If you’ve been spraying, spritzing and shellacking the strongest cleaners you can find all around the house, it’s time to rethink clean. Many of us have the idea that the products that work the best for getting rid of dirt and grime are the ones with the longest chemical names, when, in reality, some of those cleaners may be worse for us than what we’re trying to clean up. In fact, harsh, un-natural cleaning products are part of the reason our indoor air quality is worse than outdoor air quality. What’s worse is that some of the potentially toxic chemicals in certain cleaning products are now being found in the bloodstream of newborns–a very real indication that what we’re cleaning with does have an effect on us and those around us.

Perhaps the silliest part of the way we clean now is that there are plenty of naturally-based alternatives that would get our homes just as clean, smell great, and won’t adversely alter our health. The trick is finding out what they are and how to use them right…and that’s where Squeaky Green: The Method Guide to Detoxing Your Home ($11.53 from Amazon.com) comes in. Written by Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry, the founders of the popular natural cleaning brand Method, Squeaky Green gives you the dirt on conventional cleaners with a bevy of (scary) facts and then takes you through your home, room by room, on a mission of greener cleaning. It will help you understand why you should avoid certain products, what you should look for in others and actually keep you entertained throughout with its easy-to-read format.

If you can’t see yourself sitting down to read a cleaning book cover to cover (even a green one), consider picking up a copy to stash in the closet with your cleaning supplies; tabbed sections make it easy to navigate to specific cleaning questions as needed. You may want to pick up a pack of Method All-Purpose Cleaning Wipes for your cleaning kit, too–they’re biodegradable, non-toxic, good for just about all surfaces and one of our favorite new green cleaners.

For an overview of green cleaning that won’t cost you a dime, check out our Greenzer Guide to Green Spring Cleaning.

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