Green Housekeeping by Ellen Sandbeck is the definitive guide to cleaning and greening your home. Everything you wanted to know about each aspect of detoxing your home is included in this well-researched, well-written housekeeping bible.
Ellen Sandbeck explains the genesis for writing her bestseller with, “Our homes are our habitats, and our health depends upon a large population of microbes in and on our bodies as well as in our houses. If we are to thrive physically, our air, water and food must be clean.”
In fact, contrary to ‘cleaning’ our homes, in many cases we are making our homes dirtier with toxic chemicals and noxious pesticides. “The only reason to do any cleaning at all is in order to maintain our health,” explains Sandbeck. “But if we clean just for appearances, rather than for health, we end up rubbing our burning eyes, scratching our rough, reddened skin, and suffering asthma attacks while wearing soft, fragrant, toxic clothing in gleaming homes that make us dizzy with the aerosolized essence of mountain meadows.”
According to the EPA, "the air in the average American home is between two and ten times more polluted than the air just outside the threshold.
Divided into easy to follow chapters, Green Housekeeping covers all you need to know about keeping a tidy green house: First Things First (organization, decluttering, prevention, recycling, etc.), The Kitchen: You Are What You Eat (organic cleaning, healthy cleaning products, environmentally-friendly dishwashers, buying organic food, choosing energy-efficient appliances, etc.), The Low Maintenance Bathroom (designing and cleaning a low maintenance bathroom, green cleaning techniques, and choosing safe personal care products, etc.), The Bedroom (purchasing and maintaining healthy bedding products, green mattresses, etc.), Laundry (water and energy use, natural cleaning and stain removal, rainwashing clothing and outdoor line drying, etc.), General Cleaning (healthy décor, carpet choices, window coverings, dusting, polishing and even computer care), Indoor Air Quality (odour control, indoor air pollutants, preventing fungi & mould and dealing with dampness), Hazardous Materials, Fire Safety, Home Maintenance, Automotive Care (disposing of hazardous materials, carbon monoxide safety, green paint choices, safe wallpaper removal, etc.), and In and Around the Garden (compost, rain barrels, vermicomposting, the value of trees, natural pest control, green pet care and baby proofing the house).
Green Housekeeping deserves the mantle of most comprehensive green cleaning and home maintenance book on the market. However, at times, not often, but at times, the information and suggestions in Green Housekeeping seem a bit dated. The hardcore environmentalist will not find too much new or fresh in this green cleaning tome, but Green Housekeeping will definitely appeal to the eco-curious or the green newbies.
Ellen Sandbeck, hands down, is one of the most dedicated green home enthusiasts around. A delightful addition to the eco movement.
Order this book on Amazon.com - Green Housekeeping
Visit: http://www.simonsays.com/
Publisher: Scribner
426 Pages
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written by Darrell , April 09, 2011