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

by Karyn Siegel-Maier (Author)
Key Phrases: tablespoons liquid castile soap, sweet orange essential oil, cup linseed oil, Clearing the Air, Murphy's Oil Soap (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Readers will learn how to use the antiseptic and antiviral properties of herbs and essential oils in safer, more economical alternatives to commercial cleaning products. Recipes include laundry and dishwashing detergent; bathroom cleaners; wood, glass, and metal cleaners; air and carpet fresheners; car and pet care products; and insect repellents.

From the Back Cover
Save money...Save your health...Save the planet...With natural cleaning power!

Did you know that the air in your home might have chemical contamination levels 70 times greater than outdoor air? And the culprits are lurking right under your kitchen sink. It's time to clean up your act!

Learn how easy it is to make your own safe, nontoxic, effective alternatives to commercial cleaning products by combining the antibacterial and antiseptic properties of herbs and essential oils with other natural ingredients such as baking soda, vinegar, borax, and lemon juice. The Naturally Clean Home includes tips and formulas for freshening every room in the house:
--Wash the dishes with eucalyptus
--Restore the rug with rosemary
--Soften fabrics with lemon
--Clean the oven with orange
--Scrub the sink with lavender
--Polish wood with raspberry leaves
--Flush the toilet clean with tea tree oil
--Wax the car with beeswax

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 169 pages
• Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC; illustrated edition edition (December 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158017194X
• ISBN-13: 978-1580171946
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 4.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #145,185 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #39 in

  Books > Home & Garden > How-to & Home Improvements > Green Housecleaning

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

92 of 93 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love it, I love it, I love it!, May 3, 2002

By	DNP "marmalade-cat" (Framingham, MA United States) - See all my reviews

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.

95 of 100 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Okay, but not that helpful, May 1, 2003

By	"jennycrestedbutte" (Crested Butte) - See all my reviews

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.

56 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kudos To The Naturally Clean Home!, September 24, 2006

By	Mediterranean Maven "Ada" (Miami, Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

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.