Better Basics for the Home: Simple Solutions for Less Toxic Living

We've used many ideas found in this resource over the years. Some are impractical, but it doesn't diminish the value we found in many ideas presented. I know there are a lot of resources out there now about the topic of toxin free environments, but this should still be considered a staple for your library if you want to create and maintain a healthy living environment.I'm not giving it 5 stars because it didn't break totally new ground for us in our research. We still learned many things, but our reviews are tougher because 5 stars is for resources that are exceptionally impactful on our thinking. This doesn't measure so high, but we would encourage anyone to read this as one of their first resources on this topic.

This book probably deserves a 3 for it's liberal preachiness at the beginning which is exceptionally annoying. If I wanted to read Greenie whining I would buy a book by Al Gore. In fairness to the author, she has hypersensitivity to chemicals due to two exposures to strong toxins which adversely affected her health and the quality of her life, so I can understand her having exceptionally strong feelings about such issues as environmental chemical pollution. For this I will cut her slack and give the book a 4. Unfortunately, her view is completely unbalanced and one-sided, never looking if there is another side to the story. As an example, she rails against DDT, quoting 70s data analysis. More recent research which she is obviously unaware of refutes many of the Armageddon claims against DDT which were made in the 70s. She still clings to her tie-dyed truths, regardless of recent scientific evidence. The overwealmingly huge number of human deaths due to malaria (the leading cause of death in many African nations - which is 100% preventable) which could have been avoided by proper and judicious use of chemical pesticides such as DDT is never taken into account. Obviously, don't use a poison exceptionally toxic to mosquitoes as toothpaste. But are hundreds of thousands of preventable human deaths an acceptable price to pay for chemical purity? So, as I said, her worship of the Green Dragon is one-sided and very dogmatic. She's entitled to her beliefs, but she should not beat me over the head with them when I'm not trying to buy a Green Dragon Koran. All I want is what the book cover advertises itself to be.On the very positive side, the book does in fact provide exactly what I was seeking and what the cover says is in it, which is a large number of safe formulas for cleaning and hygine solutions. (I don't want to use poison for toothpaste either). It reports to have well over 800 such formulas, and the author claims she tested all of these and many more, and culled out the ones that don't work well. That implies all the ones in the book do work to some extent, and I'm willing to take her at her word for that. The content of the book is yet to be put to the test in my house, so I can not comment on the efficacy of most of the formulas. I can say that the recipies all seem to use very safe ingredients which my father taught me to use as part of our family history, stretching back multiple generations. Some key ingredients include baking soda, apple cider vinegar, honey, salt, beeswax, cornmeal, olive oil, whisky, herbs of many varieties, cornstarch, cornmeal, hydrogen peroxide, borax, lemon juice, washing soda, and that most amazing of all multi-purpose substances - water. True, she confuses perlite and vermiculite, so she's not an expert gardner, but some minor mistakes is acceptable. Overall, this is a great resource for using common safe ingredients to create a pleathora of cleaning, hygine and other household solutions in an inexpensive, safe and effective manner. If you want what the cover advertises, buy the book and you will absolutely get that - plus you get to listen to a sermon or two from a priestess of the Greenie religion, no extra charge... If on her next book she leaves the preaching at home and gives this good of information on the advertised subject I will hapilly rate her work a 5.;-{>

I recently purchased this book after reading "Radical Homemakers"- I was seeking guidance when it came to becoming a stay at home mom (expecting our first in August) and found this book essential in terms of making my decision to be a contributing homemaker (not a consuming homemaker). After reading it I was inspired to learn of other things I could do in or around the home that would help cut back on my consumer instincts and came across "Better Basics for the Home".At first, I found some of the recipes overwhelming and worried that I had bitten off more than I could chew. Some ingredients are obscure (and perhaps a little too crunchy for me- don't think I will be hunting down the nearest birch tree in the urban area I live in). However, after scrolling through, I did find several straight forward recipes that were exactly what I needed/had in mind for my novice approach to homemade home essentials.After reading most of the recipes, it seems to me that all of your homemaking basics can be performed with vinegar, baking soda, and an essential oil or two- but this book helps me understand the "why"/"how" and provides guidance in terms of preparation. I've already started taking notes in the margins and bookmarking! Now I am just trying to use up my old, chemical-ridden products so that I can reuse the bottles (why buy new ones when I can just recycle!) and get started on some of these recipes.I should note that I only have the slightest interest in going "green" and don't have any skin allergies/sensitivities- which was the author's motivation behind this book. My motivation was to cut back on some of the overly marketed, store-bought products and get back to the basic home essentials that are much more simple yet equally as effective (and from my limited research, less expensive). With that said, there is a sense of accomplishment when I spritz my homemade linen spray/air freshener :) And I guess it feels good to know that all of the ingredients are safe and chemical-free.

What an wonderful book! I've been meaning to try moving to less toxic methods of cleaning my home, but had just never taken the time to do it. A few weeks ago when I was cleaning my bathroom, I looked at my bottle of tile cleaner and realized that if my two year old got a hold of it, it could kill her. So I got out a big box and put in every household cleaner I had that had a warning label on it -- then I hauled it out to the garage and told my husband that he had some toxic waste to dispsose of.I picked up this book from my library, went out and bought everything I needed to replace ALL of the cleaning products I normally use, and spent all of about $12... Then I indulged in a couple of bottles of essential oils, and my house smells better than it ever has, and looks and feels as cleaner than ever.The recipes are easy to make, inexpensive, and very effective. No more expensive, store bought, toxic chemicals in my house!This book is an excellent place to start for beginners like me. I thought I'd better get my own copy before I put too many dog ears and spills on the library's! Next stop... my bathroom cupboards. =)

This is a large and extremely comprehensive volume and, since I bought it for the cleaning solutions contained within, I have only referred to parts of the book and I'm not sure I anticipate ever using the advice on building materials! However, there are a number of extremely useful and practical recipes for eco substitutes for day to day cleaning, many of which I now use to great effect. It's an American book, with lots of evidence and arguments cited coming from US sources (understandably). I was initially concerned that this would mean that many of the ingredients may be more difficult to find in the UK but I am able to source all of them with relative ease. Well worth the money, this book is invaluable if you want to dispense with standard chemical cleaning products.

I bought this after reading about it on a US blog web site & thought I may not be able to get a copy of it. Thrilled I managed to as I try to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle, and this book has loads of tips on practical day to day stuff on the subject.It's not full of making expensive impractical changes to the fabric of your home, but has recipes for cleaning solutions, skin care etc. Good basic tips, and the ones I've tried so far really work. Just trying to cut some of the chemicals out & go back to basic solutions for things. Fascinating book.

I found this to be a helpful book. The only criticism I have is that the author basically recycles the same recipes over and over again. Which is okay but I feel that this can be seen as slightly offensive and lazy. It is easy to fill a book such as this with stuff but one has to make it interesting reading too and I found myself being bored after about 25 pages...

I'm completely satisfied with the book sold by WeBUYBOOKS.

I am working hard on the lessons in this book. Wish I had found it sooner!