[Stitcher]

Defining 'Natural' Cleaners

Wall Street Journal, By ANJALI ATHAVALEY, FEBRUARY 11, 2010
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...435241892.html

Excerpts:

A growing number of home-cleaning products that call their ingredients "natural" are hitting store shelves. Now, an industry group is trying to clarify what the term means and whether manufacturers are using it appropriately.

Natural generally means that the product's ingredients are derived from renewable resources like plants and minerals. (It is not to be confused with organic, which refers to a method of agriculture that avoids the use of pesticides and antibiotics.) But there is currently no uniform standard among manufacturers for use of the word in home-care products.

Environmental groups like Sierra Club say that they have cautioned consumers about buying cleaning products just because they are advertised as natural. "We advise people that it has no meaning, and that you can't trust what the product says," says Tom Neltner, co-chair of Sierra Club's toxics committee. "There have been cases of misleading use of the term in the past."

[marciaj]

Baking soda and white distilled vinegar are amazing to clean with. Just google for uses. The only problem is if you don't like the smell of vinegar but it does go away after awhile.


For Crape Myrtle powdery mildew I spray a solution of 1 tsp baking soda and 1 quart water and a few drops of liquid soap. I sprayed once a week until it looked like it worked. I only sprayed the affected areas. When the leaves drop make sure to rake them up and dispose of them. I found this idea online but have forgotten the website. It seemed to work but my Crape Myrtles are pretty small (about 6 foot) so it was easy to reach the areas with just a spray bottle.