According to the EPA, indoor air quality can be up to 100 times worse than the air quality outdoors! Shocking, right!? And it turns out the products we use to clean our homes play a big part in this pollution.
The scary truth is that traditional cleaners fill our homes with toxic chemicals. Through inhalation and absorption through the skin, we and our families are exposed to these harmful ingredients daily. Unfortunately, the results can be devastating.
Here are 3 frightening ways traditional cleaners can impact our health:
Chemical-based cleaners are full of ingredients suspected of causing cancer, including formaldehyde, 1,4-dioxane, bleach, and phthalates to name a few.
One study, for instance, found women who frequently used cleaning products were twice as likely to have been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Asthma is on the rise, especially among children, and researchers believe traditional cleaners have something to do with it.
Evidence suggests exposure to cleaning products not only affects current asthma sufferers, but can actually cause asthma in previously healthy individuals.
One study found those who used chemical-based cleaners at least once a week had a 30-50% increased risk of developing asthma. The researchers concluded that upwards of 1 in 7 cases of adult asthma are attributable to frequent use of cleaning products.
Household cleaning ingredients have been linked to a wide range of reproductive problems, including testicular damage, reduced fertility, low sperm count, decreased libido, and birth defects.
A 2010 study, for example, found that children born to women with cleaning jobs have a substantially increased risk of suffering birth deformities, as well as decreased IQ and language skills.
Japanese Beetles and their larval grub form are arguably the most destructive garden pests you can face, capable of destroying your entire lawn or garden in only a matter of days. Most prevalent in the warmer months, these damaging scarab beetles lay their eggs in the soil during mid summer. These soon hatch into grubs which start eating your lawn from just under the soil surface until they emerge in spring as adult Japanese beetles. A full blown Japanese beetle problem is costly and a bit intimidating to tackle, but getting rid of and preventing Japanese beetles isn’t. Here’s how to control Japanese beetles with just 3 simple steps.
The absolute most important step in controlling Japanese beetles is prevention.Not only is it the easiest, least expensive approach, it’s also by far the most impactful. Whether you constantly struggle with Japanese beetles or have never had them before, the following tips will help you avoid costly Japanese beetle issues moving forward:
Overly wet lawns lead to larger, more damaging grub and Japanese beetle populations. To avoid this, water your lawn as little as possible through July, August, and the latter parts of June. Doing this will reduce the number of grubs and adult beetles you’ll experience the following year.
During Japanese beetle season—late spring through summer—avoid cutting your grass too short, aiming for about 3 inches instead. Females prefer to lay their eggs in shorter grass and keeping your turf longer can help limit Japanese beetle populations.
If you garden, make sure to harvest your fruits & veggies early and often. Additionally, if you tend to struggle with Japanese beetles every year, consider switching out your plants, avoiding Japanese beetles’ favorite foods, such as apples, peaches, plums, beans, raspberries, hibiscus, and roses.
Japanese beetles are most attracted to rotting and overripe plants, so keeping a healthy lawn and garden is key. Promptly remove diseased or otherwise dying plants, grasses, trees, fruits and vegetables before they attract additional beetles to your yard.
Avoid using synthetic pesticides and fertilizers in your lawn, doing so could decrease the health of your lawn, leading to larger Japanese beetle populations.
Attracting predators like birds and reptiles to your lawn is an effective and natural way to prevent serious Japanese beetle problems. Invite birds by offering baths and feeders, and attract reptiles by offering shallow dishes of water and cool, dark places for them to hide (an overturned planter works great for this!)
Targeting Japanese beetles in their larval grub stage is an efficient way to devastate their populations before they mature into adults. Microscopic parasitic worms known as beneficial nematodes, the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, and milky spore are all effective options.
Employing row covers or drop cloths over vulnerable or appetizing plants will help both prevent Japanese beetle problems and their infamous damage.
Lawn and gardens filled with other damaging bugs are much more likely to suffer from Japanese beetles, too. In short, pest damage leads to a less healthy lawn, and sicklier lawns are more attractive to hungry bugs like Japanese beetles.
By treating your lawn with a family-safe pesticide, you can help break up this cycle, protecting your lawn from potentially fatal Japanese beetle harm. Not only will this kill unwanted bugs in your lawn—like mosquitoes, ants, fleas, ticks, and chiggers—it will help keep Japanese beetle populations under control.
