From the book's back cover: "Few of us enjoy cleaning―more often than not, it feels like a thankless, repetitive task that we must force ourselves to do. Linda Thomas is an expert, professional cleaner who operated her own ecological cleaning company for more than twenty years. In this unique book, she explores her passion for cleaning, and argues that cleaning can have a profound effect―not just on the spaces we care for, but also on our own wellbeing and personal development. This lively and readable book is full of anecdotes, practical examples, and ecological cleaning tips from the author’s decades of cleaning experience. Ultimately, she states that, if we elevate our understanding of cleaning, we might even begin to enjoy it!"

Initially I thought this book would just present a slightly different approach to cleaning than that of all of the organizing books out there, and to a certain extent I was correct. But it is also so much more. Linda Thomas presents a rich collection of information on the historical, cultural and spiritual aspects of cleaning, and weaves them together into something quite humbling and thought provoking. She completely deconstructs the stereotypes that view the work of cleaning as demeaning, and shows how powerful and important such work actually is.

Thomas has received a fair amount of criticism for chapters of her book that explore such topics as elemental beings and how they aid or hamper cleaning efforts. She also refers regularly to the work and beliefs of Austrian philosopher Rudolph Steiner, who founded the esoteric spiritual movement, anthroposophy. Some of these portions of the book were a bit rough for me, but I did find value in them and would not dismiss the book because of them. As to criticism that the book is not actually about cleaning, I would have to disagree. In addition to the more esoteric information in the book, there is plenty of practical advice, examples, and strategies.

In all, I found Thomas's book to be a valuable and thought-provoking read. I particularly enjoyed her cultural review of cleaning traditions, and absolutely loved how she reframes the traditional definition of meaningful work and demeaning work. I originally read this as an ebook but have decided it is valuable enough to me to purchase a hard copy for my small "real" library. ( )