Green Cleaning For Dummies

An authoritative guide to reducing household exposure to hazardous chemicals

Thousands of household products contain toxic ingredients. Today, more and more people are seeking more natural cleaning methods to reduce their exposure to harsh chemicals. From the kitchen and bath to the living room and laundry, Green Cleaning For Dummies provides readers with green solutions to every common cleaning chore. Focusing on organic, nontoxic, sustainable alternatives to conventional cleaning products, it's packed with suggestions and tips for effective cleaning, and even offers green solutions for sprucing up patios, garages, vehicles, and the exterior of a house.

Introduction 1

Part I: A Greener, Healthier Way to Clean 7

Chapter: 1: Cleaning House in a Brave Green World 9

Chapter 2: What’s Green Got to Do with It? 15

Chapter 3: Adding Up the Pluses of Cleaning Green 27

Part II: Getting to Work 41

Chapter 4: An Ounce of Prevention 43

Chapter 5: Assembling Your Hardware 57

Chapter 6: Mixing Things Up: A Green Cleaner Cookbook 75

Part III: Cleaning Green, Room by Room 101

Chapter 7: Everything in the Kitchen — Including the Sink 103

Chapter 8: Coming Clean in the Bathroom 125

Chapter 9: Airing the Dirty Laundry Room 145

Chapter 10: Creating a Clean and Healthful Sleeping Environment 165

Chapter 11: Greening and Cleaning the Living Room 183

Chapter 12: Transitioning from Home to the Great Outdoors 207

Part IV: The Part of Tens 235

Chapter 13: Ten (Or So) Ways Your Grandparents Got It Right 237

Chapter 14: Ten Steps — Beyond Clean — to Green Your Home and Your Life 245

Appendix: Green Resources 257

Index 263

Elizabeth B. Goldsmith, PhD, is a professor and Fulbright Scholar with expertise in work and family, consumer economics, and healthy indoor environments.

Betsy Sheldon is a lifestyles author and editor with a passion for sustainability issues.

Your ecofriendly guide to safer, healthier housekeeping

Want to go green as you clean? This authoritative guide provides expert, proven advice on cleaning your home with organic, nontoxic, sustainable resources. From the kitchen and bath to the living room, laundry, and even your garage, you get green solutions for every common cleaning chore.

• Discover a new way to clean — learn how natural methods can save you money while improving your health and the environment

• Get ready to go green — prepare your house and assemble cleaning tools

• Protect your family — know the right cleaners to avoid (and which ones you can make yourself)

• Tackle your inside spaces — get green cleaning solutions for every room in the house and improve the efficiency of your appliances

• Go the extra mile — go beyond cleaning with ways to conserve energy and reduce waste

Open the book and find:

• A room-by-room breakdown of green cleaning tips

• Recipes for making your own cleaning products

• Cost-free changes to clean green

• Tips for improving your sleeping environment

• Small changes to ease cleaning and save resources

• Ways to consume fewer resources

• An appendix of clean, green organizations and programs