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GREEN CLEAN: The Environmentally Sound Guide to Cleaning Your Home
There is a green revolution going on in America. The latest front is the home, as households across the country adopt new ways to keep their homes clean and healthy-and ways to do it that are good for the environment. Green Clean is the definitive, step-by-step guide to cleaning better while using nontoxic, eco-friendly products. Room by room and stain by stain, Green Clean breaks down environmentally conscious cleaning into simple principles and easily mastered techniques that let readers set their own goals and develop their own cleaning plan. Also included are recipes for safe, simple, and economic cleaning solutions and the lowdown on the best eco-friendly cleaning products on the market today. Green Clean is an indispensable reference for today's home.
For more green info: www.hunterink.com
For more green info: www.hunterink.com
176 pages, Paperback
First published May 20, 2005
6 people are currently reading
362 people want to read
About the author
Linda Mason Hunter
11 books6 followersLinda Mason Hunter is the author of 13 books about architecture, design, and home ecology. Her first book, The Healthy Home: An Attic-To-Basement Guide to Toxin-Free Living (published in 1989), was positively reviewed in The New York Times and established her reputation as a pioneer in the green movement. She was interviewed on ABC-TV's "Good Morning, America," CNN, MSNBC, Pacifica Radio, the CBC, and newspapers across the U.S. and in Canada. Linda can be heard daily hosting "The Green Zone" on KFMG 98.9 FM Des Moines, Iowa, streaming at kfmg.org. She blogs updated green info and home ecology tips at www.lindamasonhunter.com. Linda is currently working on a memoir about growing up with a stutter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
August 5, 2008
To be fair, I am a child of the first "eco revolution" in the 80's. There was a strong focus on the reduction of paper usage in order to prevent the destruction of virgin forests. So I've already heard a lot of the advice presented here.
I guess I was expecting to be dazzled by new ideas, or at least motivated to try something new. I wanted this book to get down to the nitty gritty a lot faster than it did - the statistics in the front of the book didn't really crystallize the need for greener cleaning. The book minimizes the downside of green cleaning that I have experienced myself, which is that you're going to need more elbow grease. There is also a strong reliance on baking soda, which can damage many surfaces with its scouring power.
That said, this is a good book for the person who knows nothing about the subject, so I will say "start here". I like the book's emphasis on not using bleach to clean everything in your home - a practice enjoyed by many clean freaks. The last thing, which I consider the most important, is that not cleaning as often is the greenest cleaning method of all.
I guess I was expecting to be dazzled by new ideas, or at least motivated to try something new. I wanted this book to get down to the nitty gritty a lot faster than it did - the statistics in the front of the book didn't really crystallize the need for greener cleaning. The book minimizes the downside of green cleaning that I have experienced myself, which is that you're going to need more elbow grease. There is also a strong reliance on baking soda, which can damage many surfaces with its scouring power.
That said, this is a good book for the person who knows nothing about the subject, so I will say "start here". I like the book's emphasis on not using bleach to clean everything in your home - a practice enjoyed by many clean freaks. The last thing, which I consider the most important, is that not cleaning as often is the greenest cleaning method of all.
June 13, 2015
Towards the beginning of this book, the author says:
"A simple rule of thumb for your cabinet clean-up: If something makes your eyes tear, your nose crinkle or your skin itch, get ride of it. Almost every cleaning product can be replaced with a nontoxic, environmentally friendly alternative..."
I think this is a wake-up call to most Americans like me, who practically coat the house in toilet bowl cleaners, oven cleaners and glass spray.
With that said - this is officially my favorite reference for green cleaning. It's simple to understand and full of helpful tips.
What I appreciate about this book:
- It isn't copy heavy. It's almost formatted like a magazine, which makes it much easier to read.
- The author speaks in everyday language.
- Instead of having information about the chemicals throughout the book, the author discusses the problems with chemicals in the first chapter. This is perfect for me, because I've already read about these in other books. And, for those who haven't, they get it all up front. This makes the entire book easier to digest.
- Much of the information is formatted in tables or checklists. I especially loved the checklists in every chapter, which gave specifics on what and how to clean every area of your house, and how often. This is a perfect book to begin a cleaning schedule.
