Book Review: The Queen of Clean Conquers Clutter, by Linda Cobb

The Queen of Clean Conquers Clutter, by Linda Cobb. Published by Pocket Books, New York. 2002.

The Queen is back and she’s at it again, this time with a book on conquering clutter. The domestic diva has her crown firmly on and goes from room to room with her duster.

In her introduction, Linda Cobb says that the key to get out from all the clutter is a matter of thoughtful elimination of time-wasting and space-wasting things, rather than adding things. She claims that the reader already has what it takes to conquer clutter and get organized.

In this book, Cobb goes through the most common areas of the house and uses a methodology to get organized, which focuses on five steps: Question, Unpack, Evaluate, Eliminate, and Neaten Up. This does a good job of breaking down the process of organizing for those who are unfamiliar with what happens mentally when organizing.

The most difficult part of the process for chronic clutterbugs is the Question and Evaluate stages, but Cobb doesn’t spend much time delving into the mental blocks that prevent people from successful overcoming their hoarding or accumulating habits.

Most of Cobb’s text consists of storage ideas and how to clean various locations and items. This is very helpful for people who need someone to question their need for possessions they've taken for granted are needed. Readers who have no problem staying organized will find a few more ideas of things they can get rid of. It is also helpful for people who want suggestions on more space-efficient ways to store things or more efficient ways to clean or organize. However there is not much help for people who need to learn the organizing principles and successful thought processes to use daily to maintain an organized lifestyle.

This book is more about organizing and less about decision-making processes for discarding. This book is for those who are looking for some inspiration to get started, but for those who truly need some of the psychological motive-exploring that is truly at the root of conquering clutter, look elsewhere.

I give this book a B-.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”