Green Clean: The Environmentally Sound Guide to Cleaning Your Home

I would have given this book more than 5 stars, if I could! I checked it out via my local library, but will be purchasing it, for sure. The book is well laid out; you don't have to read the whole thing to get to what you need. There is a section for each cleaning zone of your house, kitchen, bathroom, laundry, etc... The recipes for cleaning (also in their own section) are easy to make, and come from readily available, healthy alternatives...and perform much better than their toxic cousins. I am so impressed at the performance of club soda; I never knew Windex and Glass Plus weren't working that well, until I tried club soda instead. My shiny surfaces look fantastic; at 50 cents a liter, who would want to pay more for chemicals?! I have also been pleasantly surprised at how soft baking soda makes my laundry; goodbye fabric softener. This book does a good job of encouraging you to become "more" green; not just for people who want to throw everything out and start over, but for people who want to change one or two things in their house to reduce the negative impact they may have on the environment. The awesome side-effect is, many of the "green" alternatives really do clean better, and are wayyyyy cheaper; trust me, I've cleaned houses for a living, and was one of those suckers who bought a diferent cleaning product for every surface in my home. I have a 9 mo old in the house 2 days a week, as a part-time nanny, and I am proud to say, there is now nothing in my cleaning cabinet, that I would worry about her getting into; it will remain child-proof, for sure, but, if she drank my window cleaner, now, the worst that would happen is a big club-soda-burp. Thanks, Green Clean!!!

"Green Clean" is a treasure for every household. Even if you do not care about the environment or about your health, this book is definitely worth its money. It contains not only the expected environmentally sound advice but also strategies for keeping your home clean and orderly. There are also great do-it-yourself recipies for cleaning products (my favourite: DIY air freshener, it smells exactly the way I want it), and countless invaluable little tips on how to make life easier, e.g. how to load your dishwasher most efficiently, how to organize your kitchen appliances. I used to hate cleaning, truly hate it. I would put it off all the time and if I finally got around to it I never got it all done, and I always felt deep down inside what a hopeless task cleaning is because even the most sparkling bathroom looks messy again the next day. Since buying this book I haven't started to love cleaning but it's not so bad anymore. Cleaning has become easier and less time-consuming and way more efficient. It's now part of my daily routine, no big deal. I save money, water and electricity. My home stays clean and good-looking every day and it smells great, too. Mother-in-law, you're welcome to drop in any time!

Green Clean provides an excellent resource to greening your home environment. The book briefly begins with the history of cleaning, the toxic chemicals that are contained in our modern cleaning agents, and an introduction to green cleaning including the tools needed and steps to the process. Next, the book dives into a room-by-room green guide to cleaning. Included are how to clean different types of surfaces such as walls, floors, countertops, sinks, appliances, furniture, carpeting and clothing. The latter part of the book talks about storage, disposal, and recycling of hazardous household products including a handy chart with the type of product listed with the best way to dispose of it. Many recipes for creating your own cleaning products such as an all-purpose cleaner, carpet cleaners and deodorizers, dishwashing, disinfectants, drain cleaners, floor cleaners, air fresheners, furniture polish, laundry detergent, metal cleaners, window cleaners, oven cleaners, sink, toilet and tile cleaners. There is a stain guide for how to get out tough laundry stains naturally as well. Additionally, a product guide along with resources and readings are included. This book includes an index and is made out of durable synthetic paper. You could leave the book in the bathroom and not have to worry about it getting wet and ruined. Using the tips and recipes contained in the book can save your family money, but more importantly you'll learn how to green your environment. I had already been using cleaning products similar to those recommended (baking soda and vinegar can do wonders) and find they work excellently, and I do not have to worry about having toxic cleaning products in my house near my child and dogs. Overall, I learned from this book and highly recommend it to anyone looking to green their cleaning routine. C.J. Wong, M.S.(Biology), M.S. (Lib. Info. Sci.) Editor, Organic Family Magazine

This is an excellent resource for those of us wishing to remove the pollutents from our homes. The authors give detailed information on exactly what is in those 'wonder products' we currently use, like dishwashing liquid, floor waxes & cleaners and innumerable other items we use on a daily basis. The information in this book will shock you, prompt you to change the way you clean and give you the necessary tools and information to not only purchase SAFE products but create your own and live a 'greener' life. Creating your own cleaning products is not only less expensive then purchasing premade cleaners, but you KNOW what went into them!! You know how safe they are; for example - would you rather accidently drink windex and hope for the best? Or accidently ingest home made window cleaner (club soda)? Did you know that dishwashing liquid is the number one cleaning product accidently ingested by children? I didn't. And even though my cleaning products are kept well away from my 2 year old son, it is possible that accidents happen and I am not willing to take that chance. This book is filled with information so that you as a consumer can make informed choices about what you will and will not tolerate in your home, the chances you are willing to take with cleaning products and how to change what you use...and even our impact on the planet.