Here is your Monday Mom Motivation!
The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.
~Author Unknown
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Monday Mom Motivation
Cleaning Products for our Rivers
Into the swamp! Wait, What does that have to do with cleaning products?
Recently I took a canoe and camping trip. You may ask what a canoe trip has to do with cleaning products. Having a trip like that helps you really see our impact on our environment. The quality of our water impacts us in many ways. It is important for our drinking, our recreation, and for other animals. One of the ways that we can impact our water is in the choice of products we use. It is a responsibility for each of us to protect our waterways from contamination. Common household cleaning products contain harmful chemicals that end up going down the drain and then into our waterways.
Even if your area’s drains lead to a water treatment facility, many chemicals are not removed. “In the U.S., 500,000 tons of pollutants pour into lakes and rivers daily and many chemicals are not removed even after passing through water treatment facilities”.
What to look for in your cleaning products
- Concentrated products – reduce plastic waste. Every year the U.S. generates approximately 230 million tons of garbage. Less than one quarter is recycled. The order of preference is to 1. Reduce 2. Reuse and 3. Recycle.
- No phosphates or chlorine. Phosphates have been known to cause massive algae overgrowth, choking the life out of lakes, rivers, and streams. Chlorine bleach is irritating to the skin and can cause serious damage to the eyes, even blindness. Never mix chlorine bleach with any other household or cleaning products. Doing so can result in different types of harmful acids being formed. Poisonous gasses can also be released that will cause very serious breathing problems
- Biodegradable. A “biodegradable” product has the ability to break down, safely and relatively quickly, by biological means, into the raw materials of nature and disappear into the environment.
- Natural solvents and cleaning agents. For instance, natural enzymes and other naturally derived ingredients.
Water pollution degrades surface waters making them unsafe for drinking, fishing, swimming, and other activities. It really is up to all of us to make a difference. You can easily make a choice to support cleaner rivers by choosing better and safer cleaning products.
References:
http://www.saferforyourhome.com/
Posted in Green & Healthy Living Articles
Tagged biodegadable, chemicals, cleaning products, reduce
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Monday Mom Motivation
Here is your Monday Mom Motivation! I hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day yesterday!
Making a decision to have a child–it’s momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ~Elizabeth Stone
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5 Ways to Deter Mosquitoes
Bug days of summer … mosquitoes!
Buzz, Buzz, Buzz. It is getting to be about that time. Bug days of summer! Now is the time to start preventing a mosquito infestation around your home. Mosquitoes live close to where they hatch. You can do some preventative work now and some ongoing measures throughout summer, and the best thing is you can do this naturally!
- Look for standing water. Mosquitoes can mature in just an inch of water. Dispose of water in things like buckets and birdfeeders that have collected standing water over the winter. Make sure that rain barrels are covered tightly, and that water is not pooling up around your downspouts and foundation. Clean your gutters, to make sure that they are moving smoothly and not trapping water in stagnant pools.
- Manage vegetation on your property. According to the American Mosquito Control Association, “adult mosquitoes prefer to rest on weeds and other vegetation”. Cut down vegetation adjacent to your house foundation, and mow the lawn regularly.
- Plant mosquito deterring plants. Examples include citronella, horsemint, and marigolds.
- Install good screens. Screens are one of the most effective ways to enjoy the outdoors without getting bitten by mosquitoes.
- Use a mosquito deterrent made of ingredients that actually enhance the healthiness of your skin. With a “deterrent”, a mosquito may land on you, but it is less likely that it will land on you or bite you. This is different than a “repellant”. Many commercial insect repellents contain from 5% to 25% DEET. There are concerns about the potential toxic effects of DEET, especially when used by children. Children who absorb high amounts of DEET through insect repellents have developed seizures, slurred speech, hypotension and bradycardia.
With some preparation work and a little effort you can enjoy fewer mosquito bites this summer. Click here for a natural deterrent that enhances the healthiness of your skin. I would love to hear any additional mosquito prevention tips you have to share! Please leave your comment!
References:
http://www.wildernesscollege.com/plants-that-repel-mosquitoes.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_repellent_plants
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insect_repellent
http://www.care2.com
Monday Mom Motivation
Here is your Monday Mom Motivation!
At work, you think of the children you have left at home. At home, you think of the work you’ve left unfinished. Such a struggle is unleashed within yourself. Your heart is rent. ~ Golda Meir
It can be incredibily motivating to protect your family from household toxins!
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