Lois Libien, who provided household hints in books and in a nationally syndicated newspaper column, died on July 25 in River Vale, NJ. She was 87.

Ms. Libien was best known for a practical, often witty, hand book first published in 1976 as “Super Economy Housecleaning.” Reviewing the handbook, The San Antonio Express said it provided “breezy advice on how to maintain appliances, make your own inexpensive cleaning solutions, and what to do if your toaster smokes, your iron drags, and your coffee tastes lousy.”

“One of the most distinct memories I have from the late 1970s was of having a TV crew come to the house to interview my mother about housecleaning, and we had a housekeeper come over the day before to give the house a good clean,” her daughter Jenny Libien recalled. “She knew how to do everything, but I think would rather spend her time doing other things than cleaning.”