Karyn Siegel-Maier - The Naturally Clean Home: 150 Super-Easy Herbal Formulas for Green Cleaning

THE NATURALLY CLEAN HOME

150 Super-Easy Herbal Formulas for GREEN CLEANING

KARYN SIEGEL-MAIER

The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers by
publishing practical information that encourages
personal independence in harmony with the environment.

Edited by Deborah Balmuth and Lizzie Stewart
Art direction and book design by Alethea Morrison
Text production by Liseann Karandisecky

Cover photography by Susie Cushner
Illustrations by Kim Rosen

Indexed by Nancy D. Wood

2008 by Karyn Siegel-Maier

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages or reproduce illustrations in a review with appropriate credits; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other without written permission from the publisher.

The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the author or Storey Publishing. The author and publisher disclaim any liability in connection with the use of this information. For additional information, please contact Storey Publishing, 210 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247.

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Printed in the United States by Dickinson Press
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Siegel-Maier, Karyn, 1960

The naturally clean home / Karyn Siegel-Maier. 2nd ed.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-60342-085-3 (paper: alk. paper)

1. House cleaning. 2. Household supplies. I. Title.

TX324.S24 2009

648.5dc22
2008035260

This book is dedicated to you, the reader, whose commitment to better
living is my inspiration and reward for living.

Warm thanks to my family, friends, and online community members for all the inspiration, feedback, and support over the years. Your encouragement is the driving force that motivates me every day.

Id also like to express my appreciation for the honor of being a member of Storeys family of authors. In particular, special thanks to Deborah Balmuth and Lizzie Stewart for helping to give new life to these pages to reach a new generation of readers.

NEARLY EVERYONE HAS HEARD ABOUT THE VIRTUES of common items such as baking soda and vinegar for cleaning jobs like scouring and absorbing grease. The addition of herbal materials, especially essential oils, to the formula serves to enhance its cleaning value with the added benefit of leaving behind a soothing, natural scent. In effect, the principles of sanitary hygiene and aromatherapy become partners. Its not by advertising gimmick that many commercial products contain citrus oils, such as lemon or lime; they are natural degreasers and have antimicrobial properties. In fact, citrus oils are the workhorses of the kitchen and bathroom. Many other herbs possess antibacterial and antifungal qualities as well. The chart on gives more information on the beneficial cleaning properties of specific herbs.

You can believe me when I tell you that using a natural herbal product instead of a chemical-laden commercial one makes household tasks almost a pleasure to tackle. I know its hard to get excited about cleaning a bathroom, but when you realize that the surfaces are germ and toxin free, and the soothing aroma of cedar or lavender lingers, you wont be able to suppress a smile of satisfaction. And the enthusiasm is contagious even the kids will want to pitch in!

Making your own herbal cleaning products is not a time-consuming or expensive endeavor. In fact, quite the opposite is true. It only takes a minute or two to fill a spray bottle with vinegar and water and add a few drops of essential oil. Bingo instant glass and appliance cleaner! Having done that, theres one less aisle to visit in the supermarket.

The majority of commercial cleaners are quite expensive. A typical spray or foam cleanser for the bathroom, for instance, can deprive you of $4.00 or more. An herbal alternative, on the other hand, will cost mere pennies to make. I buy pure essential oils for an average of $3.00 per half fluid ounce. Since I am only using between 5 and 30 drops of the oil (depending on the particular formula), that half-ounce bottle goes a very long way indeed. Other all-natural ingredients, such as vinegar, baking soda, water, and castile soap are also inexpensive.

You will also marvel at the amount of uncluttered space that becomes available in the area where you normally store cleaning supplies. According to Debra Lynn Dadd, author of Nontoxic & Natural, the average kitchen is home to thirty or more commercial products, the laundry room six!

Many of the herbal formulas you will be making will be multipurpose, so the number of cleaning products you store will be greatly reduced an immense help to those of us with only a little bit of space under the sink or in a closet.

Why shouldnt the containers used to store your herbal cleaners be as pleasant as their contents? In this area, you can really exercise the concept of recycling materials. Remember those commercial products you finished up on your way to nontoxic cleaning? Many of those containers can be washed and used a countless number of times for your herbal formulas.

Coffee tins with plastic lids are great for storing car and wood polishes. Those large plastic containers with sprinkle-type tops you get when you purchase dried herbs and spices in bulk are excellent for powdered cleansers. Glass containers work well too, of course, but you may want to stick with plastic if safety is a concern, especially if your little helpers may be using them.

The formulas in this book suggest combinations of dried herbs and essential oils. Herb substitutions are encouraged when necessitated. The chart on can help you make your selection according to the desired cleaning action.

For the most part, essential oils are suitable for all-purpose cleaning, floor and furniture care, and laundry needs. Strong tinctures can be used in place of essential oils in some formulas, if necessary, but their cleaning power will be less effective if used in laundry recipes, or those intended to be antibacterial. For obvious reasons, dried herbal material wont do for these tasks, but are excellent for other jobs such as scouring tubs and sinks and for use in carpet fresheners.

Essential oils and dried herbs are readily available in health food stores and by mail order. See Resources for a listing of good mail-order suppliers that sell both. But before you make any purchase, you should know that there are differences between herbal oils. Make sure that youre buying a pure, undiluted essential oil and not one that has been diluted in a carrier oil. Aromatherapy oils are a dilution of one or more essential oils with a carrier oil, such as almond or jojoba, and are intended for massage work and making perfume, among other things.