Clean House, Clean Planet: Clean Your House for Pennies a Day, the Safe, Nontoxic Way by Karen Noonan Logan

Living Mind
Home Repair, Maintenance, Decorating, Refinishing, Decorating Ideas & DIY

Home Repair Book

Clean House, Clean Planet: Clean Your House for Pennies a Day, the Safe, Nontoxic Way
by Karen Noonan Logan

Paperback: 288 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.77 x 8.21 x 5.34
Publisher: Pocket Books; (April 1997)
ISBN: 0671535951

Check price @ amazon.com , amazon.ca , amazon.co.uk

Ingram: Explains how to make and use environmentally friendly and inexpensive household cleaners out of everyday ingredients, offering advice on how to do everything from cleaning the oven to unclogging the sink.

Customer Reviews
Very Nice, January 3, 2003
Reviewer: A reader from Frisco, TX United States
Those of you who already use vinegar to clean with will appreciate the suggestion to add essential oils (scents) to these cleaning products. I found that peppermint did the best job of hiding the vinegar smell and has made cleaning a much more pleasant endeavor. The two items I use the most are the Earthspray (use it for mirrors, glass, counters, floors) and the Earthscrub (for tubs and sinks). It is fabulous to have non-toxic alternatives for cleaning, and in addition, I have reduced my cleaning product clutter enormously...now I have one medium-size container that all of my cleaning supplies fit in. I highly recommend this easy-to-read, easy-to-follow book and commend Ms. Logan for her environmental contribution.

your nontoxic cleaning bible, January 3, 2003
Reviewer: Luc De Jaeger from Belgium
What a wonderful book this is. The content is indepth, practical and most complete. All mentioned alternative cleaning formulas are very detailed and rated for their effectiveness. Whether you are looking for nontoxic alternatives for disinfectants, dishwasher detergents, drain cleaners, glass cleaners, dust cleaners, floor cleaners and name it... you will find a cheap and effective (and absolutely NONTOXIC) formula in this book, and much more...

Great Book!, December 29, 2002
Reviewer: sassypriscilla from Wauwatosa, WI United States
This book is easy to understand and has great recipes. It compares prices to make recipes with common products. The book explains why some of the ingredients in common household products are harmful.

Recipes I like in particular are: Dust to Dust Furniture Polish, Sweet Pine-Tree Scented Laundry Detergent, and Earth Scrub Tub and Tile Cleaner. I have adjusted some recipes to fit my needs--this book makes it easy to do as it explains the purposes of each ingredient.

This book will change your life!, October 22, 2002
Reviewer: Sylvia Bass from Tustin, CA USA
Okay, maybe that's a bit of hyperbole, but this is really an excellent book with numerous recipes for your own cleaning products. I use many of them and they really work well with the added benefit of being non-toxic. I tell as many people as will listen about how wonderful homemade cleaning products can be. They're easy and fun to make, inexpensive and good for you and the environment. I'm a convert!

Other reviewers complained that they cannot contact the author to buy labels or bottles. I designed my own labels on my computer and covered them with clear contact paper so the colors wouldn't run if they got wet.

Buy this book, you will not regret it!
One sentence, September 8, 2002
Reviewer: A reader
This book is worth every penny and every minute spent reading it; the cleaning recipes are easy to make with easy to find ingredients, and the author honestly rates the cleaning effectiveness of each one so you know what you can expect.

Love this book., September 2, 2002
Reviewer: A reader from Watertown, MA USA
I am a newcomer to natural, non-toxic cleaning and I loved this book. The recipes are very simple and the author does a great job of describing the toxicity of everyday household cleaners. In the book she says that she sells empty cleaning bottles with her recipes printed on them to give as gifts, but the website is no longer active and I can't seem to find her name using search engines. Too bad.

a great resource, July 30, 2002
Reviewer: karenjuliet from New Jersey
This is a great resource for anyone looking to clean less toxically. It has completely changed the way I clean, and definitely for the better. For the most part, her recommendations are realistic and don't take much time after the initial setup (getting the bottles/containers, mixing of the first ingredients, etc.). She also includes a list of commercial cleaners which she deems to be less toxic. I now love using castile soap to clean the kitchen. Her bathroom cleaners work at least as well if not better than commercial cleaners, and don't smell horrible. Her suggestions on dealing with clogged drains work well, and are far preferable to the HIGHLY toxic clog-breakers available in stores. The recommendations on the many uses of scented vinegar and baking soda are great. It's also pretty amazing how club soda cleans mirrors and glass about as well as blue commercial stuff. The vast majority of the recipes are very cheap when compared with commercial cleaners, particularly if you can get your baking soda and vinegar from a warehouse store.

