Pesticides: What You Can Do
The effects of pesticides that we know about are almost too numerous to mention. Pesticides have been linked to cancer, hormonal disruption, developmental disorders, reproductive problems, neurological dysfunction, immune system impairment, behavioral problems, and other negative health effects. For these and other reasons, healthy homeowners should never use any pesticide product in or around the home under any circumstances.
These strategies can help:
- Be aware of and avoid products that use pesticides in less than obvious ways. These include animal shampoos, flypaper, insect and rodent traps, mildew removal products, antibacterial cleaners, and insect repellents.
- Keep a clean house. Bugs infest homes when food or water is available. Clean up crumbs and spills right away, do dishes soon after mealtimes, store food in sealed containers, and store trash outside.
- Fix dripping faucets, leaky pipes, clogged drains and other potential water sources.
- Protect your home from insect and rodent invasions by replacing broken screens, sealing foundation cracks, repairing holes in roof eaves, and fixing poorly sealed doors and windows.
- Instead of pesticides, help your garden grow with beneficial insects, healthy soils, garlic and herbal sprays, diatomaceous earth (the dust of fossilized skeletons of microscopic aquatic organisms - available in gardening supply stores), and other natural methods.
- Forgo a large immaculate lawn of high maintenance, chemically-dependent grass in favor of a natural landscape of native plants that resists drought, bugs, and weed invasions.
 
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