The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Cleaning

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Cleaning is written by Mary Findley and Linda Formichelli and this second edition was published in 2009 by the Penguin Group.

I try and use as few nasty cleaning chemicals in my home as possible and am always looking for suggestions and products to help me achieve this. I was therefore keen to read this book and see what it had to offer. On opening the book I was pleased to see a good contents section broken down into ‘at-a-glance’ and more detailed sections. This combined with a thorough index makes it easy for the reader to find specific information quickly.

It is important for a book such as this to provide information on why green cleaning is a good choice, but I did find the first couple of chapters somewhat heavy. Whilst there may be truth in the lists of awful side effects some chemical-based products could have, this part of the book does verge on scaremongering and could put readers off if they find it too over the top.

Reading on, however, is worth it as the book goes on to contain useful lists of green cleaning basics and recipes for green cleaning products. The book also includes a handy stain remover section and information on outdoor, car and pet care. There is also plenty of information on how to go about your cleaning, although the amount of planning it is suggested you do is a little more than necessary (or maybe that’s just not how I do things)! I was also surprised to find a section on tumble drying with little mention of the more eco-friendly option of line drying.

This book is written and published in the USA so some of the products and related information are not so applicable in the UK, but the general information is still relevant. The RRP of the book is £9.99 which is not a bad price. The book is printed on recycled paper.