There are a number of effective treatments
that are alternatives for otherwise harsh
and dangerous chemicals that we use in our home
from cleaning, to pesticide used both indoors and outdoors.
So much information exists online
that, that can be easily researched,
but for example, indoor cleaning products
there's not much that I can't do with just using
lemon juice, lemon peels, alcohol, vinegar, and baking soda.
For example, I like to use baking soda and vinegar combined together
and that's a really deep cleaning combination.
It's very effective
and it makes it so I don't have to use any harsh chemicals
to clean really baked on pots and pans and things like that,
but not all combinations are safe.
Things like ammonia and bleach should never be combined.
They can actually create a very dangerous off-gassing.
So, just be mindful of what you're working with
and if you stick to the safer ingredients
on that end of the spectrum, you should be fine.
When you're looking for treatments for pest,
there are a lot of alternatives for them as well
that are much safer than some of the traditional synthetic chemicals.
First thing you want to do though
is make sure that what you're treating
is actually a pest and that it's not a beneficial insect.
So, if you have ladybugs, for example,
some of the larval stages look very menacing,
they don't look anything like a lady bug.
So, you want to make sure that you know all of those life cycles
and at least know what it is that you're treating before you treat it.
So, when you know that, then there are a lot of target treatments
that are safe, non-toxic, they're not harmful to other mammals,
birds, they're safe for fish, safe for you, your pets and children.
Many of the pest problems that I have in the garden,
I can handle with just a handful of products,
including alcohol and water in a spray bottle or on a cotton swab.
I use name oil, which is derived from the oil of the seed
or leaf from a tree, the name tree.
Still need to be cautious when we're handling this,
because it's concentrate,
but it's targeted to specific fungus, mites, and insects.
We have BT, which is a bacteria found naturally in the environment
and it's targeted to things like caterpillars, but against specific insects.
Soapy water is effective against many soft-bodied insects.
Also diatomaceous earth serves to cut up the underbelly
and dry out some of the soft-bodied insects as well.
So, those are a great arsenal of products that are relatively harmless.
We still need to read the labels and make sure that we're using them safely
and they are going to be very effective
against most of your pest
that you'll have around the home and garden.
There are few options as well, if you want to deter some pest.
You have Capsaicin, which is like a crushed red chili pepper oil
that's going to prevent a lot of things from nibbling on leaves.
Peppermint oil will deter a lot of things like ants.
Some of these have to be reapplied, if we are watering overhead
or if we get some rain.
They only have a short window that they're sticking on the plants,
but again very safe and non-toxic
and they're not harming other things in the food chain.
So, whatever we choose to use
we want to be mindful of how we're using it,
be safe, take the necessary precautions to protect our skin,
eyes, lungs and the rest of our environment.
If we choose to use anything that might have longer lasting effects
or that is a little harsher,
being mindful that these things are often residual.
They don't only just affect the pest that we're trying to treat,
but they end up in our water supply, in our air.
They can be passed on through our bodies
and are very harmful in many cases to young people,
children, pets, and people with susceptible immune systems.
So, just use these products carefully
and have fun researching alternatives
that will keep you and your home safer.
