An Eco-Friendly Ant Killer...Go Ahead, Make Your Day...

So, I was thinking that since it was a bit chilly outside today that I'd do some laundry, read the kids some books, and maybe tackle my closet since, as usual, it has gotten out of hand. (It seems to be the place that everything from storage boxes to scrapbook supplies to hand-me-downs ends up.)

Little did I know that my closet had also become one of last week's cookie eating hide outs by my children. I don't regularly look under the storage boxes that have migrated to my closet so I didn't realize - until I picked one up today - that the kids had also inadvertently left behind crumbs from their secret festivities.

And where there are cookie crumbs left behind that mommy doesn't know about...there are ants.

In my closet! Gross! Yuck! Puke!

Now, before I get into the blood bath, let me say this. I'm all for ants outside. They can live free and be merry...outside. The moment anything other than my family starts living, in my house, without paying rent?! Well, it's eviction time, honey.

So what's a crazy about-to-yak green mama to do? I saw one of my all-purpose cleaner spray bottle near by, so I leapt for it and started spraying. And to my instant astonishment, the ants...stopped moving! At closer inspection, they had in fact kicked the bucket.

One spray and the ants didn't have a chance to escape. Hip hip hooray!

The stuff that I sprayed, my trusty EPIC All Purpose Cleaner, is a totally green, eco-friendly, ocean-saving product that does everything from cleaning sticky jelly finger prints off the kitchen table to freshening up the bathroom. No where on the bottle does it say that it's also the most powerful non-toxic, eco-friendly ant killer out there...But it is!

I've since used this every time I see a blasted ant in the house. They tried migrating to the kitchen, but I stopped them in their tracks. I haven't seen one since...phew! ;)

I am so amazed that this stuff works as well as it does - fast, efficient, green - I had to blog about it.

If you hate ants and need a non-toxic, eco-friendly product that works, get some! Trust me, it really works.

Be a Mad Scientist! Eco-Friendly Alternatives for Everyday Cleaning...

by guest boat-dwelling mama blogger Cindy Wallach of spinsheet.com ...and yes, Cindy actually lives on a boat...isn't that cool ;)

A friend who was born and raised on the Chesapeake Bay told me a story recently. When he was a boy 40-some years ago on Harness Creek there was so much seaweed they had to constantly pull it off of their oars as they paddled along. And there were so many crabs that he and his little friends were constantly jumping around to avoid them as they waded into the creek. The one word he used to describe the Bay back then was "alive". I can count on one hand the number of living crabs my son has seen the past 5 years (though the dead ones rack up on fingers and toes) and we live aboard full time. Talk about a wake up call.

If you've got green running through your veins, greening up your everyday life is easier than you think. So get to it.

Instead of using... Use these Eco-Friendly Alternatives

• Bleach... Borax
  
  
• Detergent & Soap... Elbow grease
  
  
• Scouring Powders... Baking soda. Or rub area with one-half lemon dipped in borax, then rinse
  
  
• General Cleaner... Baking soda and vinegar. Or lemon juice combined with borax paste
  
  
• Floor Cleaner... One cup vinegar + 2 gallons of water
  
  
• Window Cleaner... One cup vinegar + 1 qt. warm water. Rinse and squeegee
  
  
• Aluminum Cleaner... 2 Tbsp. cream of tartar + 1 qt. of hot water
  
  
• Brass Cleaner... Worcestershire sauce. Or paste made of equal amounts of salt, vinegar, and water
  
  
• Copper Cleaner... Lemon juice and water. Or paste of lemon juice, salt, and flour
  
  
• Chrome Cleaner/Polish... Apple cider vinegar to clean; baby oil to polish
  
  
• Stainless Steel Cleaner... Baking soda or mineral oil for polishing, vinegar to remove spots
  
  
• Fiberglass Stain Remover... Baking soda and salt in a wet paste
  
  
• Mildew Remover... Paste with equal amounts of lemon juice and salt, or white vinegar and salt OR diluted tea tree oil
  
  
• Drain Opener... Dissemble or use plumber’s snake. Or flush with boiling water + one-quarter cup baking soda + one-quarter cup vinegar
  
  
• Wood Polish... Olive or almond oil (interior walls only)
  
  
• Rug/Upholstery Cleaner... Dry corn starch sprinkled on; vacuum
  
  
• After Cleaning Cocktail... One part rum mixed with 2 parts fruit juice. Add ice as needed...
  
  :)
  

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