- The back of the book is filled with recipes for make-it-yourself green cleaners. This is precisely what I was looking for, the specific measurements for different non-toxic home cleaners. This is the best book I have found for these recipes. She also discusses where to find the ingredients, in case they aren't available in the grocery store or supercenter.
Overall, this is a book that is meant to be a reference. When I ran out of carpet cleaner today, this book gave me a simple recipe for a nontoxic carpet cleaner. I will definitely get lots of use out of the recipes in the book. This alone makes it a must-read for anyone looking to de-toxify their cleaning.
"A simple rule of thumb for your cabinet clean-up: If something makes your eyes tear, your nose crinkle or your skin itch, get ride of it. Almost every cleaning product can be replaced with a nontoxic, environmentally friendly alternative..."
I think this is a wake-up call to most Americans like me, who practically coat the house in toilet bowl cleaners, oven cleaners and glass spray.
With that said - this is officially my favorite reference for green cleaning. It's simple to understand and full of helpful tips.
What I appreciate about this book:
- It isn't copy heavy. It's almost formatted like a magazine, which makes it much easier to read.
- The author speaks in everyday language.
- Instead of having information about the chemicals throughout the book, the author discusses the problems with chemicals in the first chapter. This is perfect for me, because I've already read about these in other books. And, for those who haven't, they get it all up front. This makes the entire book easier to digest.
- Much of the information is formatted in tables or checklists. I especially loved the checklists in every chapter, which gave specifics on what and how to clean every area of your house, and how often. This is a perfect book to begin a cleaning schedule.
- The back of the book is filled with recipes for make-it-yourself green cleaners. This is precisely what I was looking for, the specific measurements for different non-toxic home cleaners. This is the best book I have found for these recipes. She also discusses where to find the ingredients, in case they aren't available in the grocery store or supercenter.
Overall, this is a book that is meant to be a reference. When I ran out of carpet cleaner today, this book gave me a simple recipe for a nontoxic carpet cleaner. I will definitely get lots of use out of the recipes in the book. This alone makes it a must-read for anyone looking to de-toxify their cleaning.
February 25, 2008
Love this book. Great information. Love the easy references, easy to read format. The only book like this you will need. Recommend you buy it because you'll want to refer to it again, and again. This book is very durable, they claim you can drop it in a bucket of water without harming it, but I haven't gone out of my way to try it yet. Regardless of you are a true type A cleaning expert already or need help getting a whole new routine (as I did), this is the perfect book. I have to add that since I quit using chemicals to clean my house, my son's eczema has improved by at least 80%. I know it's not exactly total proof from my one case, but I'm now a true believer. I started as a way to save money on buying household cleaners. Now, if I just smell bleach (after the rinse cycle), I actually notice the burning in my nose that I was apparently used to before. I gave this book to my sisters for Christmas along with a jug of vinegar and box of baking soda (all you need to get started) and recommend that everyone give it a try for money, for the environment and most importantly your kids (and mine).
August 3, 2012
I have wanted to start using "greener" cleaning methods in my house for some time. Having cleaned a house for a "few years" there was a lot of information in this book like checklists and general cleaning guidelines that I just didn't need. But, with that said, this book has a great list of recipes for making your own cleaning products and that is exactly what I needed. Basic ingredients: borax, baking soda, vinegar, and washing soda (also from Arm&Hammer, found at a hardware store). I went through the cleaning products I had and was not happy to find some very nasty chemicals, which I plan to dispose of responsibly and not just pour them down the drain! This book will be kept as a handy reference as I continue to convert from traditional (last 20- 50 years), chemically-intensive cleaning to something a little friendlier to the planet and back to cleaning methods used in the past. I also look forward to saving money rather than buying costly commercial cleaning products.
August 16, 2009
Another great book about green cleaning. I really liked this one b/c it had 'recipes' in it for making your own green cleaning products (that are really simple). :)
April 21, 2025
I give this a 2.5, right in the middle. I'm reading it in 2025, two decades after it was published.
The font is large and easy to read, and I like that the book is water resistant so that means you can keep it as a reference and not worry about damaging it. The pages are kind of hard to turn but it's doable.
