Oh this book is awesome! It starts out by explaining the science of cleaning in a very basic way (THANK YOU) and continues in the first chapter to explain so vocabulary associated with natural cleaning, lists supplies you’ll need, and even gives you a handy chart of essential oils and what they are good for. For someone like me who has no idea what she’s doing when it comes to essential oils, I found this first chapter to be very helpful!
The bulk of the book is split into sections of the home, which makes so much sense when learning how to naturally clean. I love that there are recipes and helpful tidbits throughout each section. There are even different suggestions of recipes for different kinds of surfaces (porcelain vs stainless steel for example) which I think is so smart!
They’ve really thought of everything when deciding what to include in this version of the book. There are tips on how to clean, maintain freshness, and even how to get rid of pests!
This book truly is a guide on how to clean your home with essential oils, and I have learned a lot from reading through it! I will definitely be buying it for myself, and a few friends as gifts too!

So, I've read similar books before but I really liked this one, especially a lot of the recipes to make your own cleaning products, a cleaner by trade I found the book very interesting especially as chemicals though they may be made cheap and available often affect our health ranging from hands to asthma etc, so I was really interested in this book!

Though some of the recipes are very appealing and the want for 'clean and green' cleaning products which seems easy and straightforward in theory but it's rather a little more difficult in practice as I'm feeling you're going to need a bit more than a basic understanding in chemistry.

Although the recipes were very impressive, I also felt that some of them might not actually work or even be that effective and that made me feel a bit uncertain about trying them out myself, the last thing I want to do is try out a recipe that ruins something in my home or anyone elses! Particulary the vinegar and castile soap - I'm not sure if that one will work and don't have high hopes but most of the others just seen to be baking soda and essential oils either that or follow complicated recipes with multiple ingredients.

This book isn't for a new starter to green cleaning or a beginner as it is quite advanced and would probably be too much for someone getting into this kind of book.

It was an okay read but it just didn't hit the right places for me to give it more stars!

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the free copy of this book in exchange an honest review! All opinions are my own.
#NetGalley #TheNaturallyCleanHome3rdEdition

With Covid 19, we have been spending more time at home and have been more careful with sanitizing and cleaning our spaces. I'm not very efficient at cleaning and have had reactions to the smell and chemicals of most of the cleaning products. The Naturally Clean Home offers an alternative to the cleaning products available in the supermarkets as long as one is willing to try to make the cleaning agents at home.

Siegel-Maier offers different recipes/formulations and specific advice on what to take note of when cleaning specific areas of the house. There are certain ingredients common to most of her formulations, so once you have the basic ingredients and know which scents you prefer it is not difficult to prepare items for the entire home. I found that I could purchase everything I need through Amazon, testing the formulations was not as overwhelming a task as I had expected. And I benefit by having cleaning products that are effective and without toxic fumes!

I found this a very interesting book, full of eco friendly natural ways to clean your home. Would recommend for an easy and informative read.

The Naturally Clean Home is a great resource for natural, effective ways to clean without harsh chemicals. Easy to find ingredients and easy to make! Definitely a must if you are looking to switch to natural/green products in your home.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

The Naturally Clean Home is the reformatted third edition of Karyn Siegel-Maier's 1999 book on DIY green alternatives to harsh chemical cleaners for the home. Due out March 30th 2021 from Storey, it's 224 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.

The introduction contains some very basic info about the science of soap and cleaning, concerns with bleach (and alternatives) and how and why to adopt more earth-friendly alternatives. The following chapters are grouped thematically: kitchen, bath, laundry, wood care, cleaning metals, walls & carpeting, cleaning the air, garage & basement, garden & landscape, and the home office. There are many (many) recipes and tips and tricks in this volume. Recipes are listed by category. Ingredients are listed bullet style in a sidebar with American standard measurements (no metric). Most of the ingredients will be readily available at a well stocked grocery store or co-op/health food store. Some few ingredients will need to be sourced at a pharmacy or online. The layout is easy to read and has good text contrast. There is very little photography, but recipes are enhanced by small line drawings. The recipes are not very involved, so tutorial photos weren't necessary.

Most people are becoming more aware of the desirability of reducing our plastic waste and our impact on the environment. This book contains a lot of good tips for making cleaning products with less waste, much less packaging, and fewer harsh chemicals.

I would recommend this one for smallholders, off-grid folks, people trying to live healthier lives with less detriment to the environment, money-savers, and the like. Five stars - basic info, but it's very convenient to have it collected and arranged in a logically accessible volume together.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

There’s no need to head to the store for cleaning products anymore! All you’ll need from here on out is some essential oils and a few common household ingredients and you’ll have a sparkling clean house in no time!

Books like this are a great resource to have on hand for the duration and can often be shared with friends and family too!

Thank you Netgalley, Karyn Siegel-Maier, and Storey Publishing for the ARC!

Easy to follow recipes for natural cleaning products with materials that can easily be found in your local grocery or health-food store. The author's suggestions for replacing commercial cleaning supplies with ones you can make yourself are simple yet effective.

