"Green House Effect"
The Washington Post, July 2005

"Most homes may be clean, but very few of them are green," according to Green Clean: The Environmentally Sound Guide to Cleaning Your Home (Melcher Media; 184 pgs.; $16.95). This book by Linda Mason Hunter and Mikki Halpin will prompt readers to rethink the 40 pounds of chemicals the average American household uses each year.

A guide to the eco-friendly movement, it includes room-by-room ideas for safer ways to clean, lists of green ideas, recipes for commonplace products and ways to eliminate waste. I'm not ready to mix my own dish soap or bathe my cat in tomato juice should he tangle with a skunk. But I'm going to consider these tips:

	Run a cup of vinegar through my washing machine and dishwasher to keep them clean.
	Install a ceiling fan in the hot attic (instead of a costly roof-installed model) to save on energy costs.
	Create a fragrant mold and mildew spray using one drop of tea tree oil to one cup of water to remove mold on tile grout.

An added bonus: The book itself is waterproof and stain-resistant--so it can be stored in your cleaning bucket.

- Jura Konclus