For more information on ecologically sound cleaning, there are plenty of websites and books on the subject. Here are some that may be helpful to you, your home and the environment: Dubbed the "Green Heloise," Annie Berthold-Bond has been writing about the effects of what we use to clean our homes on the environment for nearly 20 years.
Clean and Green by Annie Berthold-Bond; Ceres Press, 1990
Better Basics for the Home by Annie Berthold-Bond; Three Rivers Press, 1999
The Green Kitchen Handbook by Annie Berthold-Bond; Harper Collins, 1997
Clean House, Clean Planet: Clean Your House for Pennies a Day, the Safe, Nontoxic Way by Karen Noonan Logan; Pocket Books, 1997 Explains how to make and use environmentally friendly and inexpensive household cleaners out of everyday ingredients, offering advice on how to do everything from cleaning the oven to unclogging the sink.
The Naturally Clean Home: 101 Safe and Easy Herbal Formulas for Non-Toxic Cleansers by Karyn Siegel-Maier; Workman Publishing Company, 1997 This guide to creating herbal, non-toxic cleaning formulas for the home includes easy-to-follow instructions for laundry detergent, dishwashing liquid, bathroom cleaners, air and carpet fresheners, insect repellents and much more. Websites
care2.com This website provides an environmental network for healthy living and a healthy planet. You can sign up for over 10 newsletters to find simple solutions, natural products and homemade formulas.
Green Home Living Magazine greenhomeliving.com Their mission: We're a little magazine with a big dream: green America one home at a time. Everything you need for a healthy home environment.
Seventh Generation seventhgeneration.com At the site, you can sign up for a free newsletter called Non-Toxic Times.
Caldrea caldrea.com This company is devoted to creating products to help care for your home naturally and pleasantly, from hard-working, earth-friendly cleansing solutions to products to keep your home clean and fresh.
Cloverdale Inc. cloverdaleinc.com Cloverdale Inc. is an environmental company that markets biodegradable cleaning products, including an all-purpose cleaner that meets Occupational Safety & Health Administration requirements, a dishwashing liquid and laundry soap.
The Federal Trade Commission issued the Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims (Green Guides) to prevent the false or misleading use of environmental terms in product advertising and marketing and to reduce consumer confusion. Find it on the Web at www.ftc.gov/bcp/grnrule/guides92.htm. For a printed copy of the Green Guides, contact: FTC Consumer Response Center, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20580; 202-382-4357.
Visit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Pollution Prevention Information Clearing House, www.epa.gov or call them at 202-260-1023. Judith Stock
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