Home & Garden Highlight: DIY Household Products

Written by Rebekah Gonzalez

Interested in trying out more sustainable and eco-friendly household products?  One way you can do so is by making your own!  Not only will you be reducing the number of toxins entering your body and the planet, but you will also be reducing the amount of single-use plastic that ends up in landfills and our oceans.

Listed below are recommended readings with tips, techniques, and recipes for products that are better for you and the environment (not to mention easier on the wallet).

Recommended Reading

The Organically Clean Home, book cover

The Organically Clean Home by Becky Rapinchuk

Forget about chemical cleaners and pricey "green" products--all you need are a few simple kitchen staples to make your whole house sparkle! The Organically Clean Home features 150 easy-to-make recipes for cleaning products filled with all-natural ingredients you can trust (and actually pronounce!). From dishwasher detergent to antibacterial wipes, America's favorite cleaning blogger Becky Rapinchuk guides you through the steps needed to make these everyday necessities--without spending a fortune.



The Herbal Handbook for Home & Health, book cover

The Herbal Handbook for Home & Health by Pip Waller

Kitchen pharmacy meets green cleaning and natural beauty in this comprehensive handbook of 501 recipes that harness the power of plants to enhance wellness and toxin-free living. Expert herbalist Pip Waller provides a wealth of information about growing, collecting, preserving, and preparing herbs for a variety of purposes--from cleaning products, to food and drink, medicines, beauty products, and more.



The Country Almanac of Housekeeping Techniques That Save You Money, book cover

The Country Almanac of Housekeeping Techniques That Save You Money by Richard Freudenberger

Our forefathers and mothers knew how to keep their homes clean and homey—and live richer while spending less. Many of today's products are expensive, bad for the environment, and don't work any better than Grandma's methods, which only cost pennies.

The editors at Back Home Magazine have collected hundreds of formulas for effective cleaning, gardening, and home maintenance—as well as ways our ancestors saved on heating bills, prevented costly repairs, and maintained a cozy, charming home with little besides ingenuity.



Green-up your Cleanup, book cover

Green-up your Cleanup by Jill Schoff

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.



Essential Oils, book cover

Essential Oils by Shiva Rose

Harness the power of essential oils through easy, nontoxic recipes for daily home use (dishwashing liquid and a bleach alternative), beauty (toners and essential oil perfumes), and more.



Additional Reading

Planet Home, book cover
Good Clean Beauty, book cover
Thrifty Household, book cover
Greening Your Cleaning, book cover
Essential Oils, book cover