Disinfecting Without Pesticides
| March 25, 2010 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Uncategorized |
Did you know that antibacterial cleaner you are using is a pesticide? Bleach and triclosan (which is in most commercial cleaners, soaps and now even in plastics!) are two very common ways people disinfect their homes. However the over use of antibacterials have been linked to helping to create super bugs.
One of the cheapest and easiest ways to disinfect is by using vinegar. Vinegar is great for killing all the nasty germs but it doesn’t leave behind anything harmful, plus if your kids get in to it, it’s safe.
There are many other ways to keep you house clean and safe. As a wife of a public school teacher I want to keep viruses way as well. Here are my favorite products to use.
First off I love Dr. Bronner’s it’s an organic and fair trade castile soap, it’s safe and works great to clean everything! In the bathroom and kitchen I like to fill up the sink a bit with hot water, put in a few drops of Dr. Bronner’s and with a Skoy cloth use it to clean pretty much every surface. This is great for everyday cleaning.
When cold and flu season hit or someone is sick I like to use For My Kids’ Vinegar of the Four Thieves. It has white distilled vinegar and certified-organic herbs and spices that hold antibacterial and antiviral properties. It doesn’t smell great (at least to me) but it’s a wonderful product and totally safe!
Another safe disinfectant I use is Pure Green 24. My husband even uses this in his classroom, since it has no smell the kids don’t mind it at all. It cleans using silver ions and citric acid. It’s even an EPA registered, broad spectrum antimicrobial disinfectant and deodorizer. It also holds the EPA’s lowest toxicity rating. This cleaner kills pretty much everything (other than us!) and is a really good choice for the work place.
The last item I use is tea tree oil. Tea tree oil is great for killing mold, even toxic mold. It’s very strong so it doesn’t take much and it works great!
This is my post for the Spring Cleaning Carnival: Get The Antibacterials Out. Check out the other wonderful posts at Kitchen Stewardship.
*Disclaimer: In the past I was give a sample of Pure Green 24, Skoy and For My Kids to try out. I was not paid by either company and these are my honest options. *
Tea Tree oil also works for lice.
crazyladyx5: I didn't know that, that's awesome!