When Adam Lowry and Eric Ryan founded Method, the environmentally friendly brand of cleaning products, they used packaging stylish enough to showcase on the countertop and pleasant aromas such as green tea and cucumber to transform household products into must-have lifestyle accessories. And when they coined the phrase "People Against Dirty," they weren't just talking about the stuff you track in on your shoesthey also meant the toxic chemicals that make up many household detergents. Packed with helpful tips and surprising facts, their first book, Squeaky Green, is a totally informative and completely entertaining room-by-room guide to giving dirty the boot. Squeaky Green isrehab for chemically dependant homes.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Chemical engineer Adam Lowry and marketing guru Eric Ryan are the founders of Method, the innovative manufacturer of consumer goods sold in over 25,000 retail locations in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. They live in San Francisco with their families.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Spiral-bound|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book looks lightweight but it gave me a lot of info in stylish, tabbed sections with good photography and witty asides. Even if you are already an eco-consumer, chances are each section will have one or two new facts. For instance in the Bedroom section, I learned about PBDE-free mattresses and the hidden danger in wrinkle free sheets. In Laundry rooms I learned specifics about dry cleaning solvent and in Bathrooms I gleaned insights about some organic product loopholes and another name for pesticide in toothpaste. There are great tidbits in every chapter and while the authors take the subject seriously, the book has a fun presentation that leaves a reader feeling like it is easy to make some important changes.
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Spiral-bound|Amazon Verified Purchase
Oh no! Not another book by eco- nuts who think they have a monopoly on the word green! Nope. When I first purchased Method products, I did so for their clean, simple, tasteful design. I'm not suprised they turned out to be non-toxic and organic, however, because as with Apple computers, with Method, less is more. The majority of industry seems not to believe so, however, in either software or soap, resulting in more (that) is less.
I gave this five stars after first leafing through a lot of it in a store that doesn't follow the Method manner at all. Then I ordered it from Amazon. A huge plus is the flip- book, loose leaf, graphics-packed format, although that has a predictable downside. While the ideas in this book range all throughout the house, they necessarily focus in certain areas, those taken from the sources and studies named in the back (which allows readers to track them down). It would take a review as long as this book to mention everything in it, so I'll merely hit a few points.
The authors pinpoint problems in the home related to cleaning, and then give a few suggestions. The obvious one, which they resist saying outright, is switch to Method products. A strength of this book is that each chapter ends with a brief checklist, and one can make a change in five minutes. It's a bit more difficult to throw away a bottle than to simply litter, but not much harder to recycle it. A small difference over time, or made by a lot of people, equals a big change. This book arms the reader to make such decisions.
How? Often by just reading the label of a product. The authors list what they consider to be bad ingredients and why. Nearly always this depends on the studies listed in the back, so the lists are uneven. Surprisingly, some items you think have those ingredients may not, and others in which you'd not suspect them, do.
One ingredient they say is bad in dental products is triclosan. Guess what? It's not in Aim. Another chemical they're against in personal products is paraben, although they're not clear if polyparaben is worse than methylparaben or if they're all bad. That is in a lot of stuff. Can stuff be made without it? One thing it's not in is Gillette Foamy shave cream (which also contains no CFCs). I know; I looked.
Another thing they're very against is EDTA (that's spelled out somewhere in the book, so you can look for it in the ingredients list). Some cleaning products have "endocrine or hormone disruptors" which mimic estrogen, causing early puberty in girls, and reduced organs in males. What I don't find in this book, although I haven't read it all, is that early studies linked this to ingredients in clothes detergents. The extra brightners are actually ultraviolet dyes, and enzymes eat your clothes rather than clean them, which is why I switched to a brand called Planet that contains none of the above.
Another bad thing is PBDEs, in mattresses to make them flame-retardant. California is supposed to ban them this year, and Ikea stopped using them in its mattresses years ago. The authors have all sorts of suggestions here, including using a HEPA filter vacuum.
One way to check out your home is simply to breathe in. The shower curtain smells like plastic. The paint smells like paint. The cleaning products smell toxic. That's called off-gassing, say the authors, and you breathe that in. The heart and strength of the book is devoted to finding alternative solutions to these common problems, and here the authors excell.
This is the only book I've come across that is even slightly honest about CFLs (compact flourescent lamps). "Lots of people complain that CFL bulbs are too harsh, too white, and way too bright." Their solution is silicone covered CFL bulbs that "mimic the yellow light". Anyone concerned about the chemicals in their body ought to be slighly concerned about the quality of light. CFLs are always rated against incandescent bulbs, which are only 40 per cent efficient and haven't changed since Edison. What they're never rated against is halogen, which has the spectrum of natural light, and gives two to four times as much light and heat per watt. CFLs are literally propping up a bad idea from the Dark Ages: flourescent lamps (don't ever try to read by a CFL). Why? Philips has taken leaps and bounds with halogen in Europe, while the largest electronics company in America is behind the flourescent light lobby. How surprising eco-activists would side with them (and flourescent lamps are toxic), instead of giving a green light to a new method in energy conservation: halogen light.
I gave this five stars after first leafing through a lot of it in a store that doesn't follow the Method manner at all. Then I ordered it from Amazon. A huge plus is the flip- book, loose leaf, graphics-packed format, although that has a predictable downside. While the ideas in this book range all throughout the house, they necessarily focus in certain areas, those taken from the sources and studies named in the back (which allows readers to track them down). It would take a review as long as this book to mention everything in it, so I'll merely hit a few points.