Start by thoroughly spraying your entire front, back, and side yards with PCO Choice, including shrubbery and bases of trees. For best results, repeat this process in two weeks and then move on to monthly applications afterward. If you’re not currently struggling with Japanese beetles and just need prevention, you can start with monthly applications right from the start.
If you live in a warmer region like the South, applications should be done every month unless the temperature drops below freezing for more than a few weeks. If you live in a state prone to cold spells, start spraying monthly in late February and then taper off in November as winter really starts to set in.
Because PCO Choice is plant-based and family-safe, no downtime is necessary. You, your family, and pets can enjoy your lawn right after application!
For additional protection, we strongly advise spreading Cedar Granules throughout your outdoor space, especially in and around your garden and other known trouble spots like vulnerable grass.
In addition to the prevention methods outlined above and treating your lawn and garden monthly, removing Japanese beetles by hand is one of the most effective approaches for getting rid of these terrible pests. Granted, It’s not the quickest, but the results speak for themselves.
For best results, venture out into your lawn & garden in the early morning when Japanese beetles are known to be most active. Wearing gloves, remove any Japanese beetles you come across. Be careful not to squeeze or damage them, doing so could attract more beetles. Finally, dispose of the collected beetles by dropping them in a bucket of soapy water (2 tablespoons of liquid dish soap per 1 gallon of water).
Sooo you might not want to hear this, but there are definitely bugs hiding in your home, whether you see them or not. Normally it’s no big deal, a few beneficial bug-eating spiders here or there. But sometimes you’re not so lucky, and your hidden bugs are a costly problem just waiting to happen. Food, water, and shelter—these are the reasons bugs move indoors, and because our homes provide all three, every household has at least a few critters crawling around somewhere.
But if we don’t see them, where could they be hiding? Here are some surprising but also common places bugs hide in our homes.
Three things bugs really like: moisture, warmth, and a dark place to hide. Whether it’s your basement or a designated closet, your hot water heater provides all three. Periodically check around and under your water heater tank for signs of millipedes, centipedes, pillbugs, silverfish, spiders, crickets, and ants. If you notice any leaks or unexpected moisture, clean it up immediately and correct the issue to avoid future problems.
Solution: To kill any bugs you find, give them a quick spray with Cedarcide Original. To repel future bugs, spray baseboards, shelving, and known trouble spots with Cedarcide Original every other week.
Bathrooms not only provide water but also warmth, and that added humidity really helps draw in the creepy crawlies. Thoroughly check your bathroom’s cabinetry and drains for signs of cockroaches, crickets, silverfish, and ants, and if you’re currently struggling with roaches or ants, make sure to dry both your bathroom and your shower’s flooring after each use. Entire populations of roaches and ants can often sustain themselves on just this water alone.
Solution: If you’re experiencing heavy pest traffic, hand drying your shower and sinks after each use may be necessary. For less severe problems, simply spray any bugs you spot with family-safe Cedarcide Original. Spray suspected entry points and known hangouts every other week to repel bugs from the area.
The next time you’re doing a deep clean, make sure to pull your appliances out from the wall. Not only does grime collect here that can cause pest issues later, but there’s a good chance bugs have already set up shop there. Crumbs, darkness, privacy, and often moisture are in great supply behind and under appliances like fridges and dishwashers, making them a common hideout for roaches, flies, ants, and other hungry insects.
Don’t be surprised if you find bugs inside your fridge, too—yep, you read that right: inside! It’s not uncommon for fruit flies and roaches to crawl inside your fridge, feast and breed for a few days, and then sneak out when you’re not looking.
Solution: Cleanliness is key. Periodically clean inside, outside, behind, and under your appliances to limit bug attractants like moisture, dirt, and food debris. A quick spray of non-toxic Cedarcide Original will take care of any bugs you come across in the process.
It should come as no surprise that trash and recycling bins are a popular gathering place for all sorts of bugs. The abundance of food and shelter brings not only expected visitors like flies, roaches, and ants, but also predatory bugs, such as spiders, sometimes even scorpions.