The only cleaning recipe where I wasn't happy with the results was her brass cleaner... it looked like it worked really well initially, but any dried on pieces were next to impossible to get off, and even with the recommended buffing with olive oil, the piece tarnished again within only a few days. I unfortunately had to use a very nasty commercial cleaner with ammonia to undo the tarnish, which reminded me anew why I try very hard not to use such stuff! I also didn't like the all-purpose cleaner recipe she suggested - I really didn't think it cleaned much better than just castile soap and water, and the borax seemed to attack my nails.

Overall, a terrific book, filled with reasons to clean less toxically, easy recipes, and amusing anecdotes.

Everyone should own this book!!!, May 20, 2002
Reviewer: Kym Shearman from Oakhurst, Ca United States
I bought this book after I became a Mom for the first time. I read that children by age 5 have reached 35% of their total body burden for chemicals, that most new moms obssesively clean with stuff that is toxic thinking they are doing the right thing so their kids can crawl around on the floor. All that residue is absorbed into the skin. Think about it (35% of total body burden by age 5)... its mind blowing. They should require this book to every new mom. Its my #1 gift choice for anyone. The amazing ant spray is worth ten times the cost of this book.

Always on top of the stack, April 11, 2002
Reviewer: shinma1 from Los Angeles, CA USA
I stumbled across this gem a year or so ago when cruising a bookstore's home improvement section -- and have been in love ever since. The recipes are easy to follow, take very little time to make, and the ingredients are readily available at local stores. And the recipes /work/. My personal favorite is the Wonder Spray, an all purpose home cleaner that cuts grease better than certain national name brands.

Save money, and save yourself from harmful fumes and skin destroying chemicals.

Amazing!, October 22, 2001
Reviewer: A reader from Phoenix, Az
I bought this book because of the great reviews this book got on Amazon.com and I have to say that this is one of the best books I've ever bought.

I didn't realize how much money I threw away for household cleaners that were toxic to my health. Clean House, Clean Planet gives quick, cheap, fun and easy recipes to make for household cleaners.

From a glass cleaner to fabric softener, there are so many cleaning recipes. It was worth the money, everyone should own this book.

Home Repair Related Book:
100 Things You Don't Need a Man For
by Alison Jenkins
Paperback: 192 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.77 x 9.05 x 8.58
Publisher: Laurel Glen; (September 18, 2001)
ISBN: 157145537X

Creating the Not So Big House: Insights and Ideas for the New American Home
by Sarah Susanka, Grey Crawford (Photographer)
Hardcover: 264 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.91 x 10.22 x 10.24
Publisher: Taunton Pr; (October 1, 2000)
ISBN: 1561583774

Dare to Repair: A Do-It-Herself Guide to Fixing (Almost) Anything in the Home
by Julie Sussman, Stephanie Glakas-Tenet, Yeorgos Lampathakis (Illustrator), Linda C. Fuller
Paperback: 272 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.85 x 9.18 x 7.36
Publisher: HarperResource; 1st edition (September 3, 2002)
ISBN: 0060959843

Home Maintenance for Dummies®
by James Carey (Author), Morris Carey (Author)
Paperback: 384 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.08 x 9.21 x 7.43
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; (April 2000)
ISBN: 0764552155

New Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual
by Reader's Digest
Hardcover: 528 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.37 x 8.70 x 10.96
Publisher: Reader's Digest Adult; Reissue edition (September 1, 1991)
ISBN: 0895773783

New Fix-It-Yourself Manual
by Reader's Digest
Hardcover: 448 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.47 x 8.65 x 11.06
Publisher: Reader's Digest Adult; (October 1996)
ISBN: 0895778718

The Complete Photo Guide to Home Repair: 2000 Color How-To Photos
Hardcover: 512 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.27 x 10.28 x 10.32
Publisher: Creative Publishing International; Book and CD-ROM edition (August 1999)
ISBN: 0865737533

The Not So Big House: A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live
by Sarah Susanka, Kira Obolensky (Contributor)
Hardcover: 199 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.75 x 10.28 x 10.30
Publisher: Taunton Pr; (August 28, 1998)
ISBN: 1561581305

Clean House, Clean Planet: Clean Your House for Pennies a Day, the Safe, Nontoxic Way
by Karen Noonan Logan
Paperback: 288 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.77 x 8.21 x 5.34
Publisher: Pocket Books; (April 1997)
ISBN: 0671535951

The Virgin Homeowner: The Essential Guide to Owning, Maintaining, and Surviving Your Home
by Janice Papolos
Paperback: 444 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.98 x 7.99 x 5.34
Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper); (March 1999)
ISBN: 0140274766