While we have written home improvement books, we have yet to write one that is specifically devoted to formulas. However, there are a couple of excellent books that we rely upon:

The first is titled "Clean Your House And Everything in It." This is our favorite. It is written by Eugenia Chapman, the mother of eleven children and a veteran housekeeper, and her daughter-in-law, Jill C. Major.

The book is well-organized, beginning with recommended products and tools and goes through the house, highlighting the bathroom, kitchen, carpets, floors and drapes. Published by Putnam, it is 159 pages, paperback, and sells for $7.95.

The second is "Back To Basics" by the folks at Reader's Digest. The book is about the simple life. It's about old-fashioned ways of doing things, old-fashioned craftsmanship, old-fashioned food and old-fashioned fun.

It contains a section on household recipes. For example, it discusses how to clean a wool rug with snow or cleaning a carpet with potatoes. It will even tell you how to make your own milk paint.

Its 456 pages are filled with unusual information that is nothing less that a lesson in vintage Americana. The book is hardbound and sells for$26.00.