Do It Yourself Green Products

DUST WIPES
This recipe will make your own sweet-smelling dust wipes that will be as good if not better than any store-bought ones.

You need:

* one cup of lemon oil
* two cups of hot water

Just stir together the lemon oil and the hot water. Dip lint-free cloths into this potion. Squeeze out the extra liquid and let them air dry.

Store in a covered metal container until you're ready to dust.

AIR FRESHENER
To make a safe homemade air freshener you need the following:

* one-tablespoon vinegar
* one-teaspoon baking soda
* two cups of water

Mix the above together, after is stops foaming, mix well, and using a spray bottle, spray it into the air.

BATH OIL
Before a bath why not make your own soothing bath oil. It will leave your skin lovely and soft.

To make enough for 1 bath

*8 floz/225ml honey
*16 floz/450ml milk
*16 tablespoons sea salt or cooking salt
*4 tablespoons Baking Soda (bicarbonate of soda)
*4 floz/115ml baby oil

In a large bowl, combine the honey, milk, sea salt and baking soda; stir well. Pour the mixture into a bath full of warm water and then add the baby oil. Mix well with the water. Make fresh each time of use.

HERBAL SHAMPOO
This recipe makes oily hair shiny and manageable. If your hair needs conditioning, use the egg and milk.

To make enough for 4 washes

* 2 tablespoons dried peppermint
* 2 tablespoons dried spearmint
* 1 tablespoon dried sage
* 8 floz/225ml purified water
* 2½ floz/70ml baby shampoo
* 1 egg, beaten (optional)
* 2½ floz/70ml milk (optional)

Place the herbs in a small saucepan, add the water, and bring to a full boil. Remove the pan from the heat and steep the herbs for 20 minutes. Strain the liquid and discard the herbs. In a jar, mix the baby shampoo with 2 floz/60ml of the herbal water. Shampoo as usual. The basic mixture will keep for 6 months, but if using egg and milk, make fresh each time.

Green Up Your Cleanup (Green House)



Green Up Your Cleanup is a timely handbook of advice and cleanser "recipes" that explains how to eliminate toxic-chemical household cleaning agents from your life and replace them with natural, and often homemade solutions. Inspired by the author's experience as a mother of an allergic child, the book includes anecdotal information that led her to natural cleaning solutions and has "green facts," "smart tips," and informational sidebars generously sprinkled throughout the text.
The book is divided into three parts, "The Basics," "Inside Jobs," and "Dirty Jobs," and covers everything from green-cleaning the kitchen to green-cleaning the car. A handy size and a spiral binding make it easy to keep on hand as a reference as you do the chores.

Green Goes with Everything


According to Barnett, the Green Editor for KNTV in San Francisco, human beings are saturating their bodies, their children's bodies and their homes with noxious waste, pathogens and carcinogens. Barnett recounts having her blood and urine tested to illustrate how toxins have deeply embedded themselves-her results show positive for bisphenonol A (linked to birth defects and reproductive problems) and perchlorate (an active ingredient in rocket fuel found in contaminated food). The book is divided into seven clean-it-up chapters full of solid information and helpful tips aimed at greening different areas of your life, such as how to best filter household water. Barnett's well-written environmental call-to-arms is passionate and authoritative; her findings correlating childhood illnesses with ordinary-and highly toxic-cleaning supplies is alarming. However, readers will likely find Barnett's claims slightly suspect for the fact that her sensible advice is compromised by her relentless endorsement of Shaklee products (her husband happens to be the Shaklee CEO). (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.

Green Remodeling

Ultimate Guide to Green Remodeling goes beyond other home improvement books in that it shows homeowners how they can take part in the "green" revolution when remodeling their homes. Through common remodeling projects, such as replacing kitchen cabinets and installing new countertops, readers are presented with choices for using green, nontoxic building materials and techniques. Some of the topics covered include reducing home energy use, selecting nontoxic materials, saving water, and supporting the environment through the use of products that are manufactured responsibly or that come from sustainable natural resources.

Gorgeously Green

Are you confused by all the advice you hear and see daily on how to "go green"? Do you want to incorporate earth-friendly practices into your life, but you don't know where to start? Don't stress! Green guru Sophie Uliano has sorted through all the eco-info out there and put everything you need to know about living a green lifestyle right at your fingertips.

In Gorgeously Green, Sophie offers a simple eight-step program that is an easy and fun way to begin living an earth-friendly life. Each chapter covers topics from beauty to fitness, shopping to your kitchen-even your transportation. Whether it's finding the right lipstick, making dinner, buying gifts, or picking out a hot new outfit, finally, there is a book that tackles your daily eco-challenges with a take-charge plan. Just consider Sophie your go-to girl with all the eco-solutions.

Go Green, Live Rich

Bach (The Automatic Millionaire; Start Late, Finish Rich) offers a multitude of suggestions for conserving the planet-and your money-in this attractive and accessible guide. A few of Bach's tips require making a serious commitment (growing your own vegetables, using recyclable energy, trading in your car for a fuel-efficient model); others such as unplugging unused appliances, switching to compact fluorescent bulbs and eating less meat are simple-if familiar-ways to go green. Bach also advocates making environmental consciousness a family value (spending more family time in nature, taking volunteer vacations), greening holidays by using recycled wrapping paper, sending e-cards and tree-cycling. Bach clarifies how the most conservative changes in lifestyle can yield radical results: If every U.S. computer and monitor were turned off at night, the nation could shut eight large power stations and avoid emitting 7 million tons of CO2 every year. In the Finish Rich section, Bach turns his attention from going green to getting green-investing the money you save in eco-friendly businesses. A winning and wise guide, this book-printed on recycled paper with proceeds going to a green advocacy group-will find a large audience.

It's Easy Being Green

Surveys find that over 80 percent of Americans agree with the goals of the environmental movement. Sadly, most Americans admit to doing little more than basic recycling when it comes to acting on that disposition. What is the reason for this great divide between environmental sentiment in this country and individual actions? Author and environmental consultant Crissy Trask seeks to answer this question-and solve the disparity-with a new book that makes it easy to be an environmentalist, no matter how busy or hectic your lifestyle. This is a day to day guide with simple, practical suggestions that anyone can put into action.