The Organically Clean Home: 150 Everyday Organic Cleaning Products You Can Make Yourself--The Natural, Chemical-Free Way

by Becky Rapinchuk

As seen in Real Simple , Shape Magazine , and on Oprah.com

Cleaning products that save money--and the planet!

Forget about chemical cleaners and pricey "green" products--all you need are a few simple kitchen staples to make your whole house sparkle! The Organically Clean Home features 150 easy-to-make recipes for cleaning products filled with all-natural ingredients you can trust (and actually pronounce!). From dishwasher detergent to antibacterial wipes, America's favorite cleaning blogger Becky Rapinchuk guides you through the steps needed to make these everyday necessities--without spending a fortune.

Complete with simple instructions for packaging and storing your homemade cleaners, you'll enjoy turning each room into a beautiful and toxic-free space with fresh-scented products
With The Organically Clean Home , you'll save hundreds of dollars every month--and have a clean, healthy home that you and your family can feel good about.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, Health, Lifestyle, Green, Self Help

265 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 18, 2014

About the author

Becky Rapinchuk is a cleaning expert, a wife and mom to three, a successful entrepreneur, and a former art teacher. She’s the blogger behind Clean Mama, the leading online homekeeping community, and advises the world’s leading lifestyle brands—Martha Stewart, Real Simple, Better Homes & Gardens, SC Johnson, Bissell, and Scotch-Brite—on how to clean up life’s little and big messes. She’s also the go-to girl for the over twenty million readers who follow her online and buy her books, paper goods, and signature cleaning products.

Reviews

[Asho · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a beautiful and practical guide to cleaning easily, healthily and cheaply. The sheer number of recipes and tips means the book is adaptable to your lifestyle. I have integrated it with my use of Norwex products easily and will soon be entirely chemical-free (hello easy to make, natural dishwasher tablets. Who knew it was possible!). I did this mainly for my son and I who have chemical-sensitivities, but it has also helped our hip-pocket and the environment. If it weren't for this book, I would have still been floundering in the alternative online world where science and reasoning aren't always applied. This book enabled me to be confident that this way of cleaning IS effective. As I have always wondered, the advent of "cleaning products" is a relative new thing, but our grandparents always had clean homes. This is how they used to clean. It's nothing new, simply forgotten thanks to the commercialisation of cleaning. Now we can use their knowledge backed by science and aided by the time-saving devices of the modern era. I'm almost excited about cleaning... almost...

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

From a purely cursory read (and having followed the author on Instagram and purchased some of her other products), it looks great. I've wanted to head this direction for awhile - mostly because I'm cheap and it sounds fun. I've already purchased many of the ingredients and they're not very expensive (unless you get carried away with finding cute containers, as I'm wont to do).

My only caveat is the whole "chemicals are evil and scary" discussion for trying to motivate people to switch (which she does not belabor, to her credit). Our world is made up of chemical compounds, both naturally occurring and in the lab - they both can have safe and unsafe properties. I'm alive today only through modern medicine (& God's choosing), so I believe there's discernment to be used when it comes to the argument only for "natural" everything. God gave us brains, science and the ability to discover...but I digress.

Bottom line... It's a good resource. I already have plans to give it as a gift to friends who are interested in this sort of thing.

[Jessica Bess · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was the perfect guide to start me on the path toward using natural, homemade cleaning products in my home. It's practical, well-organized, and filled with tons of easy-to-make recipes that require few ingredients. I consult it often, and I would highly recommend it. I rated it 4 out of 5 stars because a few of the recipes I tried did not work as well as I had hoped. However, there are several recipes that are now staples in our home, and it has revolutionized our cleaning routines.

[Mason Sherrill · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent start to my journey to learn to better clean my home, especially using the stuff I have in my cabinets already!

Not every recipe is gold, nonetheless I recommend buying this and using as a resource for recipes to make your own cleaning products as you run out of the ones you already have. I also appreciated some tips she gave for methodology of cleaning and the schedules. Helpful advice!

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I remembered where I was recommended this book! This is a fantastic resource for cleaning your home with all-natural ingredients- and you'll likely end up saving some money to boot.

Over the past year, my wife and I have made the switch to products like Mrs. Meyers, Seventh Generation, and quite a few other brands from the natural aisle. As we all know, they can be pricey. We decided to make the investment in our health since it is something we feel is important, and for a while we felt a little better about what we're introducing into our home.

Still, I was unhappy with the Environmental Working Group rating for some of these products. They were rated only a D when the national leading brand was an F, or maybe they still had many ingredients I was unable to pronounce or even understand. This didn't feel quite worth the high price tag I was paying, and it led me to wonder just how much we're paying for the brand logos and to participate in the trendiness of organic cleaning.

Some days there were products I simply couldn't find- like a carpet freshener that I could feel good enough about for my cats to get on their paws and later possibly lick off.

This book solved all of those problems, and it went further to solve problems I didn't even think could be solved. Make your own laundry detergent? Yes. Dishwasher tablets? Yes! Your own stain sticks, dryer sheets, bleach alternative, car wash liquid and upholstery wipes? Yes, yes, yes- and more.

I can't wait to use more of the recipes in this book. If it becomes something we use all the time, I'll be buying the print copy. I was lucky enough to get this on Kindle Unlimited!

