Customer Reviews

Green Up Your Cleanup

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I came across this book the other day and it is the most useful book I've bought in a very long time. For the past several months I've been researching homemade detergents on the internet, but it's hard to tell what really works, what's really "green," and what I should try. Many of the laundry detergent recipes include "Fels Naptha"--I found a bar at the grocery store and it had a strong artificial smell, but no list of ingredients. I never tried it. After purchasing this book, I tried several of the basic cleaning recipes and they work just as well, or even better, that commercial products I've been using. I tried the baking soda/castile soap recipe on my bathtub yesterday and managed to get out a stubborn stain that even a bleach product didn't remove. I've now completely switched to Jill's recipes for all of my cleaning supplies, and not only do I feel great about using green products, but I'm going to save a ton of money every year on laundry and dishwashing detergents. Anyone looking to green up their home or to save money should get this book.

I bought this book with high expectations and tried almost all the recipes. The floor cleaner left my floor sticky and needed additional mopping to remove the "natural" cleaner, the washing machine detergent recipe was so potent it removed dies from dark clothing (i.e. all my husband's office attire), and the automatic dish-washing recipe left a nasty brown film over all my dishes, especially the plastics. Also, the vinegar rinse, and ensuing stench, required to sanitize the bathroom was not a big hit with my family. However, as a previous reviewer noted, the baking soda scrub recipe is very useful and a great way to cut down on cleaning fumes and costs. My recommendation is not to purchase this book but perform an on-line search for better cleaning recipes.

I have a number of very good books on every aspect of green, however, this is the book I was going to write. Thanks to Jill, I don't have to bother. This book is excellent in every way. Well researched and written in a very easy to understand way. I love that she explains the dangers of chemicals and toxins and gives great alternatives to them. I talk to groups about going green and recommend books for people to buy. This book will be added to my list. I highly recommend this book, it has all the information you need to start changing your environment for the sake of yourself, your family and the planet.

Green Up Your Cleanup is a cleverly designed book with a standard spine that hides a spiral bound. It is a full color green cleaning manual.

For example, several pages are devoted to explaining how to clean windows with large illustrations. Green products are used, as is a squeegee (instead of wasteful paper towels.)

I like the suggested green cleaning potions--lots of vinegar and baking soda--both of which are cheap and very effective.

What stood out to me was the practical spiral format, as it allows the book to lie flat and be used as a manual.

The manual style is why this book is best suited for those who do not know how to clean. This is a perfect housewarming gift for young people who don't know how to clean and are moving into their first home.

The author of the award winning book, Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify and Energize Your Life, Your Home and Your Planet

This was the first green cleaning book that I purchased and it literally changed my life. I walked by it in the store the month it came out in 2008 and it caught my attention because it was spiral bound. I know that's a silly reason, but I like spiral bound guides and cookbooks because they stay open when I'm working.

The book changed my life because I can comfortably clean my house, in fact, I enjoy cleaning my house now. I suffer from migraines that are triggered by fragrances. I could not find products that would not trigger migraines. Even the green products by Clorox, etc. that have hit the market the last couple years were making me sick. I had been collecting green cleaning ideas in a binder which was a very unruly system, so I largely ignored it. The information in this book was so much easier to digest than what I had collected. I was simply looking for a way to avoid migraines, but this book gave me the background to understand what chemicals are doing to my body and that changed my perspective and gave me a sense of urgency to switch to green cleaning.

Jill Potvin Schoff speaks to her readers in a friendly and pleasant manner. Her advice is timely and well-researched. I feel that this book makes a phenomenal introduction to green cleaning and green lifestyle. I like how the author touches on a variety of cleaning subjects inside and outside of the home. I love her cleaning recipes and have never had any problem with leftover residue or residue build up. In fact, when using my favorite, the All-Surface Spray, I immediately noticed that surfaces felt cleaner than when I used conventional cleaners. By that I mean that when I ran my hand across my counter, it felt crisper. In comparison, conventional cleaners felt like there was a drag when I ran my hand across it.

I love this book for a green primer, but I gave it four stars because I can honestly recommend Renee' Loux's Easy Green Living: The Ultimate Guide to Simple, Eco-Friendly Choices for You and Your Home as a better book. Loux's work is far more comprehensive and has the best depth of any green book that I have come across. It is good for a beginning green cleaner, but it is excellent for the person who wants to go to a greener level, which makes it a great follow up to "Green Up Your Clean Up." Loux's book is the one that comprehensively summed up all of the random but in depth information I had collected (in the binder) and made it easy for me to understand.

