I am off on vacation for a couple of weeks - I hope you will enjoy these oldies but goodies!
Here is a really easy and inexpensive way to sanitize your kitchen counters and cutting boards, killing bacteria such as Salmonella and E. Coli without using toxic cleaners that are hard on you and the environment.
Get two separate spray bottles and fill one with white vinegar or apple cidre vinegar, and the other with 3% hydrogen peroxide (the usual kind that is sold in drug stores). Spray with one bottle, then spray immediately with the other, and wipe clean. Keeping the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide in separate bottles is more effective than mixing them into one bottle, and spraying with one bottle and then the other is more effective than using either vinegar or hydrogen peroxide alone. Tested at Virgina Polytechnical Institute and State University, this combination was extremely effective at killing harmful bacteria - even more effective than chlorine bleach and most commercial cleaners. So clean and disinfect just as effectively without the risk of inhaling or absorbing toxic chemicals through your skin, or harming the environment!
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Related tips
Bacteria, our immune system, and food-borne illness
Microwave ovens: convenience vs health and nutrition
The Hygiene Hypothesis
Bacteria, the soil, the gut, and detoxification
Science News, August 8, 1998, Vol 154, Issue 6, pages 83-85.
Copyright 2005 Vreni Gurd
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