[Reagan Faith Waggoner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Car washing - castille soap and warm water
Grill cleaner - white vinegar, 1/4-1/2 cup of baking soda, 1 cup warm water
Heavy duty floor cleaner - 1 cup white vinegar + 1/4 cup of borax
Window cleaner - 4 tablespoons rubbing alcohol, 4 tablespoons of castile soap
Carpet stain remover - 4 cups warm water, 1/2 teaspoon clear castile soap
Carpet freshener spray - 2 cups baking soda, 10 drops lemon essential oil, 10 drops orange essential oil
Electronics wipes - 1/4 cup of rubbing alcohol, 1/2 cup distilled water, cleaning cloths
Leather cleaner - 1 teaspoon castile soap, 1 cup water
Stainless steel - almond oil
Cabinets- castille soap and essential oils
Laundry whitener - hydrogen peroxide
Dishwasher detergent - 1 cup castile soap, 1/4 cup of water, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 5 drops lemon essential oil

[Kathleen Bianchi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book for making all your own non-toxic products. There are recipes everything from lavender and lemon disinfecting cleaning wipes to laundry detergent. All together 150 Organic Cleaning Products that you can make yourself. Sticker and goo remover recipe is one I am planning on trying very soon. (The goo-gone product smells so bad you have to use it outside and leave the item you worked on out there for a while after it is done.) The next time I go to a Wedding Shower I plan on buying this book, some essential oils, spray bottles, micro fiber cloths and put it all in a nice cleaning carry-all. Besides being good for your health and the environment (not continually buying all those plastic bottles and poisons) you save a ton of money!!

[Jacque · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fantastic resource! I just read it cover to cover in an afternoon & highlighted the corners of the pages of recipes I'll find really useful. Sure I have seen recipes like this on pinterest, but it's a whole lot handier to have it compiled in this one beautiful book with thick sturdy pages, sectioned off for every room and need. The introductory chapters have a lot of good tips & I am definitely going to utilize the various cleaning schedule charts in the back of the book. I highly highly recommend this to anyone looking to get away from the more toxic commercial cleaners OR to save a lot of money, because these recipes are super cheap! I'm SO glad I got this book!!

[Rosemarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I jotted down some of the recipes and noticed a lot of them were very similar except for the essential oils. The cleaning routine was helpful but I don’t find them viable- at least in my household. My big takeaway from the book - which has made a big difference - is to clean the kitchen and living areas before going to bed. Waking up to a clean kitchen (and kitchen sink) has been a game changer around here.

[Koren · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of this is 'cleaning 101'. For instance, if you pick up everything before you go to bed you wont have to do it the next day. So if you are new to housework you might appreciate this. I did get a few recipes for homemade cleaners, but most (if not all) you could get by doing a search on Pinterest.

[Maureenie Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! It has all my cleaning recipes that I wanted! Now I make all my own cleaning products. This is going to save me a ton of money by making my own cleaning products. Plus I got all the chemicals out of my home, something that I have been wanting to do! If you want to learn how to make your own cleaning products, I highly recommend this book!

[Tammi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I give 5 stars to books I will definitely read again. The nature of this book insures repeat readings due to referring to all the recipes. I'm looking forward to getting the chemicals out of my home and this book's recipes will be a great start.

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great reference book

I've been referring to the author's website for years, so it's nice to have all the cleaning recipes in one book. It's straight and to the point. I recommend it to anyone who hates the smell of regular cleaners and would like to save money.

[Cathy Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very useful to have all the natural recipes in one place.

Great advice and recipes to help with clean, toxin-free living. Shame I couldn't find a paperback version to keep handy for reference.

[Shanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the title says, there’s LOTS of DIY cleaning recipes.

Most of the recipes call for the same ingredients, making it even more economical to go the homemade route! The fact that they’re natural is just an awesome bonus!!

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple and easy to apply tips for managing a home, and what to prioritise when time is short.
Recipes for everything you could possibly think of cleaning. Looking forward to making my own dishwasher tablets, amongst other things.

[Francine Apollo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have used the recipes in this book for about 6 years. I tuck my own recipes inside its front cover. This is an easy introduction to a way to clean with fewer chemicals. I have long cleaned with vinegar/water but this book helped me expand my knowledge.

Highly Recommended.

[Susan Quinn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Every single one of the concoctions I've tried from this book has been a dud. Things didn't get clean, or they left sticky residues.
What a waste of $$ for me in buying the ingredients needed.
I do not recommend.

[C Romerova]

Her electronics cleaner recipe contains a high ratio of rubbing alcohol and she advises you to use it on TV screens, etc… Just a warning that unless it’s EXTREMELY diluted, rubbing alcohol will slowly break down or discolor plastic.

[Jenny Pena · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was simple and to the point. I think it's great for those starting to get into using natural recipes to clean the house and know the basic ingredients and tools to have in hand.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of practical tips and suggestions. It's recipes are simple and easy to make. I borrowed this from the library and plan on purchasing it because of all the valuable information.

[Mary Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent tips and recipes

Whatever you need to clean, you will find a natural and economical solution here. I've started to use them, and I'm very pleased.

[Sharon Sambuca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this little book to be most interesting, with helpful hints and homemade cleaning recipes to live a clean live for myself and also for the environment.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Every natural cleaning recipe that you would ever want and maybe a few that you don't!

[Richelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t try any cleaning solutions yet, but they look good enough.

[Anna Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Ankita T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it... But would love to add Indian ingredients to the list like using soapnuts and bioenzymes... Far better and sustainable for cleaning purposes...

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great recipes with easy to find ingredients.

[Melissa Lawyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great resource for cleaning the house.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

great idea for cleaning the whole house