Customer Reviews

The Naturally Clean Home: 100 Safe and Easy Herbal Formulas for Non-Toxic Cleansers

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I borrowed this book from my local library and followed up by purchasing a copy of my own. My main concerns were to have a safer environment for my two young children and to housekeep in a way that's as kind to the environment as possible. But it doesn't hurt that the recipes are both effective and smell wonderful! I love the "lavender soft scrubber", the "country spice scrubber" and the "cedarwood duster aid". The "fleas-be-gone carpet treatment" didn't hurt either, since I have two cats. I highly recommend this book.

For people who are also interested in making their own face and body care products, Better Basics for the Home by Annie Berthold-Bond and Rosemary Gladstar's Herbs for Natural Beauty are also wonderful.

One hint: Several of the recipes use baking soda, which can leave a residue. I've found that it rinses off very cleanly if you use a combination of water and white vinegar to rinse after cleaning.

I just purchased "The Naturally Clean Home" and like many of the other reviewers, immediately was curious to begin making my own homemade recipes. I must say that I am impressed with the results: The Lavender Soft Scrubber was easy to make and even easier to use in the bathroom, leaving my toilet, bidet, tub and sinks spotless with little effort in scrubbing and rinsing. I also made the Liquid Laundry Detergent and was pleasantly surprised by how clean and soft it left towels, sheets and even my husband's smelly and dirty golf clothes. I noted that another reviewer said that this liquid laundry detergent recipe didn't work for her but my experience was different: I substituted borax for the baking soda in the recipe and found that this worked just fine. The resulting liquid laundry detergent has to be shaken before use and doesn't suds up like other brands of detergent. But do not be fooled by the lack of suds: it works just fine and leaves no residue on clothes that can cause skin reactions and depending upon the essential oil you choose (I used a combination of cedarwood and patchouli), the fragrance left on clothes is subtle and not overwhelming; just a fresh clean scent and softness. You may find that you don't even need a fabric softener with that particular recipe although I am curious to try her fabric softener recipe next.

With just a couple of essential oils, and few other ingredients, you can have what you need to clean just about the entire home without breaking the bank. It's important to note that essential oils have different uses and functions and while it looks like the recipes are repetitious, they're not when you look closely at what essential oils are used and why.


Although since both "Clean House, Clean Planet" and "The Naturally Clean Home" were written, there are more green choices available commercially, they can be admittedly pricey. These homemade recipes are a wonderful, cost-effective alternative to what's out there and certainly result in products that you can make easily with what's on hand without having to run out and buy expensive commercial products whenever you run out of a product.

I recommend this book highly, along with "Clean House, Clean Planet", as a wonderful addition to anyone's "Green Clean" library of references.

The recipes are pretty straightforward although "Clean House, Clean Planet" has better instructions as far as how to properly mix ingredients to get the right results and what containers will work best.

This book seems complete and thorough, but in fact it is really just rehash of a few recipes over and over again. The recipes, for the most part, are the same with different essential oils added, so that the book seems to hold more homemade cleaners than it really does.

Nevertheless, those recipes that they do list are pretty effective, especially their antimold spray. The liquid laundry soap does not work. (And I tried the recipe twice,just in case I messed up the first time.) Also, the book's dimensions make it difficult to leave open while attempting to prepare the cleaners.

There are plenty of books out there on this subject, and this is not one of the better ones. It's okay.

I happened onto this book and thought I'd give it a try. Little did I know it would completely change my perspective on cleaning all together! Gone are the toxic chemicals from under my sink, even the ones I didn't know where harmful like regular dishwashing liquid. Three reasons to buy this book: 1)to protect you and your family's health 2)to protect our environment 3)to save money. It's so much cheaper to throw together these recipes. Do it for yourself and if you have kids, for pete's sake DO IT FOR THEM! I highly recommend this book. I agree with someone else's complaint that it should be spiral bound. I took mine to Kinko's and they sliced the binding and put a spiral hinge on it so it now lies flat. GO FOR IT!

Lets start with the bad...

It SHOULD come in a flip book, makes referance eaiser.
You dont really need so many different cleaners. I hold more to the line of thinking that a couple/few good cleaners can tackle most any application.

