This book is an essential DIY household guide for a toxic-free and environment-friendly cleaning. Making your cleaning products is very easy if you follow this guide's steps.

INTRODUCTION

"A few years ago I decided to stop buying almost all the cleaning products sold on the market. A terrible experience of toxic reactions following cleaning prompted the decision. I used to clean everything with bleach because it seemed to me to be effective and to leave a sparkling finish. Then I started noticing that I became sick every time I used it, so I began to research all the products I was using in my home (and on my body as well) and what I discovered was quite alarming.

I learned that common household cleaning products (not just bleach) are actually quite toxic to our health and contribute towards respiratory problems, skin irritation, nervous-system damage and other health issues.

Fortunately, chemical-based products aren’t the only way to keep our homes clean. The choice to swap to non-toxic, homemade cleaning products is not just the best alternative for our health, it can also help us save money and protect the environment. Also, making your own products reduces packaging and plastic waste and water pollution.

As we are warned almost daily, plastic pollution lasts indefinitely, with horrible effects on wildlife and the environment. Every minute a truckload of plastic enters our oceans, and sea creatures can become entangled in it or mistake it for food. But we can all do something to help. Reusing plastic and spray bottles multiple times is a small step you can take to reduce the amount of single-use plastic that makes its way to the ocean.

At the same time, household products are also very harmful to the environment. Conventional cleaning agents (washing-up liquid, general detergents etc), personal-care products, fertilisers and pesticides etc all discharge a substantial amount of toxic chemicals into the water. Given that water-treatment systems are unable to remove these poisons effectively from the wastewater, they end up in the seas and oceans, contributing to water pollution. So, it is important to watch what you empty into sinks, toilet bowls and drains etc and, accordingly, one of the best measures you can take is to switch to eco-friendly home-cleaning products. Their impact on water and the environment will certainly be much friendlier.

In fact,

"THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AWAY. WHEN WE THROW AWAY ANYTHING IT MUST GO SOMEWHERE".
(The Story of Stuff - Annie Leonard)

So, if you, like me, want your home to be clean, but do not really want to use a cocktail of chemicals on the surfaces where you prepare your dinner, or in the air that you breathe, please just follow the small steps in this book. It can guide and help you to get rid of the toxins in your home, especially if you are not sure where to start. The recipes on the following pages and the basic ingredients in The Green Kitare the first simple step in your journey to learning how to survive and to clean without chemical products.

I have tried out dozens of recipes over the last few years and the ones here are those that work best in my cleaning routine. I hope you will enjoy your own DIY and that this book will encourage you to reject the idea that only expensive, toxic and branded products can keep your home clean. Making your own cleaning products seems a small step, but it is a huge leap to say NO to the power of marketing and to gain more control over our lives.

Happy DIY!

Love, Jo"

The Recipes you will find in the book:

1. Laundry detergent

2. Wool&delicates laundry liquid

3. Laundry sequestrant

4. Laundry softener and dishwasher rinse-aid

5. Dishwasher detergent

6. All-purpose degreaser

7. Limescale Remover

8. Kettle descaler

9. Toilet and drain cleaner

10. Washing-machine maintenance treatment

11. Dishwasher maintenance treatment

12. Washing-machine and dishwasher descale treatment

These are the products you will not need to buy anymore:

1. Laundry detergent

2. Laundry softener

3. Wool & delicate laundry liquid

4. Stain pre-treat spray

5. Laundry booster bleach

6. Fabric stain remover powder

7. All-purpose degreaser

8. Kettle descaler

9. Dishwasher tablets

10. Dishwasher rinse-aid

11. Dishwasher and washing-machine maintenance cleaning powder

12. Limescale and grease remover for washing-machine and dishwasher

13. Bathroom cleaner spray

14. Limescale and grime shower spray

15. Toilet cleaner

16. Sink and drain cleaner