The Cleaning Encyclopedia: Your A-to-Z Illustrated Guide to Cleaning Like the Pros Mass Market Paperback – Illustrated, 13 April 1999

brought as a present,and they love it.

This cleaning encyclopedia will tell you how to get best results with the least possible effort. Everything you ever wanted to know about cleaning. It is a composite of the knowledge and experience of many individuals as well as companies and organisations. Alphabetized. Black and White.

Sadly this book doesn't live up to the claim of helping you clean like a pro.In fact, when advising on how to get stains out of leather, it tells you to call in the pros. Not a fair swap of information by my reckoning.The print is small, cramped and not altogether inviting to read, and whilst the details are in alphabetical order, it's deciding which bit to look under first that can cause frustration.For example, I have an ink stain on my suede boots (I don't, I personally wouldn't be so sloppy as to try and write with my toes encased in shoes), but what do I look under for help? Stains? Suede? Ink? A petty point, but not dividing things up for easier referencing makes for teeth-grinding time whilst the ink is drying nicely on the suede.The major problem this book has, is that it cannot hold a candle to another book I actually own, and which has become a bit of a bone of contention with a Cleaner friend of mine. (Cleaner in terms of occupation as opposed to personal hygiene. But that's not saying she isn't clean or anything...). You see, my other book is sooo good - even though you can, on occasion be led to believe that you're reading Viz readers' top tips - that we fight over ownership. I wrested it back off of her, but I've a feeling that I'll have to frisk her everytime she leaves my house.I'd bought her this as a replacement for it, but I think she hates me even more now. It pales by comparison.(The book of Godlike cleaning stature is Ginette Chevallier's 4,000 things you really ought to know - The household encyclopaedia. Get it if you can. If you can get hold of two, could you send one to my mate Sharon, please? Ta.)