5 unbelievably nerdy stars!
I feel like I got a crash course in Chemistry and should get some college credit for this one. I’ve never felt so enthralled about science and learned so much about the origins of cleaning products, how they’ve evolved, and why certain chemicals work on certain issues.

I listened to the audiobook, but wish I would’ve gotten a hard copy to refer back to certain parts easily. You better believe I ordered myself some citric acid and PH strips, like I’m some sort of Chemistry professor after learning about hard water stains.

Narrator- perfect voice for the book

Thanks so much to the author, NetGalley, and Dreamscape Media for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you like to clean or know what works best for cleaning, this is a great book.
You will not only learn about the science behind all the things we use to clean but you will also learn the history of cleaning.
I enjoyed the info about getting the brown gunk out of your coffee mugs. That was so interesting.
You will learn about soap, lime scale, bleaching agents, what skin oils do to clothes and all the symbols on your clothing labels and what they mean.
There were times that I know I glazed over because the science was over my head. However I have learned so much and I am sure certain things will pop into my head the next time I am cleaning.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the arc.

I will admit that chemistry is not my subject. But I enjoy science and I like to clean. My homestead group is big on home remedies for cleaning hacks, but I wonder if they are actually effective, efficient, and ecological. I also have a healthy fear of mixing substances together.

There is a lot of information in this book. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Robert Shiels. It was good for reviewing the book and getting an overview of what it was all about. However, I think for me to put the information to use I would like a print copy that I could refer back to it - or perhaps I should have taken better notes!

I happened to be washing dishes when I got to the chapter on dishwashing. Yes, it would be more effective, efficient, and ecological to use a dishwasher but mine doesn't work and my kitchen needs other repairs so until that gets done I'm handwashing dishes. I liked that Bressanini gave tips that used modern conveniences (like dishwashers and washing machines) and less modern methods like hand washing dishes and clothes as there are still plenty of people in the world still cleaning that way.

Bressanini covers A LOT of cleaning from personal hygiene to floors and pipes. He also covers disinfecting and sanitizing which are different.

While my eyes kind of glazed over when he was detailing chemical formulas, I really enjoyed the history of soap and of course, I liked the section about toxoplasmosis (I have 7 cats but I also work for a parasitic research center and this is one of the parasites studied there). I always get a little thrill when the university where I work is mentioned in a book and the studies he mentions - I am familiar with so that was cool.

The book is packed full of useful information. And while he cautiously discusses home remedies I didn't feel like he was in the pocket of chemical companies and cleaning product manufacturers. I used one of his tips for getting the limescale out of my cats' water bowl - soaking it in vinegar!

If you are confused by the symbols on your clothing's tag (I recently got a dress that only had symbols on the tag and no words for laundering it - I didn't study hieroglyphs!), he goes over all the symbols and went into a lot more details about doing laundering than I expected. When I first picked up the book, I kept thinking the title should have been The Chemistry of Cleaning (I like the alliteration), but soon it was evident that there was more science than just chemistry in the book.

I learned a lot and think this should be on every household's bookshelf for reference.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Wednesday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2024/05/the-science-of-cleaning-by-dario.html

I hope to be able to hear this audiobook soon. I think the premise is very good and imagine the info will be useful. HOWEVER, try as I might, I can't get this selection to download on my NetGalley app, despite the easy download of other NetGalley audiobooks just this past week. Please fix.

I'm giving this audiobook a neutral rating in anticipation of being able to listen to it. I don't want the author/book to get dinged for the app's vagaries.