Amy Ziff's Book Review of Cleaning House

Fifteen years ago, when MADE SAFE was a yet-to-be-named idea to bring people, and especially Moms, reliable science about everyday products with an easy-to-recognize symbol for making safer, more sustainable product choices in a sea of greenwashing, Lindsay Dahl became an early champion. She was in my corner, rooting for my success, whispering to others to listen. As our career journeys intertwined our paths like a double helix, we became colleagues, friends, on similar yet different paths.

This seems like a lifetime ago; it’s back to her early days, but not exactly where her story begins. She was in DC working as a lobbyist under the wing of the much-revered Andy Igrejas at Safer Chemicals, Healthier Families. He became my fiscal sponsor and one of my first official advisors, which I attribute to Lindsay. She and I spoke about my idea, and she instantly “got it”. She told Andy to listen to my idea, to meet with me, and encourage him to support my work.

Lindsay was a quiet cheerleader, a friend in the making, and a comrade in arms. I am forever grateful. The world of chemicals is complicated. In this movement, it’s often said that you shouldn’t require a PhD to figure out what products are acceptable for use. Truth. And I’ve added to that by insisting since Day 1 that the products we use daily should not lead to disease. Obviously.

Easy enough for everyone to agree on those basics.

But when you dig in, you realize the obvious has been overlooked for profiteering, and the easy isn’t always black and white. Anyone who looks finds themselves in a sea of chemicals and losing footing fast. How is any busy person supposed to deal with that?

If you’re reading this, you know that MADE SAFE is your first stop for finding better, safer, and more sustainable products. You know you can trust our scientific determinations. But what about the things we have yet to certify? What do you do to make a bigger difference when there’s so much confusion? So much so that our regulations are failing all of us.

In this book, Lindsay lays out the complexity and solutions by taking you through her own learning journey. She is not a scientist, but a concerned citizen whose career has been focused on protecting people from harmful chemicals. Whether as a lobbyist taking on chemical giants, pushing for better policy, creating policies at better brands, or speaking as a Mom, her intent has always been to help people use better products and to curb the constant pollution from products and practices in modern life.

It’s a hard task to represent all the complexity of this work. All the players, the chemicals, and the people. From heroic researchers, scientists, doctors, founders, the media, influencers, and brands. Yet she covers it all in this easy-to-read book.

Lindsay has artfully told the story of some of the worst chemicals of our time and shines some light on some of the everyday heroes in this work - she tells it in a way that anyone can understand. And that, hopefully, every reader will be motivated by. It’s good to have Lindsay in your corner.

On top of that, this book is also about the moment in time we are in. It is about truth, talking truth to power and each other. It is about protecting yourself and making a little dent in the world.

As she says in her book, stay with her….”everyone is needed and everyone is welcome.” When people give in, capitulate or flat out give-up – the chemistry industry wins. And boy, do they want to win.But what is most important about this book is its essential truth:“Science— facts—shouldn’t have anything to do with party affiliation.”It’s time for us all to ensure that happens.

Please read this book and share it with everyone you know, host a book discussion and use the questions at the end of the book for prompts. I will leave you with this message, it is essential because right now we could all use a little Cleaning House.