This is an examination of women's obsession with cleaning and cleanliness, such as those who clean their skirting boards with Q-tips or vacuum-clean the lampshades, and a mother who, upon her son's suicide, shed not a tear but scoured the kitchen floor with steel wool three nights running. The book explores the social, historical and psychological aspects of housework, and features three categories of women (and men): people interviewed by the author, historical figures, and characters from novels and advertising.