Book Review: The Simple Living Guide by Janet Luhrs

This is the book that started it all for me. I read it for the first time years ago and it was the first time I realized that there was another way to live and that people were doing it right here under my nose! For me, it's an inspirational and enlightening book much more than an actual guide (despite it's name). I get lots of ideas, lots of food for thought but there's not really instructions on how to do DIY projects or cooking. It has chapters on love and dating, finances, children and much more. If you're even a bit interested in the simpler life, see if you can find a copy. I go back to mine every so often when I need a bit of a reminder as to why I'm doing all of this. After all, living the simple life sure can be hard work!

Book Review: Organic Housekeeping by Ellen Sandbeck

I figured, since we started talking about cleaning yesterday, that this would be a perfect time to review this book. It's a really good source for tips and hints about cleaning without a lot of chemicals. It has chapters that deal with organization, the kitchen, bathroom. bedroom, laundry, general cleaning, indoor air quality, miscellaneous (safety, automotive care, home maintenance, etc) and your garden. While there are tips about how to clean items, there are also tips on what items to buy to make cleaning easier to start with. The book also explains some of the different chemicals that may be in the materials you buy and how they can affect you and your family.

Overall, this is a good book to get you started on the path of natural cleaning. There's not a basic cleaning job that's not covered in this book and most of the materials you need you probably already have. If you don't, you will be able to find them easily.

If you're not sure about natural cleaning methods, check this book out of your local library, try out a few of the tips and then decide whether or not you would benefit from your very own copy.