Cleaning solutions that are safe for you and the envrionment

 After years of using chemical cleaners, I finally tried a couple of environmentally friendly cleaning products- and they work great!  Vinegar and baking soda! 

According to the Good Housekeeping Institute, straight 5% solution of vinegar (the kind you buy at the grocers) kills 99% of bacteria, 82% of molds, and 80 % of viruses.                                                                                              
  Kitchen and bathroom:

I use straight vinegar on counter tops, in sinks, and in and around toilets, to remove germs.  Used in conjunction with baking soda, making a paste, it works great on sinks and bathtubs removing soap scum. Baking soda with a little water used on counter tops removes stains, even red wine and tea, and it doesn’t take off the finish. (You’ll need to rinse it a couple of times as it’s a little gritty.)  A vinegar/ water solution in a spray bottle makes a great window/mirror cleaning solution, and mixing ½ cup vinegar in 1 gallon (4 liters) of water is good for washing lino or vinyl floors (¼ c to 1 gallon for ceramic tiles).

Straight vinegar works really well on chrome to make it shiny, on shower glass doors to remove hard water spots, and soaking the shower head in a bowl of vinegar will remove the lime and calcium deposits that clog the holes.  It takes a little longer than the advertised ‘lime removers’ but I would rather use a natural product than a chemical that is corrosive and takes the color out of my shirt (as I always manage to get some on it).

I agree that you still need to turn on the bathroom fan, as vinegar vapors can be pretty strong, but they do dissipate quite fast.

It’s a product that’s safe around children, still kills the germs and it’s is friendly to the air, water, and you! 

photos of products by: www.armandhammer.com and www.bobvila.com

Poisonous Ornamental Plants

Here’s a list of Poisonous Ornamental Plants
taken from: http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex13351
(including which part of the plant is toxic)

Autumn Crocus (all parts)
Black Nightshade (all parts)
Bleeding Heart (all parts)
 
 Braken Fern (all parts)
Castor Bean (seeds, foliage young seedlings)
Black Eyed Susan (all parts)
Daffodil (all parts, especially bulbs)
Delphinium (all parts, especially young plants and seeds)
Flowering Tobacco (all parts)
Foxglove (all parts)
Gas Plant (all parts, especially seed pods and plant juices )
Goldenrod (all parts)
Hyacinth (all parts can cause sickness, the bulb is most toxic)
Iris (leaves, rhizomes, plant juices)











Lily of the Valley (all parts)
Lobelia (all parts)
Lupine (all parts, especially seeds)
Monkshood (all parts, especially roots and seeds)
Morning Glory (seeds)
Pheasants Eye (all parts)
Poppy (all parts)
Sneezeweed (all parts)
Squill (all parts, especially bulb)
Sweet pea (perennial) (seeds)
Tansy (all parts)

Bleeding heart photo by: gardeningdirect.scene7.com
Iris photo by: prairiescapes.ca