Natural Cleaning for Your Home: 95 Pure and Simple Recipes

Everyone enjoys the look, feel, and smell of a freshly cleaned home, but many people in recent years have become alarmed at the number of potentially harmful chemicals and solvents in commercial cleaning products and yearn for a safer, healthier way. Here it is! Fresh cut lemons, glycerin, table salt, vanilla beans, canola oil, peat moss, vinegar, and fragrant herbs are combined by the author to create cleaning solutions for just about every kind of soiled surface or household item. More than 90 individual recipes for cleaning and deodorizing your home are described in detail, including polishes and cleaners for wood floors and furniture and dozens of inventive ways to remove stains and freshen clothing, upholstery, and carpeting.

Beyond the health and safety issues of using harsh chemical cleaners, there is also the cost issue. The natural materials used by Kellar are commonly available and inexpensive. Moreover, they work as well as more expensive and more unhealthy products. People with allergies and chemical sensitivities will love this book, as will anyone who longs for a clean, fresh-smelling, sparkling home without risking poisoning themselves or the environment. To put these strategies and recipes together in such a gorgeous and enjoyable book is an additional and unexpected bonus for the reader. This is a useful, practical, and elegant little book that would make a charming gift for any friend. --Mark A. Hetts

Product Description
This book shows readers how to let natural materials clean their home. Some ingredients include fresh-cut lemons, glycerine, table salt, vanilla beans, canola oil, peat moss, vinegar and herbs. Used alone or in the right combinations, these natural cleaners can replace harsh, commercial cleansers. Using natural ingredients not only works, but saves money, helps avoid allergic reactions, and demonstrates how to custom-clean problem areas. Every aspect of every room is covered.

This book really got me motivated -- it's easy to read and the pictures are lovely.

However, finding some of these natural products is very difficult and I live in a large city. I agree with one reviewer, that she should have an index of mail-order and stores where such things as washing soda, pure glycerine soap & cream of tarter can be found. The carpets are my big job, and she suggests using a hypodermic needle to insert essential oils to the base. Try finding a needle to buy -- that has been a chore!

So other than getting started with the products, Ms. Kellar has put me in the right direction for healthy living for my family.


Not so non toxic   July 11, 2002
 4 out of 5 found this review helpful

This book talks a lot about non toxic receipes, but most contained amonia and that's what I'm trying NOT to use...


Absolutely beautiful cleaning book!   November 18, 2001
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

I first picked this book up while perusing in my local bookstore and then had to purchase it from Amazon right away. It is not only beautifully laid out and designed, but it gives a sense of beauty to the whole concept of natural cleaning. While everyone has their own ideas of what comprises "natural" cleaning, Casey's recipes are by far less harmful than most of what we American's can buy in the supermarket today and also considerably cheaper in many aspects. Overall a wonderful book and one which makes me want to check out all the books this author has produced!


Easy Natural Cleaning Alternatives   January 12, 2001
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

I got this book to make some of the household cleaning I do with more natural products. I liked the easy recipes, didn't feel like I had to look for alot of out-of-the-way products. Most all the products I can find at my grocery or health food store. Even though some of the recipes use bleach or ammonia, the majority of the recipes do use natural products. If there were more books on this topic with lots of recipes, this book may not be that good, but considering what's out there, and the alternative is to use products full of chemicals, I was glad to have the book.


Not What I Hoped   January 8, 2000
 12 out of 12 found this review helpful

This book is beautifully put together with warm coloring and photographs, which was part of the reason I purchased it via mail order. The contents, however, were generally a disappointment. Yes, there were good alternatives to using the more harmful chemicals, and it is a good feeling to be creating your own cleaners, but there were fewer recipes than hoped and not enough description and/or instruction for usage. In short, this has been the only book I have ever returned.