"Clean House, Clean Planet" by Karen Logan

This book has been on my shelf for many years. I bought it when I was seriously considering opening an organic/natural housecleaning business and this was truly the only thing that looked like a recipe book for natural cleaners. It addressed just about everything. THIS was the book I needed for sure. I knew quite a bit about natural cleaning, but this book addressed things I didn't know how to tackle--like garbage disposals.

Of course, I never got further than the idea and buying the book. It sat, untouched, for a few years. When I finally opened it again, I actually read it instead of just looking up what I needed (which was easy thanks to a great index in back). As I read, I was happy to see that the author was a realist. She fully acknowledged that occasionally, there was going to be a product that you couldn't replace naturally. Most notably dishwasher detergent. And she was careful to warn you about how to use different combinations and tools properly so as not to ruin anything in your home. It wasn't difficult, but things you needed to know.

The book goes through a list of inexpensive grocery store items that you should have on-hand to get you through most of the rest of the book's cleaning advice. The author details types of containers you might need--minimal and inexpensive. You may not even need to buy any of them because they could be sitting in your home.

The thing I liked best was the broad variety of items covered in this book. It didn't just tackle your everyday household cleaning, but also addressed things like car cleaners, bleach, air fresheners, metal polishes and insecticides. Each section gave you detailed information about the product you may currently be using, why it's a potential problem, and what alternatives are available to you in the world of nature. It seemed that she left no stone unturned when it came to the products you might be using in your home.

Of course it is stressed throughout the book that the longer you allow a problem to build up, the more elbow grease it will take to correct. But once you have corrected the buildup, it will be easy to maintain.