I like the section on DIY cleaner solutions, but the rest of the book is mainly how to clean. I already know that, but it could be helpful for others.
The font is large and easy to read, and I like that the book is water resistant so that means you can keep it as a reference and not worry about damaging it. The pages are kind of hard to turn but it's doable.
I like the section on DIY cleaner solutions, but the rest of the book is mainly how to clean. I already know that, but it could be helpful for others.
June 12, 2023
I enjoyed a fresh review of this information. There is not much new about being Green, because the basics have always been the same - vinegar, baking soda, borax, etc. This is what our mothers and grandmothers used. This book has been a good reminder of why we do what we do also. I enjoyed the presentation.
October 23, 2014
(Actual rating 2.5 stars)
What you get with this book is a decent guide to using green products to clean your home and improve your health. I particularly enjoyed the homemade recipes for nontoxic versions of all types of home cleaning products. I also liked the the cleaning checklists that tell you what to clean on a daily, weekly, monthly and so on basis so that your house stays clean. It also gave projected prices and brand names of enviromentally friendly products. At this point, the prices are a bit out of date, but I'm sure most of the names and where to buy are still the same. The idea of printing the book on waterproof stain resistant material was also good.
The major weaknesses of the text, I think are the writing tone and the organization of the information. The text was quite informative, but I felt like I was reading a text book. The author didn't really seem to have a voice. I like informative writing but it is easier to digest if the author injects a little personality now and again. As far as the organization, the information was organized by room. There was a section for the kitchen, bathroom and so on. The reason I didn't like this, is because it would require a lot of flipping back and forth, for example, if you were trying to clean your house and you wanted the checklist of daily cleaning, you'd have to go to each individual chapter to find what tasks you should be doing in each room during the day. The recipes were referred to often in the book but they were not given until the very end of the book, so that woud require more flipping to find the specific recipe to clean the specific thing in the specific room you were aiming for. My final problem with this text is while it does a good job of telling you how to be green, it doesn't really tell you why. It mentions that its good for the environment, and people often get sick from toxic chemicals, but how are they getting sick? What causes it? And how are these chemicals bad for the environment? What do they do exactly? If I was trying to convince someone to adopt a greener lifestyle, these are things they would want to know.
Overall, the book is a useful reference and worth looking into, although it will require a lot of flipping back and forth. Reading it straight through would probably bore most people but the homemade cleaner recipes alone make it a good reference to have.
What you get with this book is a decent guide to using green products to clean your home and improve your health. I particularly enjoyed the homemade recipes for nontoxic versions of all types of home cleaning products. I also liked the the cleaning checklists that tell you what to clean on a daily, weekly, monthly and so on basis so that your house stays clean. It also gave projected prices and brand names of enviromentally friendly products. At this point, the prices are a bit out of date, but I'm sure most of the names and where to buy are still the same. The idea of printing the book on waterproof stain resistant material was also good.
The major weaknesses of the text, I think are the writing tone and the organization of the information. The text was quite informative, but I felt like I was reading a text book. The author didn't really seem to have a voice. I like informative writing but it is easier to digest if the author injects a little personality now and again. As far as the organization, the information was organized by room. There was a section for the kitchen, bathroom and so on. The reason I didn't like this, is because it would require a lot of flipping back and forth, for example, if you were trying to clean your house and you wanted the checklist of daily cleaning, you'd have to go to each individual chapter to find what tasks you should be doing in each room during the day. The recipes were referred to often in the book but they were not given until the very end of the book, so that woud require more flipping to find the specific recipe to clean the specific thing in the specific room you were aiming for. My final problem with this text is while it does a good job of telling you how to be green, it doesn't really tell you why. It mentions that its good for the environment, and people often get sick from toxic chemicals, but how are they getting sick? What causes it? And how are these chemicals bad for the environment? What do they do exactly? If I was trying to convince someone to adopt a greener lifestyle, these are things they would want to know.
Overall, the book is a useful reference and worth looking into, although it will require a lot of flipping back and forth. Reading it straight through would probably bore most people but the homemade cleaner recipes alone make it a good reference to have.
