Journal-- Herbal Homekeeping: healthy housekeeping

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The next time you’re dashing down the cleaning- product aisle of your local grocery store, searching for your favorite cleaning items, STOP! Look at how many cleaning products are available and the shelf-feet of space they take. I see an amazing irony on those shelves: All those cleaning products, offered to make your homekeeping duties easier, actually complicate life. They also waste valuable natural resources, time, money, and space. They create certain kinds of stress, too—and nobody needs that.

Space. How many plastic bottles and containers can you fit under your kitchen sink? Advertisers would have us believe that we need a different product for each surface in the home and for every messy possibility: dust, grease, mud, pet tracks, clothing stains.

Toxicity. Have you read the labels of these “helpful” products? Many give poison-center phone numbers, toxic-waste disposal information, and disclaimers for allergic reactions, and for good reason. The ingredients of these products are poisonous, toxic, and downright hazardous—yet they’re promoted as our best housekeeping friends.

Raising a Stink. I believe that many people resist cleaning chores because of the penetrating synthetic scents of most cleaning products. They not only smell bad, but for many people these products also cause shortened breath, burning eyes, headaches, and irritability. Couple these problems with subtle fears of toxicity, and it’s no wonder homekeeping is maligned today.

What is the real cost of using these homekeeping products? I’d count indoor-air pollution, solid and chemical toxic waste, and billions of dollars in unnecessary consumer spending. I wonder if the human cost is too high, as well: Have consumers, impelled by advertising and ever-more-numerous products, become compulsive about cleaning everything, all the time? More human misery at the sponge mop isn’t in our best interests.

A Gentle Proposal. Is there a better way? Of course, there is! And I have found it to be a satisfying, economical, and ecological way, too! Why not simplify your homekeeping needs? Why not learn how to incorporate the sensual, healing beauty of the herbal world into your own homekeeping cupboard of favorite household formulations?

By making your own simple, herbal cleaning products, your home can smell fresh, sparkle with cleanliness, and satisfy your desire for a healthful, pleasant environment. Along the way, you can experience contentment, creativity, and living lightly on the planet. By making and using your own herbal homekeeping products, you take an important step toward simplicity.