Clean and Green: a review

I've been wanting to write this review ever since I was in the store last week and saw a book by a well-known environmentally-friendly cleaning solution company. I flipped through it and realized very quickly that most of the book seemed to be fluff. Oh, there was some good stuff in there, but mostly it was the why and not the how. I guess they figured if they put their name on a book the people were more than likely going to buy their product instead of making their own at home.

Because this was so different from my experience with environmentalism during the nineties, I thought a review of a good source might be helpful.

Clean and Green is, in essence, a recipe book about cleaning by Annie Berthold-Bond. According to the introduction, she first started experimenting with nontoxic solutions when her health demanded she stay away from commercial cleaners. They made her sick enough she couldn't touch them. It wasn't until later that she realized the environmental impact, and personally, I think that was all for the better because I feel it gives the book a much-needed pragmatic outlook.

The first chapter is the best in that it briefly explains the difference between chemical and "green" cleaning, the dangers inherent in many chemical cleaners, and the basic tools and products you'll need to make your own cleaners. I enjoyed the clarity of the information, though I'm sure some will feel it was too brief on the evils of chemicals. I have a few chemical-sensitive people in my home so I really don't need that much convincing.

The rest of the book is devoted to the recipes and it is extremely thorough. This is a book written by someone who seems to have tried just about everything. She includes "green" products when listing cleaners, but it's the recipes that make up the meat of the book and that make it shine (pun intended). Nowadays there are only one or two key items that might take either mail/online ordering or requesting a store carry an item. Washing soda* happens to be one of those. Thankfully, my local Kroger carries it.

I've used all the basic recipes and a few of the not so basic ones. They work really well, especially the all-purpose cleaners. The money you'll save from just one of those all-purpose cleaners alone will make up for the money spent buying the book in a month or two. (If you have a smaller family than mine it might take longer ;) She even has a recipe for car wax and cleaning oil stains from pavement (haven't tried that one yet but it intrigues me).

In fact, the only section that has disappointed me so far is the laundry section. She mostly gives recommendations for various commercial laundry soaps instead of explaining how to make your own.

The book is old, so the mail order information at the end might be worthless by now. From what I saw many of those companies are still around though perhaps not with the same contact info.

Summary: If you want to truly save money on cleaning supplies, this is the book for the job. Even the initial cost is not as much as one would think and your life will change for the better. I have no chemical sensitivities and yet I've found that by limiting the amount of chemicals in my life I can clearly tell now when they're being used.

*Washing soda is not baking soda. The name sounds similar but the action is very different. Washing soda is a great grease cutter and is slightly caustic (I recommend gloves... trust me). It is also one half of the amazing stain lifter Oxi-Clean, the other being a powdered form of hydrogen peroxide. If my info is correct, that is.