  Back in the early 80s Anne Berthold-Bond knew something
was not right.
She knew that something wrong with her. Anne found
herself unusually sensitive to the chemicals in her environment; this meant all of the
areas that she existed in- work, home, even when visiting family relatives.
Anne's story is compelling and speaks for the
millions of other people who find themselves innocently hurled into her position.
  Anne
knows exactly when the troubles started. Anne's immune system suffered a huge
insult when she experienced a severe gas leak, which left 70 people hospitalized, while
working at a restaurant.
- This gas leak along with being exposed to an exterminating
pesticide (which was later pulled from the market because it was deemed neurtoxic) used by
her apartment building a month later left Anne's immune system devastated.
- This is when her sensitivities began.
Her day to day living became a struggle for survival.
- She had to move 10 times in four years in a search for clean
air.
- Anne realized that the pollution which was plaguing her was
not only coming from outside of her homes but more importantly from the INSIDE of her
home- her own household cleaning products were poisoning her.
Anne' story kicked off her journey to develop safe,
easy to make household products.
Her book BETTER BASICS FOR THE HOME is a survival guide full of over 800
"recipes" for cleaning the house, washing clothes and even making hand
lotions and creams.
THE BETTER BASICS FOR THE HOME by Anne Berthold- Bond was written to help everyone learn
to make simple and EFFECTIVE household items and eliminate health destroying toxins.
Anne's "recipes' are simple to make, inexpensive, and really work.
I had the wonderful opportunity to talk with Anne about the state of our environment, what
we can do to stop in home- pollution and how her book has helped millions of families.
Great meeting you Anne : ). Your book gives all of us a lot to think about.
Sue:
I always read an author's introduction and acknowledgements, it tells me a bit
about her or him : ). As I read yours and your family history I kept thinking to myself,
"How Smart, this gal is, she has got something here."
What has been the overall reaction and feedback to your book Better Basics for the Home?
Anne:
People are very grateful for the book. I think almost everyone is
well-intentioned about their families health and the environment, but often just don't
know what to do. The book helps.
Sue:
You created a wonderful "survival guide" for household cleaning items,
personal items like lotions and even arts and crafts materials. Is it really as simple and
easy as you say to make these items : )?
Anne:
Believe it or not, it really is. Most recipes just take seconds. The hard part is
making the decision to change. Once a person has done that, the rest is easy.
Sue:
After reading your book, I realized the benefits of a herb garden beyond using
parsley as a garnish for your dinner plate : ). Can you tell me what you will plant in
your herb garden this year and what 3 herbs would you recommend for a beginner
"natural" cleaner to plant?
Anne:
I'm glad you asked; I was just thinking about that this morning. The first thing
I am going to make sure I plant is calendula. It is so great for the skin; I like using it
in such products. The second herb I'll plant is rosemary. It is very antibacterial. The
third? Lavender! It is not only great for cleaning, but also all sorts of personal care
products.
Sue:
You have done a great deal of work in your book. How were you able to test and
create all of these "recipes" ?
Anne:
I've been working on these recipes for almost 20 years. I became very chemically
sensitive in 1980, and willy nilly had to figure it out. I don't have really high
standards for cleaning in my house, but I know others do, like my mother-in-law, so it
became important that I figured out how to make these recipes really work, or she wouldn't
use them and then I couldn't visit.
Sue:
The benefits of your book are amazing and it appears that almost everyone can
make something from this book to replace a store bought product. Is there any type of
person or people with certain illnesses, like ones that may leave a person with a weak
immune system, that might not be able to go "natural"?
Anne:
I think that people with sensitivities should skip the essential oils. I have
personally always been OK with most natural materials (but keep me away from anything
petroleum-based products!), but not everyone is.
FREE BOOK Excerpt
"Better Basics
for the Home"
All-Purpose Pesticide Powder
Reprinted by permission from the author.
©1999 Anne Berthold-Bond. All rights reserved.
 see these FREE recipes
Interested in Anne's
book?
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Soapmaking
 This
week's Craft of the Week features a popular way to have good, clean fun- soap making.
The following recipes will create hand soap, granulated laundry soap, and a basic
shampoo and more. Many of these crafts use lye and you need to exercise proper safety
precautions especially if you're a novice. Don't forget the rubber ducky!
Fix-It Corner presents...
Painting 101
Toning Down a
Color
by Sue Spataro
 Problem:
"I painted my kitchen woodwork a bright blue-green color, which came out more garish
than I wanted....What do I do?"
Answer:
You can use a painting technique to tone down the color you already have painted to create
a textured look. This look will go a long way to distract from the brightness of the
original color plus you'll need to use some more paint for texturing and making it darker
will again help with the present color. |
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