Clean, Naturally: Recipes for Body, Home, and Spirit (Paperback)

by Sandy Maine (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
With the rise of interest in aromatherapy and natural fragrances, homemade soap has increased in popularity. Herbs and essential oils play a large part in the finished products in both of these books, whose authors have written other books on soapmaking. Browning's melt-and-pour projects use commercially available soap bases that can be melted in a microwave or double boiler and scented and molded to suit the maker's taste. Her recipes include bath salts and oils as well as soaps. Maine has a natural soap business and makes everything from scratch. She offers instructions and formulas for all types of soap, including bath soap, shampoo, pet soaps, and even poison ivy remedies. Both books are recommended for public libraries.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
Like a breath of fresh air, this guide to home and personal care embraces the cleaning ritual as a necessary part of daily life and offers tips on how to make it remarkably stress-free and even enjoyable. By creating homemade cleaning products, soaps, and shampoos, harsh chemical cleaners, artificial scents, and allergy-inducing additives are simply replaced with pure, gentle, and wholesome products. In a world where environmental sensitivities are on the rise and time to complete basic tasks seems to slip away, the efficient recipes and methods in this book come as a welcome surprise. By eliminating unnecessary cleaning products from the home, under-the-counter clutter is greatly reduced, allergies and sensitivities are easily addressed, and favorite scents and textures become a part of the calming and fulfilling ritual of keeping things clean.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Interweave Press (September 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1883010985
• ISBN-13: 978-1883010980
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #425,606 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #55 in	Books > Home & Garden > Crafts & Hobbies > Soap Making
  #61 in	Books > Home & Garden > How-to & Home Improvements > Green Housecleaning

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eco-friendly & easy-to-read recipes for natural home living, November 8, 2001

By	S. Smith (Potsdam, New York United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The author is well known up here and this new book of hers is a great for any one who wants to run a more eco-friendly and economical household. It gives recipes for safe house cleaning solutions, laundry cleaners (this is an excellent section), and personal soaps for adults. There are even recipes for homemade diaper rash cream for babies (which I used on my fourteen-month old) and an all-natural flea shampoo for pets (which I used on our standard poodle). It is also a great read--lots of good advice and ideas for cutting down on harmful products we routinely use on our selves and in our home. I plan to give this as part of a shower present to a cousin of mine who is getting married.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To each their own..., May 30, 2005

By	Annie Quaker "reader" - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Ah, I see much criticism of this lovely book -- folks want something new and exciting. This book clearly isn't an information about soapmaking book -- it is actually a bit more and a bit less than that.

This book presents itself like a gift book -- remiscent of a table top gift book. Tucked into the pages are Maine's basic beliefs on the goodness of home recipes for soaps, shampoos. There are little bits on skin care and hair care. She provides her favorite recipes, using many of the same ingredients.

Although she refers to the training received in the first chapters, it is less training than a lovely presentation -- for a how to of soap making, I'd use a more informational book or information from a class (for soaps made with lye, thank you very much, pretty pictures are not enough!)

In addition to the interesting recipes (for Russian Dishwashing Disk, for example) there is a chapter on Toilet Bowl Cleaners, a Leather Care recipe, a chapter on Making Your own laundry supplies, another on Natural Pet Care and a section on her invention of the "soap tassels" line -- with a couple of recipes.

The idea, I think, is to take her basic vegetable based recipes (CRISCO OIL!!!) and be motivated to make up some of your own, using the logic behind the percentages she uses and the combination of fragrances, seeds, herbs and such.

An addition to the library -- still haven't found my basic must have can't do without soapmaking book!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Average at Best, April 28, 2004

By	Babushka (Colorado USA) - See all my reviews

I had the same problem many had with this book. The soap recipes are just one recipe with simple changes in EOs and Fillers. Ho..Hummm. What filled 52 pages should have taken maybe 6.

The balance of the book contains recipes for Bodycare and Natural Homekeeping. While the Bodycare recipes looked inviting, most of the Homekeeping recipes were not acceptable to me. I say that only because of the use of one ingredient...sodium lauryl sulfocacetate. After doing some research on this surfectant, I found that while it's deemed to be milder than either SLS or SLES (which I don't use in my home), it is still considered an irritant ("Synthetic detergent made from sulphur trioxide and fatty alcohols derived from coconut oils.") If this ingredient seems okay for you to use, the rest of the ingredients do appear to be completely natural. And although I don't think I'd have a use for "Beeswax Saddle Soap", I would for the "Herbal Sleep Pillow".

I truly wish there was a completely naturaly substitute for the SLSulfoacetate...then this book would be more useful to me. As it is, it unfortunately goes in my library donation pile.