In 1987 I moved to New York to become an artist and shortly thereafter began cleaning apartments for extra cash. I had placed an ad in the Village Voice advertising myself as a male housekeeper who cleaned "In the European Tradition"… whatever that meant.
From dozens of responses I managed to find four sincere individuals that were infinitely cleaner than I ever would have dreamed (hence making my life easier!). I began traveling the length of Manhattan from the Cloisters to the World Trade Center cleaning one apartment after another with my cleaning kit of commercially manufactured products—the usual suspects available at any grocery store.
I cleaned with abandon, the effects were dazzling and my clients began making referrals. But the daily multi-exposures to these products left me feeling awful. It was then that I began to think that there must be a better way for me to continue doing housework, but to do it in a way that wasn’t toxic to my body. I realized that the pioneers who traveled across the Great Plains in the 1800s did so without the “convenience” of handy wipes, dishwasher tabs, aerosols, or self-sanitizing lotion. And had it not been for the fact that they were probably trampled by their own livestock or were killed by each other in the Wild, Wild West, the strongest arrived at their destinations fed and clean. My goal then became to discover their lost secrets of cleaning.
What I’ve come to learn is that no matter how you look at it, cleaning is hard work. But what I’ve also come to know is that cleaning with the five wholesome, safe, and planet-friendly ingredients I’ve identified in “Clean: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing”—white vinegar, salt, lemon, baking soda and borax—are not just alternatives, but rather, the solution to a much bigger challenge--that of living a life that’s mindful of one’s self, one’s loved ones, one’s pets, one’s neighbors, one’s community, and one’s planet.
From dozens of responses I managed to find four sincere individuals that were infinitely cleaner than I ever would have dreamed (hence making my life easier!). I began traveling the length of Manhattan from the Cloisters to the World Trade Center cleaning one apartment after another with my cleaning kit of commercially manufactured products—the usual suspects available at any grocery store.
I cleaned with abandon, the effects were dazzling and my clients began making referrals. But the daily multi-exposures to these products left me feeling awful. It was then that I began to think that there must be a better way for me to continue doing housework, but to do it in a way that wasn’t toxic to my body. I realized that the pioneers who traveled across the Great Plains in the 1800s did so without the “convenience” of handy wipes, dishwasher tabs, aerosols, or self-sanitizing lotion. And had it not been for the fact that they were probably trampled by their own livestock or were killed by each other in the Wild, Wild West, the strongest arrived at their destinations fed and clean. My goal then became to discover their lost secrets of cleaning.
What I’ve come to learn is that no matter how you look at it, cleaning is hard work. But what I’ve also come to know is that cleaning with the five wholesome, safe, and planet-friendly ingredients I’ve identified in “Clean: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing”—white vinegar, salt, lemon, baking soda and borax—are not just alternatives, but rather, the solution to a much bigger challenge--that of living a life that’s mindful of one’s self, one’s loved ones, one’s pets, one’s neighbors, one’s community, and one’s planet.
So add your two cents. Tell me your story because we all should know what you're doing to make a difference.
Together we can re-teach the world how to clean.