What might be more surprising, though, is that not only do bugs hang out in your garbage, they can thrive there, too. In other words, your trash and recycling might not just occasionally feed bugs, it could be the very source of your home’s pest problems, sustaining entire populations of hungry bugs hidden inside.
Solution: Taking your trash out often, switching to bins with sealable lids, and cleaning those bins weekly should take care of any trash or recycling-dwelling pests you might have.
You know what bugs enjoy almost as much as food and water? Clutter. And your junk drawer is crammed full of it. In addition to cleaning your junk drawers at least annually, check it periodically for signs of spiders, roaches, ants, silverfish, and other unwanted guests.
Solution: Do yourself a favor and just finally get around to cleaning out your junk drawers. Recycle or donate duplicate items and throw all those sauce packets and disposable utensils you should have dumped years ago. Keeping things organized and clean should do the trick.
Your dirty laundry and even clean piles of clothes could be concealing some unknown roommates. Carpet beetles, silverfish, firebrats, roaches, crickets, and moths commonly hide out in disorganized clothing and bedding. The scent of sweat, skin oils, spilled food and drinks attracts a wide array of interested insects, which can ultimately lead to hundreds of dollars of damage.
Solution: Stay up on your laundry and avoid piling clothes, bedding, and other textiles, even if they’re clean. Check fabrics for signs of bugs before storing them for the season and wash as needed. Using bags or bins with airtight seals should shield your clothing from pest damage during the offseason
Your electrical outlets and outlet covers might be hiding more than just wiring. Ants, several types of beetles, and more are known to take up residence in these surprising locations. Look for small wood shavings and other signs of subtle wall damage—these are common symptoms of infested outlets.
Solution: Remove any covers you suspect might be hiding pests, carefully clean out the space, and repair or replace parts as needed
Before bringing home any new plant babies, inspect them for signs of bugs, like webbing, eggs, larva, and of course any adult insects. Surprisingly, houseplants are a common avenue for bugs to enter our homes. It’s a smart practice to quarantine any new houseplant additions apart from your other plants for at least a month after bringing them home. Not only will this save your other plants in case the new one contains damaging bugs, but it will also make it easier to monitor it for any hidden pests.
Solution: Check out these quick reads on killing and repelling common houseplant pests:
This one gives us chills. Who would have thought that the cute stuffed animals we grew up sleeping and cuddling with might have been host to a whole range of yucky critters? Carpet beetles, silverfish, firebrats, roaches, crickets, spiders, moths—any of these could be hiding inside or on the outside of your favorite teddy bear.
Solution: Wash frequently used stuffed animals at least once every few weeks and apply family-safe Cedarcide Original repellent as needed.
New and old cardboard is a huge attractant for countless insects, arachnids, and other crawling things, including scorpions, crickets, silverfish, and roaches.
Solution: Make the switch to sealable plastic boxes or bins and you should be covered.
While a flea or two isn’t usually a cause for panic, if left untreated they can quickly become the worst bug problem you’ve ever faced. Given that a single female flea can produce a population of over 20,000 in just 60 days, it’s not hard to see how fast things can get out of hand. All of which is to say, if you think you might have fleas, you need to act immediately.
Whether you’re facing a stubborn flea issue or just in search of flea prevention tips, we got you covered. And don’t worry—you don’t have to resort to poisonous, old school pesticides and dangerous flea collars to get the job done. Protecting your pets, lawn, home, and family from fleas only takes 3 steps. Here’s how to do it.
Did you know fleas are the #1 cause of skin disease in our pets!? Sadly, they help spread tapeworms and other gross, harmful illnesses, too.
A dog or cat covered in hidden fleas and eggs is the quickest way to get a home and lawn full of these little bloodsuckers, making your pet our first stop in tackling your flea problem. Here’s how to protect your pets and prevent bites starting today.
Before going outside, lightly mist your dog’s coat with Cedarcide Original and then massage the spray into their fur. Don’t forget their toes, ears, and tail, too. For your pup’s face, avoid spraying and simply use your hands to apply instead. Repeat every 2-3 days for prevention, and daily for ongoing flea problems until the issue noticeably improves.
