Editorial Review
Longing for a kinder, gentler world? As the old saying goes, everything begins at home, and odds are, if you live in the all-American household, the air inside is more toxic than the air outside, even if you live in the most polluted of cities. You regularly handle the filthiest object in your home -- the kitchen sponge -- and put the same chemicals on your face that are used in brake fluid and antifreeze.
The cleaning agents and personal care products commonly marketed to and used in American homes contain not only some very dangerous, toxic chemicals, but they also create an "overly clean," chemically bombed-out house that compromises immune systems. And with more than fifty million Americans suffering from allergies and other autoimmune diseases -- not to mention the developing and fragile immune systems of children and seniors -- large numbers of people are actually being made sicker and sicker by their homes.
Learn to live a clean, healthy, more economical way with Ellen Sandbeck, the nontoxic avenger. In this must-have book for the twenty-first- century home, this passionate, witty advocate of all things organic will teach you how to maintain every part of the home -- from living room to septic tank, kitchen floor to bathroom sink -- using safe, simple cleansers and quick preventative measures as well as the most effective organic products on the market to get the job done.
Learn time-saving, preventative housekeeping, such as taking thirty seconds to clean the shower while you shower. Take care of bathroom stains with baking soda and vinegar rather than commercial, toxic bathroom "bombs" peddled to you with such force by manufacturers. Need whiter whites? There is no bleaching power on earth stronger than the sun. Snow clean your fine rugs. Choose fruits and vegetables from the relatively pesticide residue-free list. Clean felt-tipped pen stains with vodka. Make furniture shine with olive oil and lemon. Your house will also smell as great as it looks.
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Customer Reviews
My top pick for green housekeeping 
2008-04-06
If I could only own one book on keeping a greener home, this would be it. There are tips on everything from opening a clogged drain to homemade beauty products. This book is never out of reach at my house now!!
excellent book! Terrible broom company! 2008-03-18
I was so excited about the changes brought about in my house by using the tips in this book, that I ordered a three pack of the Dutch Rubber Broom she describes in the text (a garage broom, a kitchen broom, and a hand broom for the car, for 9.99 plus S&H). The company overcharged me (19.99 instead of 9.99), and then messed up my order (just gave me the garage broom). When I confronted them with this, they first stated that they didn't have a three broom offer, then when I forwarded them their own web page, they still refused to correct the error, stating that the error was on my part, because that isn't what is reflected on the order.
The gal on the email and phone argued with me rudely. She admitted that others have had the same issue, but it was because they were, like myself, incapable of reading a web page correctly. I have been reading since the age of three, and I'm a computer programmer, so I think I have a firm grasp of how to navigate a web page.
My option, at this point, is to pay to ship the garage broom back to them unused and get my twenty dollars back (roughly the price of shipping), or to give them another $20 and have them graciously ship me the rest of my order. Their adamant claim, of course, is that they had fulfilled my order, and it isn't their issue in the first place to even address this. The route to speak with someone higher on the food chain was short-circuited by this same rude person. Just a warning, in case you wanted to give that broom a try. The book: fabulous! The broom company: leaves much to be desired. I wish I'd never bothered.
UPDATE: I was fortunate enough to be able to contact the book's author (WOW), and she actually fixed the problem with the company. Can you believe it? I couldn't have even dreamed of a better response from an author. It's unfathomable to me. For the fact that she really cares enough to go the extra mile for a complete stranger who is willing to listen to her advice, I'm profoundly grateful, and would give her more than the five stars her writing has earned her, if it were possible. Neat! If you're deliberating whether you'll buy this or not, just do it for the sake of giving your greenbacks to a real person with real compassion and real action in her intentions. I'm floored and am ready to check out her gardening books, just for this reason!
Every little change counts. 
2008-03-18
I found a lot of helpful tips for cleaning one's home in a less enviromentally destructive (and often less expensive) way. There was also a lot of not so useful material in there, but it was easy enough to find what applied and skip over the rest.
