Greening Your Cleaning is full of valuable information about how to protect your health by going green with your cleaning routine. Deidre Imus convinces the reader that the chemicals we use to clean our homes, can cause serious illnesses and that modern day cleaners contain a toxic soup of carcinogens, neurotoxins (they attack the body’s brain and nervous system and have been linked to lower IQ’s & ADD in children), mutagens (agents that cause permanent genetic changes in a cell), endocrine disruptors (they interfere with the reproductive and hormonal systems) and teratogens (can cause birth defects). These chemical monsters are lurking in the conventional cleaning products that are used every day in most households- laundry detergents, spot removers, dish soap, air fresheners, all purpose cleaners etc…

Imus points out that we are psychologically addicted to using commercial cleaners because that’s what we grew up with- if it was good enough for Mom, then it’s what we should be using too, right? Too often, we “confuse familiarity with safety.” For instance, most of us are still attached to the idea that the smell of bleach signals clean, which is a dangerous mistake. Bleach/chlorine bleach & chlorine by-products aren’t your friend and here are a few reasons that are given in this book:

-Chlorine ranks #1 in industrial accidents, including deaths, in the United States.

-40,000 household exposures to chlorine were reported to poison control centers in 1993.

-According to the 1990 Clean Air Act, chlorine was listed as an extremely toxic chemical and air pollutant and is thought to play a large part in atmospheric ozone loss.

-In 1993, The American Public Health Association urged manufacturers to stop putting chlorine into their products and to quit poisoning their customers.

There are many healthy alternatives to using bleach and all of the other chemical cleaners we have become accustomed to using. Imus gives a practical room by room approach to incorporating natural cleaners into your daily routine. She gives practical advice on how to keep the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, living areas and laundry room eco friendly. She also remembers to include helpful tips on how to deal with pesky things like clogged drains and pest control without the use of harsh chemicals. This is an excellent reference book to own and can quite literally improve your health and save your life, if you put these suggestions into action around your home.

[Green This!]