March 2, 2008
This book gives guidelines for how to clean a home & how often to clean things etc, which is not exactly what I was looking for. It does also have recipes in it for making your own cleaning preps, which I am still trying. The washing soda with borax to use in the dishwasher is not something I would recommend - it cleans your dishes but leaves a film of one of the powders all over everything, and I don't fancy eating washing soda or borax off my clean dishes. Using vinegar to clean out your coffee-maker is a winner however, and Borax added to the laundry really does make it more deodorized. Baking soda & vinegar worked well to get the soap scum off my shower, but it takes some elbow grease. I also used some fels naptha soap today to clean some upholstery.
It irritated me a little that the authors say you should only use all-natural brushes to clean with, when they printed their book on plastic (which they state can be recycled of course). Can't you recycle plastic scrub brushes?
Over all the book was a good jumping off point if you want to learn how to green clean, you can find most of these recipes on the internet, but if you want to have a printed reference in the house to refer to, it is a good choice.
It irritated me a little that the authors say you should only use all-natural brushes to clean with, when they printed their book on plastic (which they state can be recycled of course). Can't you recycle plastic scrub brushes?
Over all the book was a good jumping off point if you want to learn how to green clean, you can find most of these recipes on the internet, but if you want to have a printed reference in the house to refer to, it is a good choice.
October 30, 2009
This is a good general overview of the 'whys' and 'hows' of green cleaning. The author covers everything from cleaning to composting to pest control. The chapters are short - usually 3-4 pages long - and it is easy to read and well-organized. There probably isn't enough information to really get going, but should get the beginner motivated. Then, you can read up on books that go into more detail (like Organic Housekeeping In Which the Non-Toxic Avenger Shows You How to Improve Your Health and That of Your Family, While You Save Time, Money, and, Perhaps, Your Sanity for cleaning or Bug Busters Poison-free Pest Controls for your Home and Garden for pest control).
By far the most helpful part of the book for me was the recipe collection for making your own cleaners. I also found the stain guide helpful.
By far the most helpful part of the book for me was the recipe collection for making your own cleaners. I also found the stain guide helpful.
June 16, 2010
I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone (thanks to Heidi for recommending it to me!!)...especially those of us who are still using toxic household cleaners. I have wanted to switch over to green products but never knew how to and thought it wouldn't really "clean" my home very well. After reading this I am pretty convinced that cleaning using environmentally sound products can be done and not expensively. The authors suggest some store bought green cleaners in this book as well as a ton of recipes to make your own cleaners. I like how the author doesn't make you feel guilty and suggests changing products one at a time. I also love that it tells you how to clean each area of your home. I also love how the authors discuss the toxins in products and the harm they have on us and our environment. Anyway, I borrowed this from the library but will definitely be purchasing this one and adding it to my bookshelf here at home.
September 19, 2007
Edit -9-19-07: Green Clean turned out to be more useful than I anticipated. A better reference than reading book. Several good tips and easy recipies. I especially found useful the info about laundering dry-clean only clothing.
This book is an intro to green cleaning. Some of the tips are useful to me but, as someone who as read many books on this subject, it's not the most comprehensive. The book's pages are water-proof -interesting, but probably not entirely environmentally sound.
This book is an intro to green cleaning. Some of the tips are useful to me but, as someone who as read many books on this subject, it's not the most comprehensive. The book's pages are water-proof -interesting, but probably not entirely environmentally sound.
June 24, 2008
This is a great book for people looking to make a change to more environmentally friendly cleaning products/methods! There are recipes for cleaning products along with some suggestions for commercially made green products (for the less ambitious). It includes useful references/links for proper disposal and recyling of household items and products. The format is good and the book itself is made to be almost indestructible. I borrowed it from the library, but will be buying a copy for myself.
August 19, 2010
I like this book! I was interested in a book that could teach me how to clean my home with the least amount of cleaners in the most natural way. Not because I am a "go green" girl. (I think that is great though). I just wanted to further increase the simplicity in my house. I want less cleaners, less stuff and know what to store.
The answers of course: vinegar, baking soda, salt... I knew that, but now I understand and know how. She also gives some suggestions on how to organize your cleaning and basic recipes.