I think that the point of the book is to make changes wherever you can; if everyone did just that, the environment would be in a much better place.
A Must have for any household! 2008-03-11
Buy this book!!! Seriously a must have for any household. From basic household and personal organization to step by step guidance on how to make your home an organic and chemical free one!!! Plus her writing style is fun to read, I want to be her friend.
She had me at "clutterectomy"! 2008-03-03
I don't like to clean, but I want to have a clean house. I was looking for some help and I wanted that help to be "green" and simple. I found my answers in "Organic Housekeeping". And what made reading Ellen Sandbeck's book even better is that it made me laugh . . . . out loud. What more can you ask for in a book? . . . . about cleaning. I have recommended it to all my friends. Buy it and use it, you'll be happy!
This Book Is Awesome 2007-08-21
Longing for a kinder, gentler world? As the old saying goes, everything begins at home, and odds are, if you live in the all-American household, the air inside is more toxic than the air outside, even if you live in the most polluted of cities. You regularly handle the filthiest object in your home -- the kitchen sponge -- and put the same chemicals on your face that are used in brake fluid and antifreeze.
The cleaning agents and personal care products commonly marketed to and used in American homes contain not only some very dangerous, toxic chemicals, but they also create an "overly clean," chemically bombed-out house that compromises immune systems. And with more than fifty million Americans suffering from allergies and other autoimmune diseases -- not to mention the developing and fragile immune systems of children and seniors -- large numbers of people are actually being made sicker and sicker by their homes.
Learn to live a clean, healthy, more economical way with Ellen Sandbeck, the nontoxic avenger. In this must-have book for the twenty-first- century home, this passionate, witty advocate of all things organic will teach you how to maintain every part of the home -- from living room to septic tank, kitchen floor to bathroom sink -- using safe, simple cleansers and quick preventative measures as well as the most effective organic products on the market to get the job done.
Learn time-saving, preventative housekeeping, such as taking thirty seconds to clean the shower while you shower. Take care of bathroom stains with baking soda and vinegar rather than commercial, toxic bathroom "bombs" peddled to you with such force by manufacturers. Need whiter whites? There is no bleaching power on earth stronger than the sun. Snow clean your fine rugs. Choose fruits and vegetables from the relatively pesticide residue-free list. Clean felt-tipped pen stains with vodka. Make furniture shine with olive oil and lemon. Your house will also smell as great as it looks.
Fun to read, Great reference 2007-08-02
In many ways, this is a good Organic Living 101 book. I received this book as a Christmas gift and wasn't sure what to think at first. I was pleasantly surprised. This book has not only been enjoyable to read but has become a valuable reference as well. Lately, whenever I've had a question regarding safe cleaning or home maintenance, I find the answer here - from concerns about ants to cleaning carpets to cleaning the shower. I've also found great advice and ideas for getting organized around the house. I appreciate the author's goal to spend LESS time cleaning - not more!
Down to Earth with REAL, EVERYDAY advice 2007-07-07
This is the 1st time I have taken the time to write a review about any book. That should say something at least. This book has become my bible as I have bought and begun to renovate my first-ever home. While my mom is nagging about bleaching out the basement and hiring a pest control service, I am able to come back to Organic Housekeeping for advice that is in line with my morals. This book is NOT preachy. Instead, it offers practical advice for straight-to-the-point how to do ____ without poisioning your family (pets included!). Thank goodness for this book! I recommend it to everyone who has an interest in being green. :)
Well scrubbed book 2007-05-12
This book includes a lot of common sense/tried and true methods for cleaning (and yes they do work) along with many new ideas I had not heard of before that are simple to carry out. I like that fact that the material is not toxic and will not set off my asthma like some of the store-bought items do.
Excellent Book 2007-04-03
This book is full of excellent advice. I have been concerned about the products that I use for cleaning for a while and this book gave me a great one-stop resource to start doing something about it. The introduction on how to handle the mountain of stuff we tend to accumulate was a welcome bonus (buying a copy for my ex-wife just for that!).
