Is Green Cleaning Romantic?

Do you know how many books are out there about green housekeeping? Annie B. Bond has two, Better Basics and Clean and Green. Deirdre Imus wrote Green This Volume I in 2007 and Volume II is due out later this month. There is Green Clean (2005), Naturally Clean Home (1999), Clean House Clean Planet (1997) Naturally Clean (2006). And a new batch of green cleaning books for 2008: Green Housekeeping, Green Up Your Cleanup, Green This Volume II, Squeaky Clean: The Method Guide to Cleaning Your Home and more.

And don't forget, even though it's not green, but almost five (5) POUND book by Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook: The Essential Guide to Caring for Everything in Your Home.

Now, I am happy to see housecleaning books using green cleaning methods. But, do we really need so many books? Do you really need an entire book to help you clean your home? Is there some new romance about housecleaning and green?

I just don't get it. I devoted four (4) pages in my book, Harmonious Environment. to cleaning. I really don't see it as complicated, I guess. In fact, I further reduced the cleaning thing to a one (1) page chart: From Toxic to Safe and Healthy Cleaning Products Guide.

Some of the books mentioned have dozens of cleaning recipes for different tasks. What the heck for? You simply don't need them.

Virtually all of the books are written by women. Women, I dare say, that have way too much time on their hands. Unless that's the secret--people are "so busy" nowadays because they spend hours making ridiculous recipes and cleaning for hours.

I have a clean home and absolutely feel that it is important. But, I don't spend hours first being guided about how to clean my home and then hours more cleaning.

Another possible explanation for this green cleaning frenzy is that it is one of the simpler ways to green your lifestyle. This makes it a relatively simple book to write and could explain why there are so many of them out there. Since green cleaning is new for many people, I guess they want guidance.

I don't know. Green or not, I hate to clean.

For more information, go to Harmonious Environment.