...purchased this book last week for a bridal shower gift when I was actually looking for another similar book, but this one is so much better. It's written in conversational language, an easy quick read that gets to the point. There are many examples, illustrations and an extensive resource list. There is a series of usable, simple recipes that include back-to-the-basics, non-toxic ingredients (the same stuff our great grandmothers used before there was such a thing as Proctor & Gamble). It's sort of formatted like a cook-book with recipes organized according to what needs to be cleaned; for example - ovens, showers, laundry, roofs, siding, etc. I bought a copy for myself and after talking about why the author wrote the book (her infant son developed exzema that physicians could not resolve) with my mother, mother-in-law and sister-in-law, I learned there are many children with eczema, including my nieces & young cousins. The author discovered that detergents (including all household detergents, not just laundry detergent) were causing her son's skin problems. When she started making her own cleaners (vinegar, baking soda, borax, washing powder, lemon) the eczema disappeared. It's too soon to see what effect the change in cleaning materials will have on my nieces, but I'm willing to bet it will be a positive outcome. In addition to this, there are safer alternatives to solving really tough cleaning challenges where you would normally use bleach or caustic sprays - ie; mildew & soap scum in showers, mildew on shingle roofs and disinfecting countertops - these are my biggest problems. While it might require a little more effort to mix the solutions every month or so, rather than grab the toxic stuff off the shelf at the grocery store, it's worth the peace of mind knowing that I'm not adding to the poisons my family & pets are exposed to. Highly recommend this book and it's a great gift for brides-to-be and first time home owners.

This book has literally changed the way I live! I first spotted it at a bookstore and decided to give it a whirl after years of using Windex, Scrubbing Bubbles, and all of those other cleaners that burned my sinuses and hurt my skin. I thought, "How could I be hurting myself by checking out this book?"
Clearly, I was hurting myself by NOT owning this book. It has been a great investment!
The author's research into what chemicals have been used to boost commercial household cleaners and their effects on the human body is jaw-dropping! She does not print this as a scare tactic, but as a way to encourage the reader to shop smarter and think about what you could be doing to yourself, your family, and your pets. It's a change she had to make and it's a change you will have to make. But fear not, it's very easy and ridiculously cost effective.
The book is a wonderfully organized guide into understanding what parts of the house require what kind of cleaning and maintenance. It is not overwhelming but actually rather basic. It's perfect for anyone just starting to make your own healthy green cleaning products and you probably already own most of them in your kitchen. Everything you need to know is in this book. If you want to eventually experiment more with essential oils and herbs, there are other books that just further elaborate these methods. But like I said earlier, this book is a solid foundation and I resort back to it frequently when I'm looking for a new cleaning method or questioning the dangers of those mainstream products. She teaches the reader what to look for on labels and how to avoid sneaky advertising wording.
I have read other reviews complaining about the smell of vinegar. Quite honestly, white distilled vinegar is not THAT bad and it does dissipate in minutes. My opinion is that the chemical cleaners smell worse and they are worse for you. You'll get used to it if it bothers you. Plus, there's no law against altering or adding essential oils to scent these recipes. Mix them to your liking.
Because of the author's recommendations, I have also become a big fan of Dr. Bronner's fair-trade and organic liquid castille soaps. I use that soap on and in just about everything! Dr. Bronner's liquid castille soaps come in different scents so I enjoy switching them up when I'm feeling tired of the same scents. She also lists many American companies at the end of the book that make wonderful green products so you can order items such as glass cleaners, scrubs, furniture polish, or carwax. And it's not made in China!
I have since recommended and purchased additional copies of this book to give to family and friends as presents. They love it and it's catching on quickly! People who want to make healthy changes will find this book fascinating and helpful. You'll be amazed by the money you'll save and the effectiveness of the cleaning without using harsh detergents, chemicals, fragrances, and dyes. You're doing a favor to yourself and mother nature as well.

Schoff does a wonderful job of making the concept of greening up your clean up feel like a realistic and approachable venture. Many similar books along this vein tend to present themselves like a hodgepodge of tips and tricks scattered throughout and leave one overwhelmed with lingering questions. This book is well organized with specific recipes. The spiral binding allows you to lay it flat while mixing up your concoctions. However, in real world application I discovered that I needed more then this book to go completely green in my clean up. Also, Schoff does not address that some producers of green products (Arm and Hammer Baking Soda) also test on animals. I wound up at the library writing out recipes for other cleaners and resources for cruelty-free products. However, I am glad that this is the book I chose to own in my permanent home library.

This book will save a lot more than its cost when I re-stock cleaning items using the ingredients the author recommends. I'm glad I bought it as we are trying to live lives as earth-consciously as possible.

This is an excellent book. The author gives a small section on why we should go green, but recognizes that if you are even looking at a book like this you already are aware of most of the reasons. Recipes are given, essential oils are mentioned, but are not absolutely necessary, the author saying at one point "if you miss the smell of lemon in the commercial products". It enthused me to try some essential oils. I will definitely be trying some of these homemade recipes in my cleaning. The author also recognizes that sometimes you have to use commercial products but gives information so that you can make better choices.

Recommended book for anyone who wants to take steps to being more eco friendly in their cleaning.