book for me, because I get extremely overwhelmed when trying to organize, and tend to shut down. This book helps me deal, and do one thing at a time, before trying to visualize the big picture, which is what overwhelms me. It's a great way to clean, just continuously, picking up where last you left off. I'm really glad I have this book, it helps a lot.

Before I read this book, I had never heard of Mount Vernoning. Now I always Mount Vernon. It's the only way to live, unless you're one of those incredible people who were born organized.

Sandra Felton invented Mount Vernoning when a friend told her how Mount Vernon is kept cleaning despite a flood of visitors every day. Two hours before the museum, once the home of America's first president, is opening, an army of cleaners descend on the house. They start cleaning exactly where they left off the day before. When it is almost time to open, they put away their cleaning supplies and vanish like elves in the forest. And the next day ... and the next day . . . And that's how Mount Vernon always looks clean.

Read the book. Then look at your house. Scream and tear your hair all you want to, but the house isn't going to look a bit better; in fact, with all that hair on the floor, it'll look even worse.

Now sit down quietly. Take a deep breath. Then decide where to start. Do you want to pick the absolute worst place in the house and clean it first? Or do you want to start in the place you use the most, which is probably the kitchen? DON'T start on the whole kitchen. Start one place. There's only one of you. You can't start everywhere.

How many pans are sitting on the range? How many of them are dirty? Put them in a sink of hot soapy water, or put them in the dishwasher. How many of them are clean? Put them away. What? There really is a top to this range? Wow! Quickly, before it vanishes again, spray it with a porcelain-safe cleaner. DON'T WASH IT. Set the timer for fifteen minutes. Use that fifteen minutes to sweep. THEN go back and wash the range top. You will probably have to repeat this at least five times. Don't worry. You no longer have to do it all at once. That's fortunate, because you CAN'T do it all at once, which is how the house got into this mess to start with.

If you don't accomplish another thing today other than essentials (the family does have to eat and have clean clothes), that's fine. You're Mount Vernoning, not mountain climbing.

By the time you and Sandra have gone through the house once it's going to be CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN . . . but it might not be beautiful yet. That's okay too. Sandra will help with that.

This is one of the most useful books I ever read, and you'd have to fight to get it out of my hands. Uh . . . Amazon, would you put it onto Kindle, please? Like SOON?