Tracking in Chemicals on Our Shoes

More than Dirt On Our Shoes.

74% of households in the US use an average of 3 to 4 different pesticides per home, with residues found even on surfaces that have never been treated. So how does that happen? First, think of workers in occupations involving the use of chemicals or construction sites. They are more likely to carry them into the home on their shoes. But do you home garden?

Still in the Soil a Year Later.

Chemicals commonly used on lawns and in gardens also get tracked into the home on shoes and can be detected in bodies of both adults and children. While the half-life of most lawn herbicides is 5 weeks, they can still be detected in soil 1 year after treatment.

Plants as a Natural Pesticide.

When trying to avoid chemical pesticides, TreeHugger highlights 9 herbal plants that can not only help to repel insects, but can also be harvested to use in the kitchen when cooking. By including plantings of parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, basil, chives, dill, mint and oregano, one can fend off moths, flies, beetles, worms, ants, and more. TreeHugger even suggests where and where not to place the natural plant repellant.

Limited on Gardening Space.

Maybe you don’t have room for 9 additional plants. That’s okay. If you are looking for alternatives to pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, insecticides and fertilizer, your search begins at Beyond Pesticides for a list of products compatible with landscape management.

Alternatives to Chemicals Inside the Home.

Time to make the switch. Garden’s Alive offers environmentally responsible products that work. And they are very inexpensive. I discovered the company’s products 23 years ago when I had a mealy moth infestation in my pantry. Their small cardboard “tent” was nothing more than a dry adhesive lining the tent with a pheromone lure to attract them. When the moths entered, they stuck to the wall. I’ve also used similar products for cellar spiders in the basement. Check them out: gardensalive.com.