NON-TOXIC FLEA CONTROL

Does your pet have fleas? Fleas are more than just a nuisance to your pets (and humans); they can also result in severe skin problems.

As with everything, prevention is key.  Once they take hold, it’s hard to get rid of them.  Bathing your pet regularly, using a flea comb daily, regular vacuuming of pet areas and washing pet bedding will help stop fleas.  You don’t need chemical shampoos either – the lather will drown them. Fleas attack weaker pets, so it’s important to keep your pet healthy with regular check ups and nutritious food. Garlic and yeast supplements in your pet’s food help repel fleas from the inside out. The odor and the extra B vitamins make the pet less tasty. Most pets however, succumb to fleas at some point.

The female flea lays her eggs in dark, damp places such as cracks in the floor or a corner of the basement. The flea spends the majority of its lifecycle away from the host animal and attacks the pet only when they need food. But most flea control products are aimed at the adult fleas and are highly toxic to the pet and humans.  Also, much like humans and antibiotics, a certain amount of the flea population becomes resistant to the chemicals, requiring more and stronger chemicals for effective treatment.  The best control should be directed instead at the eggs and larvae to prevent future generations from being born.

If your dog spends a lot of time outdoors, a biological control using nematodes, tiny worms, can be sprayed on your lawn and brings about 90% decrease in the number of flea larvae.  Inside, try sprinkling a boric acid product in your carpet.  Boric acid is inexpensive and effective in killing flea larvae, yet does not harm pets or humans due to its extremely low toxicity.

Another product to sprinkle on your carpet or directly on your pet is Diatomaceous earth, a fossilized algae that resembles chalk dust. It penetrates the waxy coating on a flea’s exoskeleton, causing the flea to die from dehydration. Use a mask when applying so you don’t get it in your lungs.

Several herbal sprays, shampoos and flea collars whose odors repel fleas can be found at natural food stores, garden shops and on line.  Their primary ingredients are cedar wood, citronella and rosemary.  Of course you can always make your own repellant – See below for a simple recipe from Jill Reichert’s The Joy of Green Cleaning.

Natural Flea and Tick Repellant

6 drops lavender oil; 6 drops cedar oil; 6 drops peppermint oil; 1 cup witch hazel

Combine all the ingredients and place in a spray bottle. Shake until mixed thoroughly. Shake bottle before using. This does not need to be worked into the skin. The smell will repel fleas and ticks.

Good luck!

Information compiled from http://www.alt4animals.com/flea.htm, motherearthnews.com, care2.com/greenliving and Green Living, The Environmental Magazine.

GREENER ALTERNATIVES TO CHLORINE BLEACH

 Chlorine Bleach is one of the most effective clothes whiteners and disinfectants, but it can be toxic. Chlorine (Cl₂) is among the ten highest volume chemicals manufactured in the United States. It is used in cleaning products and as a bleaching agent and was the first poison gas to be used as a weapon during World War I.

Chlorine bleach releases dioxin, furans and other organochlorines into the air. Low level exposures, mostly through inhalation, can cause wheezing, sore throat, shortness of breath and cough. With higher levels of exposure, you can experience chest tightness and bronchial spasms.  Studies have shown a relationship between long-term dioxin exposure and kidney, bladder, pancreatic, and other cancers. If chlorine bleach gets on the skin or in the eyes, chemical burns can result.  As with most toxins, children are more affected than adults.  And, of course it eventually finds its way to the water table.

So, what is a safer and effective alternative to chlorine bleach?  Several items right in your kitchen cupboard, like vinegar, lemon juice, hydrogen peroxide, borax, washing soda, (not mixed together however!).

Here are two recipes for bleach from Leslie Reichert’s Joy of Green Cleaning.

Laundry Bleach

1⁄4 cup borax 1⁄4 cup vinegar 1⁄4 cup hydrogen peroxide

Heat the vinegar in the microwave for 30 seconds. Dissolve the borax into the vinegar, and then add the peroxide right before adding to the wash. The peroxide will not stay active for very long so you add it to the mixture right before using it.

Old Fashioned Laundry Whitener

Winter – This is an old remedy that will remove spots from your clothing when all else fails. Wet the clothing that has the spots with water and place it outside in the snow on a sunny day.

Summer – Wet the clothing with water and 1⁄2 cup lemon juice. Place outside in the sun and the combination of the lemon juice and sunshine will bleach the clothing a bright white.

If you don’t want to make your own bleach, Seventh Generation, Ecover, Bi-o-kleen, and Earth Friendly Oxo brite have great products.  They can be found at Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and some conventional supermarkets.

Information compiled from: http://www.health.state.ny.us/environmental/emergency/chemical_terrorism/chlorine_tech.htm, http://healthychild.org/issues/chemical-pop/chlorine/, http://www.thegoodhuman.com/2007/10/02/consider-these-environmentally-friendly-alternatives-to-bleach/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RECIPES FOR A SAFER SILVER POLISH

Nothing enhances your holiday table more than silver, china, candles and a beautiful centerpiece of fresh greens and holly. But unless you use your silver often, it is probably tarnished and needs polishing, and if you are like me, you probably don’t have the time to polish silver with all the other holiday hoopla. I don’t like using commercial silver polish anyway, which often contains thiourea, a known animal and probable human carcinogen.  The thought of eating on silverware polished with toxic chemicals is enough to make me not use it at all.

Image by augenbuch Flickr.com

Here are a couple of simple, quick and non-toxic silver polish recipes.

• Fill a sink or a large pan with water.
• Add two tablespoons of cream of tartar and a few strips of aluminum foil.
• Let the silver soak for an hour or so until it is tarnish free.  In the case of badly tarnished silver, you may notice an odor like rotting eggs. (It’s not harmful, but it’s a good idea to open a window.)
• Rinse with water and pat dry with a soft cloth.

I just tried this and my grandmother’s silver looks like new with very little effort!

Another tried and true recipe is:

• Add 3 to 5 drops of peppermint or spearmint essential oil to toothpaste.
• Rub this mixture with your fingertips onto the silver.  As the tarnish is removed, the toothpaste mixture will turn grayish.
• Rinse the silver well and pat dry.

Hints:  Don’t use rubber gloves while cleaning your silver – rubber can actually corrode the finish.  Don’t allow food to stand on your silver.  Always store rolled up in a flannel cloth.

Information compiled from The Naturally Clean Home by Karyn Siegel-Maier.