Jeffrey Bredenberg, 56, of popular how-to series

Jeffrey Bredenberg, 56, of Oreland, a former newspaper editor who wrote a series of popular how-to books, died at home Tuesday of glioblastoma, a brain tumor.

Mr. Bredenberg was the author of How to Cheat at Cleaning, How to Cheat at Organizing, How to Cheat at Home Repair, and How to Cheat at Gardening and Yard Work.

Though he edited, contributed to, or wrote 25 books, including three novels, it was his witty guide to cleaning that earned Mr. Bredenberg appearances three years ago on the Late Show With David Letterman, Today, and the Rachael Ray Show.

In the book, he promoted the cleaning powers of vinegar and advised readers to save time and stop making the bed. The longtime health writer and editor contended that tucked sheets and blankets sealed in moisture and created a breeding ground for dust mites.

He tried out ideas at home, though he didn't do all the housekeeping. When his wife, Stacey Burling, a medical writer at The Inquirer, fussed about the irony of his writing about cleaning but not doing more of it, he pointed out, "You write about surgery, and you don't do that."

The couple met when he was an editor and she was a reporter at the Rocky Mountain News in Denver. They married in 1988. That year he joined the News Journal in Wilmington. As assistant managing editor at the News Journal, he redesigned the newspaper and supervised various departments. In 1994, he joined the book division of Rodale Press in Emmaus, Pa., rising to the rank of managing editor.  He became vice president for content for Intelihealth.com in Blue Bell in 1998. Since 2002, he had been a freelance editor and writer.

A native of Raleigh, N.C., Mr. Bredenberg got his first newspaper job at 16 as a copyboy at the News & Observer in Raleigh. For a year after high school, he attended North Carolina State University, where his father, Paul, was a philosophy professor.

He was a copy editor at the News & Observer and later worked at papers in Fort Myers, Fla.; Burlington, Vt.; Chicago; and St. Louis, before joining the Rocky Mountain News.

Mr. Bredenberg, who described his higher education as "a patchwork affair," took classes at Edison Community College in Fort Myers, the University of Vermont, and Temple University, while working.

He volunteered with his sons' Cub Scout pack and Boy Scout troop in Springfield Township, Montgomery County, and rarely missed their soccer or baseball games or band concerts, his wife said. For several years, he was active with the youth group at BuxMont Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. He shared his love of music with the teens and played his guitar and sang for them.

He read constantly and enjoyed science fiction, and detective novels, his wife said.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Bredenberg is survived by sons Adam and Colin; his mother, Gladys; and a brother, Alfred.

A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. tomorrow at BuxMont Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 2040 Street Rd., Warrington.

Memorial donations may be made to the National Brain Tumor Society, East Coast Office, 124 Watertown St., Suite 2D, Watertown, Mass. 02472.