The Naturally Clean Home is the perfect book for anyone looking to replace the commercial chemical based cleaning products and be more environmentally friendly. All the recipes are easy to follow and make, and the ingredients are cheap, kind and widely available. There are lots of great ideas and tips and the book is very encouraging. It is the type of book you will return to time and time again and it is a great starting point for making your home healthier while being kind to the environment.

There are few books that I keep, whether for reference or to re-read once I’ve finished, but this book will stay around for years to come, I’m sure. I’ve always had smell sensitivities (migraines), but until the last couple of years, I’ve just experimented with store bought products with lighter or no scent. Unfortunately, even those things have all sorts of chemicals in them. The last year or two, I’ve branched out in my research and experiments, and I love using essential oils. I now make my own lotions and candles with lighter scents that are more gentle on my sensibilities. This book will help me take that one step further to introduce them into my cleaning products.

I already make my own room and fabric fresheners, and I’m looking forward to experimenting more with the recipes in this book to create useful, effective, and natural cleaning products. My cat is getting old as well, and I worry about harsh chemicals around her, as she gets into everything. I learned a lot about the properties of some common, natural cleaners in these pages, and adding essential oils to them can boost their power and make them smell nice.

If you too are looking for more natural alternatives to households products, definitely give this book a go. It’s a handy reference to have no matter what type of cleaning you’d like to tackle. The third editon is out in March, just in time for a good spring cleaning!

This is an updated version of the original book. Goodreads wouldn't allow me to enter the publisher's description in the book description so I will add it here for those who want to know how it varies from the original:

In this updated edition of her best-selling book, Karyn Siegel-Maier brings together the formulas for home cleaning solutions that readers have trusted for years with new information and ingredients updated to today’s green standards. A new introduction shines a light on the antiseptic properties of essential oils, addressing different grades of oil and their effectiveness against bacteria and viruses, as well as updated safety precautions and cost. Updated recipes eliminate Borax (banned as a food additive in the U.S. and from cosmetic and cleaning products in the E.U.) from ingredient lists, replacing it with safe substitutes that include citric acid powder, hydrogen peroxide, diatomaceous earth, cornstarch, washing soda, and baking soda. New recipes show readers how to make easy, nontoxic, environmentally friendly substitutes for popular cleaning products, including molded laundry and dishwasher tablets. Packaging updates emphasize the use of glass containers for homemade cleaning products, to diminish environmental impact of plastic waste.

Many of the complaints that people had for the original have been addressed. It provides a variety of recipes, many of which are variations of vinegar and/or baking soda with some EOs added, but there is a wide range of recipes for a wide range of spaces including areas like the garage, yard, office, etc. It wasn't ultimately very useful for me since I already know how to make basic cleaners and don't use EOs that much in them. While I do use essential oils, I try to use them sparingly since they are not very sustainable (it takes many pounds of plant material for a few drops). It should be useful for those who aren't as familiar with basic nontoxic recipes and for the uses/fragrances of essential oils.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

I like the design of this book. This is an excellent resource for all who want to clean home naturally without harmful chemicals. I make a few of my cleaning products already. Now I have 150 more ideas here, and I will try some of these out.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this! All opinions are my own.

For a few years now I have been using more natural products to clean my home. It is better for the environment, our health and my wallet. So, I was quite interested in this book.

It is an extensive book with lots of recipes of 'how to..' and done in a very nice and easy to read way. The lettering, the graphics and such make this a great book to have on your bookshelf or on your Kindle to browse.

I like the concept of using natural products to clean the house, but missed the part (I see it now on the cover) that this is a big push for essential oils. A little out of my price range. Would recommend if you like the oils.

The cleaning solutions I TrueDepth did work. I don’t see how you are going to notice a few drops of Peppermint oil in a cup of vinegar or baking soda.

Great book, packed full of useful information including cleaning your car. I like the recipes they use, they are so simple too. Nicely laid out book which is easy to flick too as it’s per room.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

This book is awesome! It contains a diverse range of cleaner recipes using natural ingredients. All of the ingredients are easy to find and are simple to put together and use. I already used vinegar as my cleaning base for nearly 10 years now, to save money, but this book uses the vinegar base with other ingredients to help clean specific items/surfaces in your home. This book is indispensable for those who want to cut back on chemicals that can negatively affect health and live a cleaner and simpler life. And the best part, vinegar is cheaper than regular cleaners so these better-for-you cleaners are more cost effective too! Win win!

Author Karen Siegel-Maier has given the readers all of the research, information and Natural Organic Recipes you will need to Clean/treat just about everything inside and outside of your home. This book will inspire you to go chemical free and clean naturally!

Wow! Such an amazing book! I’ve been making my own cleaning products for years, and some of the ones in this book are my absolute favorites, and I’m not going back to commercial products. I’m absolutely thrilled to see 150 recipes in one book. I will most definitely try many of these in the near future.

I am delighted to see that there are chapters for cleaning cars, offices, and outdoors. The recipes are simple, clear, easy to make, and they smell good. I’m a huge fan of essential oils, and I have lots of them at home. I think the explanation and description of essential oils in the book is very good and important. So is the section with the other main ingredients and where to get them.

I got very excited about these recipes and will immediately make minty mirror magic and overnight oven cleaner. I highly recommend this book! It’s about time people stop using commercial poisons and switch to homemade natural stuff.

I received an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.