Tip for Today

24. Get Rid of Ants

Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it "home," can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works & you don't have to worry about pets or small children being harmed!

After further research, it seems that borates or boric acid is an effective and safe remedy to ants & insects in the house.

Boric Acid is a fine powder with low toxicity to humans, yet it is a stomach poison to insects. It is formulated into domestic pest control products for ants and other household pests. Apply it where children and pets cannot reach it because it could be harmful if they eat enough of it.

Diatomaceous Earth (often listed as silicon dioxide) is a non-toxic, white powder made from ground up shells of diatoms mined from ancient marine deposits. It kills insects by causing them to dehydrate. Use plain diatomaceous earth or products formulated with pyrethrins.

Pyrethrins are fast-acting, short-lived compounds extracted from pyrethrum daisies. They have a quick knock-down effect on many insects and are ideal for driving insects out of crack and crevices.

Silica Gel is a non-toxic dust made from the silica in sand. It works like diatomaceous earth, causing insects to dehydrate. Products are usually formulated with pyrethrins; they are not yet widely available.

HAPPY, HEALTHY EXTERMINATING!

Tip for Today

25. INFO ABOUT CLOTHES DRYERS

The heating unit went out on my dryer! The gentleman that fixes things around the house for us told us that he wanted to show us something and he went over to the dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. (I always clean the lint from the filter after every load clothes.)

He told us that he wanted to show us something; he took the filter over to the sink, ran hot water over it. The lint filter is made of a mesh material - I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks like. Well,...the hot water just sat on top of the mesh! It didn't go through it at all!

He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh... that's what burns out the heating unit. You can't SEE the film, but it's there; it's what is in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft and static free -- that nice fragrance too. You know how they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box, well this stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen. This is also what causes dryer units to catch fire & potentially burn your house down with it!

He said the bestway to keep your dryer working for a very long time (& to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out & wash it with hot soapy water & an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least every six months. He said that makes the life of the dryer at least twice as long! How about that!?! Learn something new everyday!

I certainly didn't know dryer sheets would do that. So, I thought I'd share!

Note: I went to my dryer & tested my screen by running water on it. The water ran through a little bit but mostly collected all the water in the mesh screen. I washed it with warm soapy water & a nylon brush & I had it done in 30 seconds. Then when I rinsed it -- the water ran right thru the screen! That repairman knew what he was talking about!

PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO OTHER PEOPLE IN YOUR ADDRESS BOOK. NOT ONLY COULD IT SAVE SOMEONE'S HOME, BUT IT COULD SAVE SOMEONE'S LIFE.