The authors pinpoint problems in the home related to cleaning, and then give a few suggestions. The obvious one, which they resist saying outright, is switch to Method products. A strength of this book is that each chapter ends with a brief checklist, and one can make a change in five minutes. It's a bit more difficult to throw away a bottle than to simply litter, but not much harder to recycle it. A small difference over time, or made by a lot of people, equals a big change. This book arms the reader to make such decisions.
How? Often by just reading the label of a product. The authors list what they consider to be bad ingredients and why. Nearly always this depends on the studies listed in the back, so the lists are uneven. Surprisingly, some items you think have those ingredients may not, and others in which you'd not suspect them, do.
One ingredient they say is bad in dental products is triclosan. Guess what? It's not in Aim. Another chemical they're against in personal products is paraben, although they're not clear if polyparaben is worse than methylparaben or if they're all bad. That is in a lot of stuff. Can stuff be made without it? One thing it's not in is Gillette Foamy shave cream (which also contains no CFCs). I know; I looked.
Another thing they're very against is EDTA (that's spelled out somewhere in the book, so you can look for it in the ingredients list). Some cleaning products have "endocrine or hormone disruptors" which mimic estrogen, causing early puberty in girls, and reduced organs in males. What I don't find in this book, although I haven't read it all, is that early studies linked this to ingredients in clothes detergents. The extra brightners are actually ultraviolet dyes, and enzymes eat your clothes rather than clean them, which is why I switched to a brand called Planet that contains none of the above.
Another bad thing is PBDEs, in mattresses to make them flame-retardant. California is supposed to ban them this year, and Ikea stopped using them in its mattresses years ago. The authors have all sorts of suggestions here, including using a HEPA filter vacuum.
One way to check out your home is simply to breathe in. The shower curtain smells like plastic. The paint smells like paint. The cleaning products smell toxic. That's called off-gassing, say the authors, and you breathe that in. The heart and strength of the book is devoted to finding alternative solutions to these common problems, and here the authors excell.
This is the only book I've come across that is even slightly honest about CFLs (compact flourescent lamps). "Lots of people complain that CFL bulbs are too harsh, too white, and way too bright." Their solution is silicone covered CFL bulbs that "mimic the yellow light". Anyone concerned about the chemicals in their body ought to be slighly concerned about the quality of light. CFLs are always rated against incandescent bulbs, which are only 40 per cent efficient and haven't changed since Edison. What they're never rated against is halogen, which has the spectrum of natural light, and gives two to four times as much light and heat per watt. CFLs are literally propping up a bad idea from the Dark Ages: flourescent lamps (don't ever try to read by a CFL). Why? Philips has taken leaps and bounds with halogen in Europe, while the largest electronics company in America is behind the flourescent light lobby. How surprising eco-activists would side with them (and flourescent lamps are toxic), instead of giving a green light to a new method in energy conservation: halogen light.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Spiral-bound|Amazon Verified Purchase
There wasn't much in this book that I didn't know already. It also isn't helpful in an already established household as there is a lot of info on buying flooring, furniture and paint. The book is also quick to point out what cleaners are bad to use, but basically gives the advice of "don't use bad cleaners, use good cleaners instead". Not helpful.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Squeaky Green
In such an overwhelming selfish society, you'd think that a home "detox" book by a green cleaning products company would be, well, all about their products. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Victoria Klein
2.0 out of 5 stars
Wow. This is useless.
Mom gave me this book some time ago, and it's taken up space on my shelf. I have a degree in environmental sciences (admittedly heavy on chemistry and geology, as those interest... Read more
Published 8 months ago by IrishFire
4.0 out of 5 stars
Squeaky Green
This book simultaneously made me (1) want to compulsively clean and (2) afraid of cleaning! It could have been a huge advertisement for Method products, but I don't think the book... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Laura Pyle
4.0 out of 5 stars
Squeaky Green: The Method Guide to Detoxing Your Home
Great little book filled with wisdom and easy to apply steps! For all those who wish to live long and minimize the impact of chemicals in our home on our health. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Diane B. - Toronto, ON
4.0 out of 5 stars
Educational and helpful
I bought this book because I already love Method products, and I want to know the history behind such a reputable company. Read more
Published on June 4, 2010 by DEE
5.0 out of 5 stars
Eye Opener
Simple review: I love Method products because they use biodegradable, non-toxic products that not only smell good, but also WORKS and doesn't give me a rash or make my skin react... Read more
Published on March 12, 2009 by L. Tomoyasu
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great introduction to green living
This book is a well organized, easy to read introduction to green cleaning and living. It was not designed to be an encyclopedic guide to green living. Read more
Published on February 23, 2009 by M. L. Firm
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent
I LOVED this book, couldn't put it down. Very easy to read and understand and funny too. Lots of "green" tips for you, the family and the home. Read more
Published on September 10, 2008 by momofthree
5.0 out of 5 stars
Method Products have changed my life.....
I do have to agree that I am a little upset that the creators of Method use artificial colors but as far as the products on the market right now Method is the lesser of evils. Read more
Published on May 22, 2008 by Melissa Brinkerhoff
2.0 out of 5 stars
Authors not trustworthy
I purchased this book because it seemed to give general information in an easy to read format.
While I felt the authors used the term "pesticides" too loosely and... Read more
While I felt the authors used the term "pesticides" too loosely and... Read more
Published on May 16, 2008 by Orly
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