A concise but comprehensive how-to on the thankless-but-necessary task of housecleaning, this program hosted by Meredith Baxter-lookalike Laurie “cleaned more toilets than I care to count” Kilpatrick leads off with an overview of tools (i.e. properly-fitting gloves, a caddy to carry supplies in) and dress (comfortable, with appropriate footwear) before tackling preliminary tasks such as stripping the beds and getting the laundry going first (while you're working elsewhere). Beginning in the kitchen (“base camp”), and working her way through bedroom, living room, and bathroom chores, Kirkpatrick shares her best tips for performing a variety of typical household duties such as doing dishes, wiping down the fridge and counters, making a bed (hospital corners included), cleaning the shower area, and dusting, as well as scrubbing behind oven control knobs and vacuuming daily (say what?). Overall, this no-frills production looks good and features plenty of illustrative clips, though some of the pointers (about being on time and not hiding broken stuff) remind viewers that primary audiences for this program include maids and professional cleaners. Even so, non-professionals will surely benefit from the excellent tips, tricks, and even recipes for homemade cleaning solutions presented here. Now, how am I going to keep my husband from reading this review? He'll know I can clean! Highly recommended. Aud: P. (J. Williams-Wood)
Miss Laurie's Smart Guide to House Cleaning
(2003) 35 min. VHS: $14.95. Miss Laurie Productions (dist. by Instructional Video). PPR. Color cover. Volume 19, Issue 5
Miss Laurie's Smart Guide to House Cleaning
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.