To protect against irritating bites and to prevent you from accidentally spreading more fleas, apply Cedarcide Original to you and your family before outdoor activities. If you’re currently facing down a flea problem, apply every other day or more as needed.
If you noticed a few fleas on your dog or cat, we’ve got some bad news: fleas are living and breeding in your lawn, too. For this reason, it’s absolutely essential to treat your yard when solving a flea problem. Here’s how to do it:
Start by thoroughly spraying your entire front, back, and side yards with PCO Choice, including shrubbery, bases of trees, and anywhere else you suspect fleas might be hiding. Make sure to spray all outdoor areas in one session to prevent fleas from simply moving to another section of your lawn. For best results, repeat this process in 5-7 days and then move on to monthly applications afterward.
If you’re not currently struggling with fleas and you’re just looking for prevention, you can start with monthly applications from the get-go. If you live in a warmer region such as the South, applications should be done every month unless the temperature drops below freezing for more than a few weeks. If you live in a state prone to cold spells, start spraying monthly in late February and then taper off in November as winter really starts to set in.
BecausePCO Choiceis plant-based and family-safe, no downtime is necessary. You, your family, and pets can enjoy your lawn right after application!
For additional protection, we strongly advise spreading Cedar Granules throughout your outdoor space, especially in and around the areas when you and your pets spend the most time.
While minor flea issues can often be solved by consistently treating your lawn, pet, and indoor pet spaces, for developed flea problems you’ll probably need to treat your entire home. If you’ve been dealing with fleas for several weeks or months, chances are fleas and flea eggs are now hidden all throughout your house, including your furniture, carpeting, bedding, curtains, rugs, and more.
If your flea problem is new and small, we suggest starting by spot treating indoor pet spaces and any bedding, flooring, and furniture that your pets frequently use. This is where the majority of the fleas are breeding and hiding. Simply spray these spaces with Cedarcide Original every 5-7 days or more often as needed until your issue improves. A quick spray of Cedarcide Original is also great for killing any fleas you see inside.
PRO TIP: Daily vacuuming can be a big help when it comes to solving a flea problem. Just make sure to clean and thoroughly empty the vacuum outside after each use, otherwise you risk the fleas breeding inside your vacuum and finding a way back into your home.
If your flea problem is more serious, we strongly suggest treating your entire indoor space, with fogging being the quickest and most cost effective option. Using the easy-to-use Cedarcide Fogging Kit, fog your entire home, starting with the rooms farthest from your planned exit. After fogging each space, including bathrooms, pantries, and cabinets, close them up and move onto the next area. Be sure to aim the fogger directly at furniture, rugs, carpeting, and bedding you suspect of flea activity.
After fogging your home, close the front door and return in 3 hours. We suggest repeating this process—fogging your entire home, again—after 5-7 days. This will give any remaining fleas and flea eggs the opportunity to re-emerge before your next fogging treatment.
The difference between preventing a flea problem and solving one is usually a significant amount of money, time, and a few dozen gray hairs. In other words, it’s much easier to prevent fleas than it is to tackle a large, ongoing issue. Here are some simple precautions you can take to help prevent future flea problems.
Before venturing outdoors, especially in tall grass, wooded areas, and unfamiliar pet spaces like dog parks, spray your pets and yourself with our family and pet-safe repellent, Cedarcide Original.
Check your pets for signs of fleas every few days, especially after returning from walks, playdates with other animals, and outdoor exploring. Apply Cedarcide Original to kill any fleas you find and re-apply to prevent bites as needed.
Treat your yard, including shrubbery and bases of trees, monthly with the family-safe Lawn & Garden kit.
Treat your home, especially pet spaces, monthly. Spray doorways, windowsills, dog beds, furniture, baseboards, and carpeting your pets frequent with Cedarcide Original to prevent fleas from living and breeding in your home.
Wildlife like deer, raccoons, and coyotes commonly bring fleas into our yards. Help deter these carriers by installing fencing, keeping outdoor trash cans and recycling bins firmly sealed, and removing plants that attract wild animals, such as beans, roses, corn, apples, peas, tulips, etc.
The better maintained and organized your lawn, the fewer flea problems you’ll experience. Mow, weed eat, and trim shrubbery regularly and remove unnecessary clutter like woodpiles, brush, leaves, and unused gear and equipment.
