Karen Noonan Logan has put together an extremely useful, honest recipe book for green cleaning products. It is honest in that she rates the effectiveness of each formula provided, and not all of them are 95s or 100s (comparable to commercial cleaners). In fact, there are several in the book that aren't that effective, but at least they don't poison you.However, the majority of her recipes *are* effective and very easy to make. Logan writes matter-of-factly, but with a positive style. It's not like reading a textbook or cookbook at all; you are entertained as you read.There is a broad enough range of recipes that you can clean nearly anything, but not so many that you can't figure out which recipe to make for which cleaning job. In contrast, I found that Annie Berthold-Bond's book "Clean and Green" was too cluttered by a confusing array of recipes, some of which are so specialized many people will probably never use them. Also, her writing style is far too dry to really be enjoyable. If you really, really need a weird stain out of your clothes and don't want to reach for the bleach or stain stick, you may want to pick up "Clean and Green." But for just cleaning floors, tile, windows, etc. it is *much* easier to use the simple, multi-purpose recipes in "Clean House, Clean Planet." Clean House Clean Planet
While I recommend buying this book and trying out all the recipes, I don't recommend going wild all at once like I did.The basic message of the book is this: Clean your windows and mirrors with plain club soda. Clean everything else with one or more of the following: baking soda, vinegar, Dr. Bronner's soap, or distilled water. The trick is to scent your baking soda or vinegar with a few drops of your favorite essential oil.The cool thing about the book is that it gives detailed recipes for exactly what proportions of these main ingredients (plus a few others) work best to clean each different thing in your house, and it goes into some detail about what spray and squirt bottles work best, too. It's very practical and useful and I learned some new things from reading it (did you know that in the United States, you can't legally say that tea tree oil is a disinfectant?). Unfortunately, she does repeat herself a lot, and she encourages you to buy more than you really need. WAY more. You won't save any money at all if you buy all the things she suggests you buy! I would say start out with one gallon of vinegar, one or two boxes of baking soda, one or two essential oils, some distilled water if you don't already have it, and maybe some Dr. Bronner's if you can afford it (you can use regular hand dishwashing liquid for most of these recipes). Spray bottles are nice, too, but I had a hard time finding the right size.Back to the merits and un-merits of the book: The Table of Contents and the Index are well organized, but the book itself isn't quite so much. It would help so much if the topic headings on each page pointed to what was actually on that page instead of giving a general chapter name. If you're trying to look up a particular recipe, it can take a long time to find.In conclusion, this is a good book that I definitely recommend buying. I love being able to clean nontoxically and this book is a huge help. I just wish I had bought a lot less stuff at the outset.
I stumbled upon this book when I was searching for recipes for homemade cleansers that were also inexpensive. Truthfully, the whole toxicity issue didn't even cross my mind until I took a closer look at the book and reviews. I don't have children, but I do have a very curious dog who tracks in all sorts of dirt and loves to smell and (usually) lick everything he explores. It's very comforting to know that the cleaners I am now using are non-toxic. I also often wondered, "if *I* think this stuff smells strong and nasty, imagine what my dog and his superior sense of smell thinks of it!"
The book was fun and interesting to read. It's amazing that commercial cleansers don't have to list all of their ingredients. I also appreciated the author's honesty--pointing out things that are suspected and not proven, and even rating how well her cleaners work when compared to those you buy at the store. I agree with other reviewers that the recipes could have been laid out differently and can be hard to go back and find.
The recipes are very easy to put together and use ingredients that are easy to find. They also work!! Who knew that vinegar and water in a spray bottle would make cleaning the bathroom floors a million times easier and more pleasant. Or that baking soda would make my sinks sparkle. I've truly enjoyed reading the book and using the author's recipes.
Update (1/28/07): It's been nearly two years since I wrote my original review and I wanted to add that I'm still using the recipies, and love them more than ever!
My friend and I made most of the major recipes in this book in the course of a few hours! We found all the ingredients at the market, health food store and Target. We both went home and cleaned our houses top to bottom and were amazed at the results. I thought for sure the glass cleaner wouldn't work - boy, was I surprised! I have since bought several copies of the book to give away to friends and family. My friends with young children really love the recipes! Most importantly for me, these products smell divine! I feel like I am perfuming my house rather than cleaning. My kitchen smells softly of lemons, and my bathroom has a lovely, light, lavender aroma. From now on I'm cleaning the natural, non-toxic, better smelling way!
Clean House, Clean Planet by Karen Logan is one of the best books I've read recently! Ms. Logan discusses why you should switch, what is in the commercial cleaners found in the store, how to put together the essentials for green cleaning and how to make your own homemade cleaners. However, she goes above and beyond most authors. Ms. Logan explains the recipe's effectiveness and compares the costs of the particular recipe with the commercial alternative. What I like most about this book is the recipes -they are inexpensive, easy and *effective*. Moreover, with or without the use of the essential oils she recommends, they leave your home smelling fresh! Perhaps the most effective suggestion I've tried is "Hollywood Bowl" and a pumice stick. Together, they elminated a toilet bowl ring that has plagued me for months. Now, if Ms. Logan could help me wipe out the mold and mildew on my bath tiles, this book would be perfect!Overall, Clean House, Clean Planet is a must for every home. Fun to read, easy to implement, and refreshing to use! - Cleaning - Green Cleaning - Household Hints - Green Housecleaning'
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