CLEANING THE HOUSE IS KILLING ME...Maybe It Really Is!

Valentines Day isn’t even here yet and I noticed Easter items in the stores.  That made me think of Spring cleaning, and all the chemicals we will be exposing ourselves and our precious little ones to.

If I had known then what I know now I would have handled it very differently as I do now.  Thought I had allergies along with the children, that no longer happens, but I no longer use the harsh chemicals that I once thought to be safe.

Some of our cleaners contain 2-butoxyetanol those are window cleaners, carpet cleaners, tub and tile cleaners and all purpose cleaners etc.  Long term use this chemical can be linked to cancer, liver damage, kidney damage and can affect the reproductive organs.

  

Formaldehyde can be found in air fresheners, carpet shampoo, carpet stain remover, deodorant, dishwashing liquids, make-up, perfume, and fabric softener which stays in your clothes and against your skin and you inhale it all day.

Read those labels protect yourself and your family make educated choices not those imposed on us by those catchy commercials.  I am attaching one of many links that you can look up to see what is in the products you are using.  Keep in mind we might be using several of them in one day.

http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/index.htm

Remember just because they sell it, doesn’t mean its safe….

Unsuspected Toxin Dangers

Perflurinated… can you pronounce it? Do you know what it is?  Many of us have it and have no idea.  If you think it might be a bit hard to say, it is twice as hard to get it out of the environment including the human body.  More information can be found on this website, http://pollutioninpeople.org/toxics/pfcs.

Perflurinated toxins can be found in Teflon products, and in micro-wave popcorn bags, it is the coating that prevents things from sticking.  These toxin containing products are used everyday in our homes, without our knowledge of the harm they may be causing us. The chemical in these products collect in our bones, fat and organs.  Even if you stop using all of these products the chemicals that we were already exposed to will be still found in our bodies many years later.

These chemicals are suspected in affecting the endocrine systems, along with PCBS and DDT, they don’t seem to break down in the environment.  More information can be read on these toxins and others in  “The Body Toxic: by Nena Baker.

Stings of Spring, Summer Pest

With Spring and Summer upon us, we no doubt will be sharing our space with other little creatures.  Some of these little creatures can be very annoying; a few of these are yellow jackets along with wasps and hornets. 

I have a small deck with my backyard stairs and this seemed to be a favorite place for wasp to set up there quarters.  I had tried different ways of making this seem less attractive to them but they always came back.

I tried the jug with the sweet juice that was supposed to trap them… as you can see in the picture it didn’t do what it was supposed to do instead it supplied them with another place to make a nest.

What I did discover a few years back was a mixture mint oil and water sprayed on the surface of my deck and where they made their nest, the mint kept them away.  I would spray the area once a week; if it didn’t rain I could go for two weeks and no sign of the wasp. 

I would also spray around my outdoor furniture and tables to keep them away.  It isn’t poison and will not harm your pets, just to be careful not to get it in your eyes because it does burn,  (wash your hands after use in case you forget and rub your eyes)

I spray a wash cloth and take it with me when I walk the baby to keep them away from the stroller.  I carry a small sprayer bottle with me also if I go anywhere there might be buzzing pest.  

I spray the shed in the backyard under the eves and under the eves of my house, wherever wasp or hornets have set up homes in the past.  I go all summer without worrying that I am going to be bumping into a nest like I have done in the past.  I have sprayed the screens in a screened in porch and the eves to prevent them from finishing a nest they started.

Hope you find it works for you to it is better then using the poison that you or your children could come in contact with.  It is also not safe to spray any kind of poison around food areas where the pests seem to like to be around.

Also before you use your BBQ make sure that there are no nests inside before you light it, also check carefully under the cover if you have it covered for the winter.

Please leave any helpful information you would like to share. 

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Not Such A Bright Idea

We need to educate ourselves in order to insure our own safety and those we love, not to mention the environment in which we live.  I hear a lot of talk about changes being made to help our environment but you need to know the only one that is going to protect you is you yourself.  That is why educating yourself is a wise choice.

We now can not find in our stores the light bulbs we use to use, we have energy saving light bulbs now, sounds good, but is it?  I think the package should contain the handling of these light bulbs and the danger they can cause if one breaks.  CAUTION SHOULD READ CLEARLY ON THE PACKAGE LABEL, BUT IT DOESN’T.  These Bulbs contain small amounts of Mercury 

Most of the people I have talked to do not know how to properly dispose or clean up a broken energy saver light bulb, and yes this could be hazardous to your health.  How many of us run to get the vacuum so that no little bits of glass remain, yes we want to keep our family safe.  But are we?

Click onto the site that tells you how to properly dispose and clean up a broken light bulb. 

http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/promotions/change_light/downloads/Fact_Sheet_Mercury.pdf

Do you feel like you are saving energy?  Or do you feel like you are endangering your family friends and planet.  All energy bulbs I believe are manufactured out of our country.  The regular light bulbs that were manufactured here will not be manufactured and perhaps the manufacturing has already stopped. 

What will be the long term effect?  Does anyone really know, is this really going GREEN?  What the heck were they thinking?