While their large pinchers might seem threatening, earwigs are actually quite harmless, and in many cases can be a welcome addition to your yard’s natural ecosystem. And no, the old wives’ tales are not true—earwigs never burrow into human ears or present any other threat to people or pets. In fact, in small numbers, these nocturnal, reddish-brown insects are actually beneficial, helping rid our lawns of decaying organic matter and undesirable or damaging bugs like aphids, slugs, snails, and mites.
However, when conditions are just right, earwig populations can explode. In these instances, earwigs can cause significant damage to your lawn and garden, as they begin feeding on living plants, like vegetables, fruits, and ornamental flowers. In these cases, you’ll need to act fast to prevent costly damage. The following tips will help you keep earwig populations to a healthy, manageable level, all without resorting to poisonous, old-school pesticides.
Jagged leaves with holes throughout your lawn and garden, similar to slug and snail damage but without the tell-tale slime trails.
Check on or around damaged plants for small black spots, this is what earwig poop looks like.
Lawn & garden damage that seems to occur mostly after rainy or particularly humid weather.
If you have planters, furniture, or any other equipment or tools in your yard, lift them up and check for earwigs. The babies look just like adult earwigs only smaller. They are likely to be found near mulch and other moist organic debris, too.
Preventing earwigs is much easier than getting rid of a thriving population. Thankfully, prevention is quite easy and essentially all comes down to basic home and lawn maintenance. Here’s how to do it:
Earwigs usually enter our homes through small cracks or holes in windows, screens, doorways, baseboards, and countertops. Check these areas for possible earwig entry points and re-seal or repair items as needed. This will help with other common household bugs like ants, too.
Leaky faucets, drains, and other plumping either inside or outside your home can attract earwigs. Clogged gutters are also a common source of earwig problems. Check these items periodically and repair, replace, or clean as needed.
Earwigs tend to live in and feed on moist organic matter, like mulch, stacks of wood, leaves, and unkempt vegetation. Removing these attractants and other unnecessary clutter from your lawn can make a big difference when it comes to earwigs.
Large overhanging branches and dense shrubbery can help create moist, shady areas in your lawn, which is exactly the environment earwigs need to survive. Trim trees and bushes as needed to limit possible earwig hideouts.
A DIY earwig trap is an effective way to reduce the number of earwigs in your lawn and garden. Just roll up a few sheets of damp newspaper and bind them together with a couple rubber bands. Place these rolls both inside and outside wherever earwigs tend to congregate, or near where you suspect they may be damaging your plants. Then simply check them the next day and dispose of any trapped earwigs. Pretty easy, right?
Garden pests can create a vicious cycle that ultimately ruins your beautiful lawn and garden. It goes like this: pest damage leads to a less healthy lawn, and sicklier lawns are more attractive to damaging garden pests.
Break up this cycle by treating your lawn each month with the family-friendly Lawn & Garden Kit. Not only will this kill any unwanted bugs in your lawn—like mosquitoes, ants, fleas, ticks, and chiggers—but it will help prevent additional damaging pests like earwigs from taking hold. Repeat treatments monthly during the warm months or more as needed.
Because the Lawn & Garden Kit is non-toxic and plant-based, no downtime is required. You, your family, and pets can enjoy your lawn immediately after application.
While they’re mostly seen outdoors, earwigs occasionally find their way inside your home in search of food and shelter. A quick spray with family and pet-safe Cedarcide Original will kill any earwigs you see inside on contact.
To help keep future earwigs outdoors, spray known entry points and trouble areas like the baseboards and flooring in your bathrooms, laundry room, basement, and kitchen weekly with Cedarcide Original until the problem improves.
Like many insects, earwigs are attracted to lights, especially any lighting positioned or pointing outdoors. Thankfully, there’s an easy way to address this common earwig attractant. A quick switch from traditional light bulbs to sodium bulbs can make a significant difference in the number of earwigs you experience near your home. Giving off a more yellow light, these bulbs lack the blue wavelengths that tend to attract unwanted bugs.
A thriving ecosystem with plenty of birds is often enough to keep unwanted earwig populations in check. Installing a few bird feeders or baths near earwig trouble spots in your yard can provide almost immediate results.
