Herbal Homekeeping (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Easy-to-make recipes for everything from detergent and dish soaps to bathroom cleaners and pet shampoos help readers avoid using unnecessary chemicals.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Interweave Press; illustrated edition edition (August 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1883010551
• ISBN-13: 978-1883010553
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #391,277 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Neither Herbal, Nor Safe & Natural, July 7, 2000

By	Sasha (Southern California) - See all my reviews

We do not use any chemicals around the house or yard and certainly not on our animals, and I've been making my own all-natural household cleaning products for many years. I picked up this little book hoping to get more useful ideas for natural cleaning products but was very disappointed to find that almost all of the recipes use SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) -- not my idea of safe and natural. Also, calling the book "Herbal Homekeeping" is really a misnomer since only a couple of the recipes call for herbal infusions; the rest use essential oils and while there's nothing wrong with that, it will surely be disappointing to those who purchased the book hoping to find housecleaning recipes using herbs.

Apart from the author's reliance on the chemical SLS, my biggest problem with the book is the section on recipes for cats, dogs, and horses. While properly diluted essential oils -- with some important exceptions -- are fine to use on dogs, essential oils should *not* be used to treat cats, since cats do not effectively metabolize essential oils (use herbs or hydrosols instead). However, the recipes presented here aren't safe for use on dogs either. The first problem is the dilution. Depending on the essential oils used, a 2% to 7% dilution works well for most dogs, but Sandy Maine's Flea Free Oil calls for a 60%-70% dilution! As if that wasn't bad enough, one of the EOs in the recipe is white cedar, a.k.a. thuja. White cedar (not to be confused with atlas cedarwood) is not used in aromatherapy and for good reason: it's high thujone levels act as a dangerous neurotoxin. Tiny amounts of thuja have traditionally been used externally to burn off warts -- this is definitely not an essential oil you want to rub on your animal's coat and skin!

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Clarify definitions and untruths..., September 3, 2000

By	Seeking alternatives in Wyoming (USA) - See all my reviews

Granted sodium lauryl sulfate, in concentration, can cause skin irritation. But, the recipes dilute SLS with other ingrediants or expect the user to be diluting it with water (e.i., in the laundry or when doing dishes). The current 'rage' that SLS causes cancer is also unfounded. The true facts are out there for anyone that does their 'homework' and finds out the facts for themselves. Seeing the use of SLS in the book and reading other reviews of the book, prompted us to doing our own checking, resulting in a true understanding of SLS. Nonetheless, no cleaner (chemical or 'green') should be left were children or pets could come in contact with it. While cow or goat milk soap is gentle and cleansing to the skin, it can still sting the eyes just like commercial soaps and one wouldn't recommend anyone ingest. These recipes are in fact for 'cleaners' and should be stored as such.

Essential oils come from herbs. Whether the herbs are enfleuraged, steam distilled, expressed, ect., to make the essential oil, they still come from herbs. One just has to consult the dictionary for this. Thus, to call these 'herbal' recipes is not misleading. The benefit is that these essential oils leave the house, clothes, ect. with a harmless aroma that is soft, natural, and pleasant. And, they are a pleasing alternative to chemical smells while cleaning. We have many people interested in our cleaning supplies because of the aroma and the fact that they are effective.

The recipes in this book offer a wonderful alternative to products that are truly all 'chemical' in make up. It also provides the industrious 'beginner' with a place to start and adapt recipes to suit themselves. This is how we used the book and as one 'tool' in learning to make our own cleaners, it has been extremely helpful. An example of adapting to suit ones self is that if a person does not want to use SLS the castile soap can be used, whether in solid or liquid form, in its place. But, if one isn't even sure where to begin for making their own cleaning supplies, one has to start someplace and this book provides it.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Way Overpriced, January 28, 2001

By A Customer

This is a tiny book, with only a couple of good ideas for fragrance combinations and an idea for a dish soap cake in what looks like something you'd make a baked apple in that I liked. Not worth the price of the book.

I also was not happy to see that many of the recipes featured sodium laurel sulfate, which is a common allergen (it is in most shampoos, for instance). It is in fact in so many things that people often don't know that it is the culprit when their skin itches.

There are better books out there: Clean House, Clean Planet; and Better Basics for the Home, if you are interested in nontoxic cleaning, and neither of them call for Sodium Laurel Sulfate for any of their recipes.