Smallin, Donna 1960-

views updated

Smallin, Donna 1960-

PERSONAL:

Born 1960, in NY.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Mesa, AZ. E-mail—donna@unclutter.com.

CAREER:

Organizing strategist. Speaker and guest expert on radio and television programs.

MEMBER:

National Association of Professional Organizers, American Society of Journalists and Authors.

WRITINGS:

Unclutter Your Home: 7 Simple Steps, 700 Tips & Ideas, Storey Books (Pownal, VT), 1999.

7 Simple Steps to Unclutter Your Life, Storey Books (Pownal, VT), 2000.

Organizing Plain & Simple: A Ready Reference Guide with Hundreds of Solutions to Your Everyday Clutter Challenges, Storey Books (North Adams, MA), 2002.

The One-Minute Organizer Plain & Simple, Storey Publishing (North Adams, MA), 2004.

Cleaning Plain & Simple: A Ready Reference Guide with Hundreds of Sparkling Solutions to Your Everyday Cleaning Challenges, Storey Publishing (North Adams, MA), 2006.

The One-Minute Organizer to Unclutter Your Mind, Storey Publishing (North Adams, MA), 2006.

Simple Steps to Organizing Everything: 1,200 Get-Organized-Fast Secrets for Curing Everyday Clutter Challenges, Rodale (Emmaus, PA), 2006.

Contributor to periodicals and Web sites, including Woman's Day, Real Simple, Redbook, Woman's World, Reader's Digest, Washington Post, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Bottom Line Personal, and USAToday.com.

SIDELIGHTS:

Donna Smallin is a professional organizer who has appeared on numerous radio and television programs advising listeners and viewers on how to manage and control clutter. She is the author of many books on the subject, including Organizing Plain & Simple: A Ready Reference Guide with Hundreds of Solutions to Your Everyday Clutter Challenges. Library Journal reviewer Pam Matthews commented on this book that Smallin "shares some concrete tips and techniques," but noted that she also goes off topic in discussing such areas as personal safety, including the importance of fire drills, personal finance, and how to make the final arrangements for the death of a loved one.

In Cleaning Plain & Simple: A Ready Reference Guide with Hundreds of Sparkling Solutions to Your Everyday Cleaning Challenges, Smallin attacks cleaning instead of clutter, but she does note the importance of getting rid of the clutter before beginning the task of cleaning. She lists hundreds of tips, many of which save money when implemented. In the four sections of the book, Smallin instructs readers on cleaning products, tools and techniques, including stain removal. She covers the clean-up of systems, including septic, air conditioning, and plumbing, as well as of personal items, clothing, and jewelry. The author also includes a history of cleaning and comments on the number of hours spent cleaning, which equal those of our ancestors, and notes that women continue to outnumber men five to one when it comes to performing cleaning chores. Library Journal critic Steven G. Fullwood, who described this volume as "an all-encompassing reference tool," felt that "Smallin's spirited approach is warm and inviting."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Library Journal, July, 2002, Pam Matthews, review of Organizing Plain & Simple: A Ready Reference Guide with Hundreds of Solutions to Your Everyday Clutter Challenges, p. 103; January 1, 2006, Steven G. Fullwood, review of Cleaning Plain & Simple: A Ready Reference Guide with Hundreds of Sparkling Solutions to Your Everyday Cleaning Challenges, p. 148.

Publishers Weekly, November 28, 2005, review of Cleaning Plain & Simple, p. 45.