The between

It will rehash combos of the same ingrediants however as one review stated, with different essential oils. What I felt it was important to mention about this is that each essential oil can have a very different function. I personally have spent much time researching various oils to determine alternate uses for them. The changing of one oil to another is IMPORTANT, its not always just about the scent of the cleaner. Let me give you a very basic example, you may prefer the SMELL of say orange oil to tea tree oil however it isnt going to tackle mold nearly as well. If you are rather familiar with essential oils then perhaps you may wish to only skim through this book at the library. (and chances are you will already be fimiliar with the basic cleaning ingrediants) However, if you are not fimiliar with oils (or do not care to research it for yourself) then its very much worth the purchase.

the good

I have found a handfull of the recipes to be very good, some even better than the toxic counterparts. The soft scrub is heaven (I dont remember if she actually calls it that but that is what it makes in the end, a soft scrub) It works well and smells so yummy you will want to eat it!

This was my intro book once upon a time. It has also inspired me to create some unique cleaners of my own by tweeking her instruction to my liking. For example, I know the basic ingrediants that will get the job clean but every time I mix a new batch of something I keep the basics but add in something new. In doing so I have discovered, in my opinion, the most wonderful smelling and effective all purpose spray cleaner I have ever encountered. The use of some ingrediants over and over actually is a help to understand what each items function is, allowing you to create away. Going back to that spray cleaner...she has no recipe like it. I have taken ingrediants used repeatedly in different recipes to form the cleaning base of my spray liquid then I add my own blend of essential oils. Make your own masterpiece!

I thing this book is an excellent jumping point for someone who is new to the game.

One of the problems I have with other books like this is that they only talk about vinegar and baking soda and lemon juice - or they suggest ingredients that are not natural at all! The great thing about this book is that it calls for using essential oils. GREAT cleaning power! And ALL of the ingredients suggested are totally natural. Nice presentation too, very informative. Thumbs up!

I just love this book. I started reading it and was amazed at the info and formulas I could make. I was reading about stains in carpets and and decided to trying the baking soda. After a few hours (she says 1 hour), I swept away the baking soda and the stains were gone. One stain was from a leaking BBQ starter can and the other looked dry and no one knows where it came from, but both stains disappeared. This book is full of great recipes that are effective and tested out. Worth your money, if you want a clean and non-toxic house.

You know, I was skeptical that basic natural ingredients and a little essential oil could beat the cleaning powers of many commercial products. After having tried about four of the recipes and using them regularly for a few weeks I am sold on this method of cleaning. It's not only easier and in the long run A LOT cheaper, but my house is actually cleaner with less effort than ever before. My husband says that the house doesn't smell "clean", it smells like a mountain. I also feel better about the fact that I am not releasing a mess of toxic vapors and poisonous fluids into the environment anymore. My daughter used to wake up every morning with severe nasal allergies but since I've been cleaning "Naturally" I have not recently seen her wake up rubbing her nose and sneezing for the first few hours every day. Another thing, sugar ants are very common in my area and usually infest most household kitchen surfaces after meal preparations, even after you wash those surfaces down. The antibacterial spray recipe I tried contains an oil stated to ward off ants... I guess so because those buggers haven't been back to my kitchen for weeks! So, I'm happy, and my whole family is happy too. We are all breathing a little easier and enjoying the benefits of a naturally cleaned home! I agree with one of the other reviewers that the mold deterrent recipe is just AWESOME! It works, NO scrubbing, and it smells fantastic! Most of the oils I was able to find at a local GNC, and the containers I use are cleaned, RECYCLED ones from all the old commercial stuff I used to use! It's a win-win!

I find that this is one of the best books out there for cleaning naturally. It is easy to use, has a reference on what essential oils have what properties, so it allows you to come up with different combinations in case you are sensitive to something suggested. It is wonderfully easy to use, with easy recipies. I find that the quantities do not go quite as far as they suggest, but I may be a bit heavy handed in applying also. Nice natural alternative for a safer household.

I really enjoyed this book far more than I like cleaning! The recipes are great and really work! The bonus is your choice of essential oil scents in the products. I would definitely recommend this book! I stil hate to clean but find myself spraying more often because I love the way it smells and my home thanks me for it ;-)