Review: A helpul introduction
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 1, 2013
I actually got the book on natural cleaning in the kitchen first and noticed it was part of a series. I see one previous reviewer was disappointed in not finding much detail. That is undoubtedly because it is only the first of a set of books on the general subject of natural cleaning.Martha Green's is not by any means the first word I have encountered on the subject, which I have found until lately only moderately interesting. Too many others spend so much energy preaching about the evils of large corporations and the fact that they make a profit that whatever they say about natural cleaning begins to lose credibility. Don't they recognize that the natural products that they favor are made by companies (not necessarily small companies) that seek to make a profit.There is no bitter rhetoric here. Instead, Green lists some chemicals found in many cleaning products that have proven toxic. These are not limited to petrochemicals with unpronounceable names. They include chlorine bleach and ammonia, which housewives used for generations before most of today's commercial products were ever invented.Bleach and ammonia have always been hazardous, but they are more hazardous in newer houses and apartments. Why? Because modern building codes and building procedures require virtually sealing inside air from outside air. Without the exchange of air that takes place in older, leakier homes, fumes from toxic chemicals build up. Indoor air is now more polluted than outdoor air except perhaps under the smoggiest of conditions.It's nice to learn, therefore, that common household items like vinegar, soda, salt, etc. clean just as effectively as commercial products, cost much less, require less storage space, and are completely non-toxic. If you want to know  how to use various combinations of these items to clean something in particular, get one of the other books in the series.