Product Description

Longing for a kinder, gentler world? As the old saying goes, everything begins at home, and odds are, if you live in the all-American household, the air inside is more toxic than the air outside, even if you live in the most polluted of cities. You regularly handle the filthiest object in your home -- the kitchen sponge -- and put the same chemicals on your face that are used in brake fluid and antifreeze.

The cleaning agents and personal care products commonly marketed to and used in American homes contain not only some very dangerous, toxic chemicals, but they also create an "overly clean," chemically bombed-out house that compromises immune systems. And with more than fifty million Americans suffering from allergies and other autoimmune diseases -- not to mention the developing and fragile immune systems of children and seniors -- large numbers of people are actually being made sicker and sicker by their homes.

Learn to live a clean, healthy, more economical way with Ellen Sandbeck, the nontoxic avenger. In this must-have book for the twenty-first- century home, this passionate, witty advocate of all things organic will teach you how to maintain every part of the home -- from living room to septic tank, kitchen floor to bathroom sink -- using safe, simple cleansers and quick preventative measures as well as the most effective organic products on the market to get the job done.

Learn time-saving, preventative housekeeping, such as taking thirty seconds to clean the shower while you shower. Take care of bathroom stains with baking soda and vinegar rather than commercial, toxic bathroom "bombs" peddled to you with such force by manufacturers. Need whiter whites? There is no bleaching power on earth stronger than the sun. Snow clean your fine rugs. Choose fruits and vegetables from the relatively pesticide residue-free list. Clean felt-tipped pen stains with vodka. Make furniture shine with olive oil and lemon. Your house will also smell as great as it looks.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #58402 in Books
• Published on: 2006-05-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 448 pages

Customer Reviews

Housekeeping killing you? Help has arrived...
The first washing machine inside the door of the laundromat I used to go to in Berkeley was named Cleanliness. The one right next to it was Godliness. I always tried to use those two to make sure my bets were covered both in this life and the next, but I never realized what an ungodly toxic proposition the pursuit of cleanliness is until I read Organic Housekeeping, by the practical organic ecologist, Ellen Sandbeck. The author's wry wit, thorough research, and empirical use of herself, her home, her family, her pets, and her own charming illustrations to demonstrate her eminently sane and healthful approach to housekeeping are solvents tough enough to cut through the greasy buildup of a million commercials for synthetic cleaning products that, as this book shows, not only fail to get things cleaner but slowly kill us while they're doing it. Most of the time, we learn, vinegar, baking soda, and a shot of vodka will do the trick. Full of tips on everything from reducing clutter to cleaning the air you breathe, Organic Housekeeping will dissolve your guilt over never getting things clean or organized enough and save you from having to clip coupons for all kinds of stuff you don't need.

An excellent resource for environmentally-minded people
Ellen Sandbeck's book, Organic Housekeeping, has joined The Joy of Cooking on my bookshelf as a reference standard. It is packed full of practical ideas, written concisely and with humor. When it comes to housecleaning, I need all three.

My canine friend left me a mess on my living room carpet, which by the time I discovered it had set itself rather stubbornly. I lined up all the carpet cleaning products from under the sink, grabbed my magnifying glass to read the fine print on all the cans, then tried to determine which would help and which would make the mess worse. My frustration mounted until I remembered recently receiving a copy of Sandbeck's book. I grabbed it and started with "Rug and Carpet Care" and found I had a hard time putting her book down.

I noticed immediately how well indexed Organic Housekeeping is. It was easy to find the answers to quite a number of my current household dilemmas. From my mother-in-law's flour moths to how to avoid bacteria-ridden kitchen sponges, I have found inexpensive, non-toxic, healthful ways to resolve common household problems. I pick it up for one thing and find I am enjoying the insights and her common sense approach to house cleaning so much I have read well beyond the answer to my original question.

I have no problem giving this book a five out of five star rating.

More than Cleaning!
This book has way more information than just about cleaning. Ms. Sandbeck tells you what will make your life easier then gives hints for accomplishing such as how to unclutter when you live with (or are) a pack rat. She tells of how to keep a home clean and neat without being a clean freak or having to be Martha Stewart. This book is filled with normal things that normal people can do inexpensively. There are great ideas for dealing with insects, water conservation, recycling, and more. I also thought that the writing style was easy to understand and amusing.