Score!
The answers of course: vinegar, baking soda, salt... I knew that, but now I understand and know how. She also gives some suggestions on how to organize your cleaning and basic recipes.
Score!
October 24, 2007
This book is an easy to read, GREAT resource about natural cleaning methods. The author covers various toxins in commercial cleaning products and why they are harmful. She goes through your house room by room, giving good techniques for cleaning more naturally. Of great benefit at the end are the many recipes for making your own natural cleaners. If you're interested in going this way with your cleaning, this is a great book.
June 28, 2008
D- Okay, I love eco-friendly books, even if they have to do eco-friendly cleaning. But this book is people who don't even know how to clean! I learned nothing new. Recommended for people coming out of high school or college who have never picked up a cleaning bottle who want to live eco-friendly living. If you want to read an eco-friendly cleaning book, look up Annie Berthold Bond -- she on the other hand rocks!
July 15, 2008
Helpful -and book is water- & stain- proof! Now that I've read the library's copy - I am going to purchase this. Great resource.
Edit: Wow, as someone with allergies usually any cleaning is a miserable sneezy experience. Not with the safe gentle recipes of this book. And huge a difference has emerged -I have been maintaining a clean house - this means no big cleaning days.
I am breathing. yay. I feel like I got my house back from Clorox Inc!!
Edit: Wow, as someone with allergies usually any cleaning is a miserable sneezy experience. Not with the safe gentle recipes of this book. And huge a difference has emerged -I have been maintaining a clean house - this means no big cleaning days.
I am breathing. yay. I feel like I got my house back from Clorox Inc!!
September 6, 2012
I confess: after trying out some cleaning tips from this book, I went back to my old ways of using a lot of non-green commercial cleaners, especially for the toilet bowl. The "green" tricks didn't always do as good of a job cleaning. But I am trying to be better about using vinegar to clean things.
August 1, 2017
If this were the first book I'd ever read on eco friendly cleaning, I probably would have liked it. There's a lot about the dangers of our chemically driven cleaning practices and the benefit and ease of changing them.
Since I was hoping to find new ideas, this book was a disappointment. Many of the suggestions felt obvious (don't run a half empty dishwasher. Wait until it's full).
Since I was hoping to find new ideas, this book was a disappointment. Many of the suggestions felt obvious (don't run a half empty dishwasher. Wait until it's full).
March 25, 2008
Part of my effort to "green" my life. This book is excellent! It is clearly written, graphics and aesthetics are nice, and it is made out of durable recycled material. Gives you all the information you need to keep a clean, green home!
January 19, 2009
Great formulas- all very simple with many items you might already have. Ther are a lot of details on what to use where and why. It tells you where to buy each ingredient – grocery store, health food store, ect It also gives you the names of pre-made products you can purchase. Very useful!!
March 13, 2009
This was an interesting read. It had some helpful information, but it wasn't quite what I was looking for. Much of the information was pretty general. It had some interesting recipes, but there were so many I didn't really know where to start in picking some out to try.
September 1, 2009
I don't utilize this book nearly as much as I should, but it is filled with great tips on what to use in place of industrial cleaners. I never knew baking soda and vinegar had so many uses! Plus, the book itself is water and stain resistant... how cool is that?
June 28, 2017
This book is a good book to keep around the house for a go to guided on stains and recipes. Has a great chart on hazardous items. Most things covered in book is common sense, sweep and do dishes daily. I would give this book to a person living on their own for the first time.
January 9, 2008
Good reference guide to eco-friendly alternatives to common cleaning products
Read
January 22, 2008Another great reference guide
May 23, 2008
What can I say? I'm married to an environmental scientist who works for DEQ. I really got the book to help me clean more efficiently. I liked what I found here.
March 26, 2008
Good book - just a few questions - I would never flush prescription meds down the drain!!!! but there were some good pointers in it.
May 7, 2008
This was my first foray into a more organic life style. I now glance down the cleaning products aisle at the grocery store and marvel at all of the unnecessary junk that resides there.
September 11, 2008
I "read" this more as a reference book than anything. It's pretty dry but does give some good stats and recipes to make your own cleaners.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews