CLEANERS WITHOUT THE CHEMICALS
By M ichael J. C oren The Washington Post
Without much thought, Americans have built up potent arsenals in their homes worthy of a chemical weapons treaty.
I’m talking, of course, about your cleaning cabinet.
When I investigated mine recently, I found mixtures containing ethoxylated alcohols and quaternary ammonium compounds, also known as “quats.”
While regulators consider these products safe, some ingredients are also irritants, or even toxic, at high doses. Worse, quats and other common ingredients such as fragrances (often undisclosed trade secrets) are getting a second look as potentially harmful for the environment and us.
It seemed like too much firepower for wiping down my kitchen countertop. So I set myself a challenge: Find DIY cleaning formulas that use nothing but common, safe ingredients in my pantry. I would not compromise on effectiveness nor pay luxury prices — preferably, I’d pay much less. And, ideally, they should smell nice.
The internet is full of misleading claims and dubious advice about cleaning
serve for the nastiest jobs, my home cleaning routine is now mostly a DIY affair.
products. But I brushed up on my organic chemistry classes, sought counsel from researchers and ran grueling tests on mysterious messes in my toddler-ravaged home.
I was able to replace almost all my cleaning chemicals with a couple of homemade, nontoxic solutions. A few ingredients proved key: vinegar, castile soap, baking soda and a little extra scrubbing among them. While I’ve kept commercial products in re-
Here’s how you can clean up your home while protecting your health and the environment.
Reassessing the chemicals in our cabinets
Cleaning once meant soap and a wet rag. But millions of Americans now blast away any speck of dirt and sterilize surfaces until they resemble the lifeless surface of the moon.
That’s just fine with the $50 billion U.S. household cleaning products industry, which didn’t grow rich selling
These DIY solutions can replace a closet full of chemical cleaners
On page F10: A list of common cleaning product ingredients and their potential health and environmental concerns, compiled by the Toxics Use Reduction Institute at UMass Lowell.
vinegar and baking soda. The industry has spent decades developing powerful, proprietary chemical combinations, said Darren Williams, a chemist leading the Cleaning Research Group at Sam Houston State University. Hence the exotic ingredients in its bottles.
That isn’t inherently dangerous. “Most of these [cleaning products] are formulated to be used in household situations on a periodic basis,” Williams said. “Incidental contact is not going to be a problem.” But enough exceptions exist to give one pause. Endocrine disruptors such as phthalates — chemicals that mimic hormones in our body by
interfering with everything from reproduction to brain development, even at infinitesimal doses — are still found in many cleaning products. Microplastics, added to cleaners for their abrasive properties, have invaded the environment and our internal organs. Even ostensibly safe cleaning chemicals have been found to be not so safe after all: 2-butoxyethanol, nonylphenol ethoxylate and chlorinated phenols have been yanked from common cleaners after their carcinogenic, endocrine-disrupting or environmental risks came to light. The overuse of
Commercial household cleaners often contain potent mixtures of chemicals. (MICHAEL J. COREN/THE WASHINGTON POST)
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF.
‘Clueless’-inspired
hotel suite features
Cher-approved closet
By Jami Ganz New York Daily News
The costume designer behind the enduring outfits featured in 1995’s “Clueless” has created a modern-day, Cher Horowitz-approved closet to celebrate the film’s 30th anniversary.
A limited-time, blush-hued “Clueless” suite at the L’Ermitage Beverly Hills boasts a walk-in closet complete with a Cher-worthy wardrobe curated from Bloomingdale’s by costume designer Mona May, according to the hotel.
A stay in the suite — which features fun details like fuzzy pens, a Polaroid camera and “Clueless”-themed treats — also comes with a $100 gift card to spend at Bloomingdale’s, a VIP in-store styling appointment, a Dior Beauty makeup session or spa session, and access to a white Jeep Wrangler convertible to cruise around Beverly Hills.
Through Sept. 1, the 750-square-foot suite can be booked starting at $1,995 per night. Guests are given a free membership to Fitted, the
Lee Reich | In the Garden
The solution to your cabbageworm problem can be kept in your refrigerator
official virtual “Clueless” closet app of the movie’s anniversary campaign.
“It’s just bright and happy as Cher would love it,” Mona May told The Hollywood Reporter of the closet she filled with designer pieces. “The moment you walk in there you are transformed into the world of ‘Clueless.’”
While some of the items in the updated wardrobe might not be completely in line with Cher’s aesthetic — Birkenstocks and bucket hats? As if! — other items seem to be direct nods to the film’s classic costuming, including a bright red fringe frock that signals to the Alaïa dress Cher wore during a hold-up in the Valley.
Amy Heckerling’s loose adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Emma” stars Alicia Silverstone as fashionista “virgin who can’t drive” Cher, alongside best friend Dionne (Stacey Dash), ex-stepbrother-turned love interest Josh (Paul Rudd) and new student Tai (Brittany Murphy) finding their footing as teens and young adults.
ACABBAGEWORM
is a cabbage worm is a ... not!
A few weeks ago, one or more of the few species of “cabbageworms” began munching the leaves of my cabbage and Brussels sprouts plants. They ignored kale leaves, thankfully, because it’s my favorite of the three. A laissez-fair approach would have left the cabbages and Brussels sprouts mere skeletons, so I had to take some sort of action.
For the record, “cabbageworms” are actually not worms, but a few species of caterpillars all classified — and this is important — in the order Lepidoptera. Here’s the lineup: A cabbage looper arches its back when moving and is light green with a pale white stripe along each of its sides and two thin white stripes down its back. A diamondback moth larva is 5/16 inch long, yellowish-green, and spindle
GARDEN NOTES
STOCKBRIDGE
Upcoming events
Berkshire Botanical Garden presents the following upcoming programs:
• On Monday, July 21, from 5:30-7:30 p.m., “Music Mondays: Sören Smedvig’s Quartet” will bring together top-tier musicians for a vibrant, versatile performance of jazz standards spanning generations. Food will be available for purchase from Hand Crafted Catering + Events, and beer and wine can be purchased from Another Round Mobile Bar. Come early for the Farmers Market from 3 to 6. Cost is $15 members, $25 nonmembers.
• On Friday, Aug. 1, enjoy “African Drumming with Tamarack Hollow” from 11 a.m. to noon. as part of Family Fridays. Drumming performances will be followed by hands-on drumming workshops for audience members. Family Fridays are free with garden admission, and garden members are admitted free of charge.
shaped with a forked tail. A cabbageworm (yes, one kind of cabbageworm is named “cabbageworm”) is 1-3/4 inches long, velvety green, and has a narrow, light-yellow stripe down the middle of its back. A cross-striped cabbageworm is 3/4 inch long and is bluish gray in color with many black stripes running crosswise on its back, below which a black and yellow stripe runs along the length of its body.
I put an end to whichever “worms” were the culprits, and was able to do so without resorting to any chemical spray, by spraying the plants with Bt. Bt is the commonly used abbreviation for Bacillus thuringiensis, a bacterium that causes disease in certain insects. After ingesting Bt, a cabbageworm becomes sick, stops eating and dies. Since the Bt I sprayed is toxic only to lepidopterous insects, it doesn’t pose any danger
To register for these programs or for more information, visit www.berkshire botanical.org. Berkshire Botanical Garden is located at 5 W.Stockbridge Road.
WESTFIELD
Bird walk
A summer bird walk will be held at Stanley Park on Saturday, Aug. 16, from 8-10 a.m. Martha Kane, a Westfield native, will lead the workshop.
The workshop will meet at the main entrance sign to the Frank Stanley Beveridge Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary located across from the recreation field. Wear sturdy shoes that can get wet, a hat, sunscreen and bug spray, and bring binoculars if you have them.
Nature workshops are free of charge and beginners are welcome; no experience necessary.
Send items for Garden Notes to pmastriano@repub.com two weeks prior to publication.
Clueless Suite interior boasts a walk-in closet complete with a Cher-worthy wardrobe curated from Bloomingdale’s by costume designer Mona May. (COLLEEN O’BRIEN / L’ERMITAGE BEVERLY HILLS / TNS)
Two culprits responsible for those holes in leaves of cabbage and its kin, the cabbageworm and the cross-striped cabbageworm. (LEE REICH PHOTO)
Here are 7 varieties
worth adding
to your garden
By JESSICA DAMIANO Associated Press
As home gardeners become more educated about the benefits of native plants (supporting native insects, birds and wildlife, and the environment as a whole), the focus has mainly been on trees, shrubs and perennials.
Native annuals have somehow gotten lost in the shuffle, likely because most of them aren’t readily available at the garden center. And most of the annuals (and tender perennials treated as annuals) that ARE sold in local nurseries are introduced species from faraway places. As such, they don’t provide much benefit to the local ecosystem.
Native insects have evolved along with native plants, so they recognize them as food. Filling a garden with exotic plants essentially creates a
to other creatures, such as birds, cats, dogs, humans, and even other insects.
The insecticidal properties of Bt have been known since early in the 20th century, when the bacterium was discovered as a silkworm pest by Japanese researchers. (Silkworms are also Lepidoptera.)
The originally discovered strain of this bacterium is toxic only to caterpillars, which are larvae of butterflies and moths, and was first used purposefully to control the European corn borer in Europe in the 1930s. Interest in Bt waned in the late 1940s, when nerve gases used during World War II led to the development of new types of chemical pesticides. In the 1960s, agricultural scientists finally began to take a second look at Bt.
Many strains of Bt have been isolated. The ones for cabbageworms and other Lepidoptera are Bt aizawai and Bt kurstaki. The strain Bt var. israelensis is toxic to larvae of black flies and mosquitoes. Another strain, Bt var. san diego, is toxic to Colorado potato beetle larvae.
All these strains of Bt are available commercially. The bacteria are packaged in a dormant condition either as a dry powder, a liquid suspension, or, in the case of Bt var. israelensis, a slow-release ring that is floated on water to kill mosquito larvae. Bt goes under a number of brand names that don’t give a hint of the pesticide’s ingredients, so read the label to make sure of what you are buying. The product I use goes under the trade name “Thuricide.”
Bt is a living organism, so I store it in such a way as to prolong its viability. (Here on the farmden, Bt resides in the back of the refrigerator, which is generally a strong no-no for pesticides. But Bt is nontoxic, and there are no children in the house.) Kept cool and
dry, the bacteria will remain viable in its container for two or three years. Bt works quickly enough so I can check for discolored, blackened, or shriveled larvae the next day to see if the spray is still viable. Is there some trade-off that must be made when using this apparently benign pesticide? Yes, insect pests can develop resistance to Bt, just as they do to chemical pesticides. Resistance is most likely from continuous, repetitive use of
any single pesticide, or different ones with the same mode of action.
This problem, with Bt, has been exacerbated since almost 500 million acres of crops, mostly field corn and cotton, have been genetically engineered with insecticidal Bt genes. It’s equivalent to the field being constantly sprayed with Bt. Some resistance has been found.
In my garden, I apply Bt at the recommended rate, only
to afflicted plants, and only when a pest problem gets sufficiently out of hand to warrant treatment.
My distaste for the celeryworm, which has a voracious appetite for carrot, celery, and parsley leaves, is tempered by the beauty of its adult form. Surely the elegance and grace of the adult form, the black swallowtail butterfly fluttering about the garden, adds as much beauty as a marigold or rose.
Partridge pea — Chamaecrista fasciculata — is a species of legume native to most of the eastern United States. (ADOBE
Terry & Kim Kovel | Antiques & Collecting
How cookie tins doubled as children’s toys
BISCUIT TINS, FIRST made about 1830, were some of the earliest commercial food packages. The first tin toys were made about the same time. It wasn’t too long before clever designers found ways to combine the two. Tin packaging with colorful images always caught customers’ attention, and, while fashionable art styles and scenes of foreign countries appealed to adults, children were drawn to tins shaped and decorated like their favorite playthings.
In the late 19th to early 20th centuries, many companies packaged their products in tins shaped like buildings, vehicles, animals, and human figures. Some packages had moving parts, just like the mechanical tin toys of the time.
This biscuit (cookie) tin, made by Dutch company J. Bekkers & Zoon about 1920, is shaped like a steamboat marked “Holland,” complete with stacks, flags on masts, and lithographed details on the decks. The upper deck opens. It was evidently intended to double as a toy; there are runners on the base,
Annuals
CONTINUES FROM PAGE F5
food desert, which can have dire consequences that range from fewer insect pollinators and birds to diminishing food crops and, eventually, livestock.
We know that using native plants of all types can help prevent a plethora of environmental problems. They’re also easier to care for because they’re naturally adapted to local conditions and are generally drought-tolerant.
Unfortunately, most home gardeners don’t know about or have access to native annuals. I hope that changes.
The Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, based in Austin, Texas, has a wonderful online plant database that
so a child could push it along the floor and pretend it was on the water. It even has a lithographed wave for added realism. Tin toys and tin packaging are both highly collectible today. This tin, which fits both categories, sold for about $935 at an auction by the German company Auction Team Breker.
Q.
I have inherited two autographed pictures of former President Harry S. Truman. One is in glass and the other is not. President Truman offered to sign these pictures for my cousin, who was a friend of his. They were signed after President Truman left office. Both pictures are in good shape. The one in glass measures 26 x 21 inches inside a 43 x 33-inch frame. The one without glass measures 21 1/2 x 25 1/2 inches in a 25 x 31 1/2-inch frame and is signed on the back. What is the best way to sell these pictures other than eBay?
A. There are several ways to sell autographed materials.
allows users to search native plants by state, lifecycle, bloom time and other criteria.
(It’s at www.wildflower.org.)
Consider asking your local nursery to stock them.
• Partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata), which is native from Massachusetts south to northern Florida and west to Minnesota, eastern Nebraska, Oklahoma and eastern Texas, is sadly underused. The lovely 1- to 3-foot-tall plant, which produces clusters of 1-inch-wide yellow flowers on tall, slender stems, thrives in both sun and part shade. A member of the legume family, it also releases nitrogen into the soil, which provides a natural and free fertilizer for itself and the other plants in the bed.
• American basket flower (Plectocephalus americanus)
A
Antiquarian book dealers sell them. So do some coin or stamp dealers. They also sell at general antique stores and auctions. Look for a dealer in your area. If you cannot find an appropriate one, you may want to contact an out-oftown dealer or auction house that specializes in historical materials; paper collectibles like photographs, prints, and books; or political collectibles. Autographed pictures of Pres-
ident Truman have sold for about $150 to $300 at recent auctions.
Q. I have many items from an estate, like plates, paintings, records, Hess trucks and Hummels, and I don’t know what to do with them. How can I find a buyer?
A. Settling an estate is always a daunting task. There
has a native range that spans west from Missouri to Kansas, then south to Louisiana, Texas and into Mexico. The plant, which boasts 4-inch, honey-scented, lavender-to-pinkish-purple flowers with creamy centers, thrives in full sun to part shade.
• Forked Bluecurls (Trichostema dichotomum) are delicate flowers that remind me a bit of Dutch irises. Growing to just over 2 feet tall, the late-summer bloomer is native to Michigan, Missouri and Texas east to the Atlantic coast, from Maine to Florida.
• A better-known U.S. native is the California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica), which, as its name implies, is native to California and Baja California. It grows up to 2 feet tall, sending up thin
are many ways to sell collections, such as through a liquidator; with a house or garage sale; taking your items to a consignment shop; or selling them online. If you have some valuable items or a large specialized collection, you may want to contact an auction house or antiques dealer. For example, Hess trucks from the 1960s in good condition, and with their original packaging, can sell for hundreds, even thousands of dollars. If you have any, you may want to contact a dealer or auction house specializing in toys. Individual Hummel figurines usually sell for low prices unless they are very early (crown or full bee mark), very rare, or unusual, such as international or jumbo figurines. A local library or art museum may have access to databases where you can look up the values of your paintings. If you cannot identify the artists, a museum or art gallery may be able to help you. There are websites like Discogs (discogs.com), Goldmine Magazine (goldmine mag.com), and Money Music (moneymusic.com) where you can look up the values of your records. You can also contact collectors’ clubs to find out
stems that each hold a single yellow-orange flower.
Many sunflowers are North American natives, and some of those are perennials. But the Helianthus annus species, known as common or annual sunflower, is a native annual. Originating in Manitoba, Canada, and Minnesota, south to Texas and west from Oregon to Baja California, Mexico, the multi-branched, bushy plant becomes covered in yellow flowers with maroon centers in summer.
• Indian blanket flower (Gaillardia pulchella) is another U.S. native annual that I’ve seen at the nursery. They’re not native to my home state of New York, however, but rather native from western South Dakota to Kansas and Louisiana and west to Colorado and Arizona. The 2-foot-tall plants
put forth daisy-like, red-petaled flowers with yellow tips. • Impatiens capensis (Orange jewelweed) should not be confused with the widely available Impatiens walleriana, which comes to us from eastern Africa, or Impatiens hawkeri (New Guinea Impatiens), which is native to the Solomon Islands and New Guinea. Instead, this North American beauty has a native range that covers Saskatchewan to Newfoundland, Canada, then extends south to Georgia, west to Oklahoma and northward to Missouri. Great for shady spots, its speckled orange flowers are a favorite of hummingbirds, bees and butterflies. Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter.
figural biscuit tin like this one is a kid’s dream: Finish the cookies it holds and you have a new tin toy! (COWLES SYNDICATE INC)
30-year US mortgage rate eases to 6.74%
By A LEX VEIGA
Associated Press
The average rate on a 30year U.S. mortgage eased this week, offering little relief for prospective homebuyers facing record-high home prices.
The long-term rate slipped to 6.74% from 6.75% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate averaged 6.78%.
Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loans, also eased. The average rate dropped to 5.87% from 5.92% last week. A year ago, it was 6.07%, Freddie Mac said.
Elevated mortgage rates have been weighing on the U.S. housing market, which has been in a sales slump going back to 2022, when rates started to climb from the rock-bottom lows they reached during the pandemic.
Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes, which sank to their lowest level in nearly 30 years in 2024, have remained sluggish this year and slid last month to the slowest pace since last September. Sales of new single-family homes edged up 0.6% last month, but the sales pace for June and May have been the slowest since last October.
While there are more homes on the market than a year ago, rising home prices and stubbornly high mortgage rates have made homeownership financially untenable for many Americans. Elevated mortgage rates are also discouraging many homeowners from selling because they locked in mortgage rates when they were much lower.
“The persistent risk of tariff-driven inflation, combined with a rising U.S. fiscal debt — expected to grow further following the passage of the Big Beautiful Bill Act — has helped establish a relatively high floor for interest rates, at least for now,” said Jiayi Xu, an economist at Realtor.com.
Deeds
AGAWAM
Brian L. David to Skyspec LLC, 14 Granger Drive, $350,000. Candlewood LLC, to Jacquelyn J. Day, 75 Candlewood Drive, $825,000.
Christopher J. Harper and Erin N. Harper to Slawomir P. Madro and Gianna Madro, 124 Robin Ridge Drive, $500,000.
David A. Chase, Kathleen E. Chase and Arthur A. Chase to Vincent Fortini and Ashley Shea, 36 Memorial Drive, $360,000.
U S A Housing & Urban Development to Chase Reisbig, 12 Mansion Woods Drive, #B, $148,100.
Jason Mann to Clifton Medeiros and April Medeiros, 167 Poplar St., $635,000.
Jennifer White to Nicholas Menzel and Olivia Menzel, 12 Federal St Extn, $478,000.
Patricia M. Maynard, estate, and Clark Maynard, representative, to James Robert Typrowicz and Jenny Cory, 15 Barbara Lane, $500,000.
Vincent Serignese and Laurie B. Serignese to Deepika Sundararaj, 61 Warren St., $460,000.
AMHERST
Eugene M. Battistoni and Sue-Ann Battistoni to Eugene M. Battistoni, trustee, Sue-Ann Battistoni, trustee, and Battistoni Family Trust, 532 Market Hill Road, $100.
Sue-Ann Battistoni to Eugene M. Battistoni. Trustee, Sue-Ann Battistoni, trustee, and Battistoni Family Trust, 534 Market Hill Road, $100.
Arash Hashemi, personal representative, and Keyvan Karbasioun, estate, to Kate Wade Williams, 13 Autumn Lane, $368,000.
Linda F. Smith, trustee, Alison Smith Mitchell, trustee, Alison F. Smith, trustee, Stephen M. Smith, trustee, and Hubbard M. Smith Revocable Trust to Carol Y. Bailey and Erold K. Bailey, 66 Stony Hill Road, $450,000.
East Pleasant Street Partners LLC, to James L. Beadle, 41 Gray St., $775,000.
Shing-Fa Shiao to Aimee Bida, 24 Potwine Lane, $600,000.
Deborah Sampson to Hamed Zamani and Helia Hashemi, 275 Strong St., $496,000.
BELCHERTOWN
G & H Development LLC, and G&H Development LLC, to David Fredenburgh, 105 Daniel Shays
Highway, $430,000.
Michele Snizek to Jacob Snizek and Deveron Owens, 101 Chauncey Walker St., $375,000.
Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB, trustee, Finance of America Structured Securities Acquisition Trust, Compu-Link Corp., attorney-in-fact, and Celink, attorney-in-fact, to Pacheco Property Holdings LLC, 65 Daniel Square, $247,000.
BERNARDSTON
Yvonne E. Williams, personal representative of the Estate of Barbara H. Mundie, to Peter J. Klimoski, 704 Brattleboro Road, $385,000.
Andrew Easton and Carly Easton to Zachary Swenson, 65 Hillcrest Drive, $349,000.
BLANDFORD
Howard P. Terry Jr., representative, Judith A. Terry, estate, and Judith Arlene Terry, estate, to Nature Conservancy, Chester Road, $1,565,000.
BRIMFIELD
David . Mayo and Kristin L. Mayo to Vicki M. Cheney, trustee, David L. Cheney, trustee, David Cheney Revocable Trust, trustee of, and
Vicki M. Cheney Trust, trustee of, 0 Shaw Road, $5,000.
David L. Cheney, trustee, Vickie M. Cheney, trustee, David Cheney Revocable Trust, trustee of, and Vickie M. Cheney Trust, trustee of, to Andrew Comerford and Joseph Comerford, 0 Shaw Road, $135,000.
Deborah C. Corriveau and Leonard Corriveau to Darius M. P Taylor and Heather A. Taylor, 105 Allen Hill Road, $699,000.
Grand Trunk Holdings LLC, to Mountain Brook Traders LLC, 0 Palmer Road, $392,500.
BUCKLAND
Cynthia A. Cote and Donald D. Cote to Laurie Spriggs Luther and Marshall K. Luther, trustees of the Marshall K. Luther Trust, 118 East Buckland Road, $225,000. Buckland Center Partners LLC, to Heather S. Looman and Jacob D. Looman, 6 Charlemont Road, $270,000
Harriet Fraad and Richard D. Wolff to Ursula Humphrey, 56 Upper St., $525,000.
CHICOPEE
34-38 Sheridan St. LLC, to 346 Britton Street LLC, 34-38 Sheridan St., $770,000.
Deeds
Andrew Ernest Rollings, Irene
Teresa Rollings and Stephanie Rollings to Marcos Rodriguez and Patricia Rodriguez, 69 Lafayette St., $290,000.
Craig M. Hauschild and Jennifer L. Hauschild to Jennifer L .Hauschild and Shirley Rousseau, 874 Prospect St., $84,320.
Debra Lusczynski-Tarka, trustee, Stanley W. Tarka, trustee, Martin P. Luszcynski and Tarka Family Trust, trustee of, to Richton & Wynne LLC, 112 Grape St., $175,000.
Edwin Eduardo Diaz to Robert Murphy, 162 Clarendon Ave., $410,000.
Flagstar Bank to Jacob Saleh, 88 Newell St., $220,500.
Jose E. Martinez and Francheska Martinez to Andrew Peter Lajoie and Kathryn Mary Collier, 79 Lauzier Terrace, $299,000.
Lynda M. St. Jean, Nancy A. Embury, Ann M. Kincaid and Wayne J. Constantine to Gabrielle Lynn Ruggiero and Dylan Albert Bailey, 20 Rosemont St., $420,000.
Patrick Styckiewicz and Taylor C. Styckiewicz to Patrick T. Ginley and Chris Moya, 215 Frontenac St., $400,000.
Regina Robak Creeron to Tyler Edward Corliss, 57 Hafey St., $360,000.
Renee M. Landry to Kaitlyn N. Parent, 1385 Pendleton Ave., Unit 6214C, $210,000.
Russell G. Centerbar and Lynne E. Centerbar to Lisa M. Girard, trustee, Michael A. Girard, trustee, and Emerald Isle Trust, trustee of, 83 Horseshoe Drive, Unit 6131B, $240,000.
Sandra Welch to William J. Gallagher Jr., and Patricia M. Gallagher, 2500 Pendleton Ave., Unit 6248, $231,000.
Stephen M. Reilly, trustee, and Maplewood Realty Trust, trustee of, to H P Rum LLC, 14-46 America St., $2,800,000.
Thomas E. Duffy to JGAR LLC, 9395 Thaddeus St., $342,500.
COLRAIN
Barbara M. Spiegelman and David M. Spiegelman, trustees of the Spiegelman Investment Trust, to Jan Sturmann, 7 Dunnell Drive, $120,000.
CONWAY
Thomas Tyler Read Palin, trustee of the William M. Chester Jr., 2018 Descendant’s Trust FBO Benson W. Hyde, to Thomas C. Chester, trust-
ee of Benson W. Hyde 2016 Special Investment Trust U/A 01/23/1018, 378 Cricket Hill Road, $600,000.
Elizabeth S. Lawton and James B. Lawton to Blair Ruscitti and Matthew Ruscitti, 39 Boyden Road, $655,000.
EAST LONGMEADOW
Amy L. Zarlengo MacDermott, representative, and Phyllis A. Fancy, estate, to William Kimball and Amber Kimball, 45 Donamor Lane, $400,000.
Cesar Ruiz Jr., trustee, Lisa A. Santaniello, trustee, and 38 Center Square Realty Trust, trustee of, to E&S Ventures LLC, 33-35 Prospect St., $360,000.
James M. Chapdelaine and Darleen Chapdelaine to Heather Lee Doe and Scott Litz, 32 Fairview St., $390,000.
Michael Giuggio and Laura Ann Giuggio to Jeffrey J. Brennan and Toni L. Brennan, 525 Parker St., $520,000.
Vaughn J. Wildfong to Irina Sidoryuk, trustee, and Sidoryuk Trust, trustee of, 36 Devonshire Terrace, $830,000.
EASTHAMPTON
Bruce M. Holmes and Sharon Lessard to Mahajoy Laufer, 29 Lyman Ave., $239,900.
Robert E. Dragon Jr., Joyce M. Dragon, Jeffrey E. Labonte Sr., and Judith A. Labonte to Joanne McTiernan, 116 Holyoke St., $501,000.
Adam Jaber and Gina Marie Jaber to Robert G. Nicholson and Ida Hay, 19 Keddy St., $420,000.
Ian M. Carrier and Cristina P. Carrier to Aleksandar Vasic and Paige Quinn-Vasic, 95 Holyoke St., $650,000.
Linda M. Hopkins to Betsy Hopkins and Leif Flory, 21 First Ave., $210,000.
Nader Saborouh to Ian M. Carrier and Cristina P. Carrier, 64 Strong St., $405,000.
GRANBY
Win Properties LLC, to Dash Realty Holdings LLC, 2 West State St., 4 West State St., 6 West State St., and West State Street Rear, $1,850,000.
Cynthia L. Bombardier, personal representative, and May F. Brainerd, estate, to Anneka Lamb and Cory Murphy, 9 North St., $375,000.
GREENFIELD
Cheryl A. Feeney to Christina Kerr, 322A Davis St., Unit 322-A, Townehouse Condominium, $250,000.
Joseph M. Mirkin and Sophia M. Pastore to Abigail R. Drury, 10 Walnut St., $326,000.
Alexa Beach and Margaret Eisenhauer to Mel Knier, Anna Lavarreda, Elena Lavarreda, Joseph Mirkin and Sophia Pastore, 29 Highland Ave., $940,000.
Ryan Lavoie and Tricia Lavoie to Nathan Rex Altomare and Kimber Nicole Ray, 38 Ferrante Ave., $525,000.
Andrew Urbanowicz to Aqua Vitae Farm LLC, 4C30 Bay Road and Old Bay Road, $100.
Andrew V. Urbanowicz and Vincent A. Urbanowicz to Aqua Vitae Farm LLC, 4C33 Aqua Vitae Road, $100.
HAMPDEN
Leah Marossie to Christopher Kennedy, 11 Old Coach Circle, $17,000.
HEATH
Henry Ryback to George Bielawski and Kevin Bielawski, Mohawk Estates, $23,000.
HOLLAND
Mark E. Lund and Susan A. Lund to Tyler Reilly and Brooke Reilly, 11 Leisure Drive, $660,000.
Peter C. Perez, Shaun M. Strom and Shaun M. Strom-Perez to Amanda Lane, 47 Leno Road, $355,000.
HOLYOKE
Carmen L. Krzesik, trustee, and James G. Cartwright Irrevocable Trust, trustee of, to Tanya M. Ramsey, Raul Mercado Torres and John E. Smith, 38 Knollwood Circle, $360,000.
Carolyn D. Roberts and Kenneth Roberts to Saje Home Services LLC, 141 St. Jerome Ave., $135,000.
David J. Duran and Itza D. Martinez to Javier A. Rivera and Barbara M. Rivera, 705 Homestead Ave., $371,000.
Lauren J. Capannola to Avinash Sharma, 4 Maple Crest Circle, Unit 4D, $192,001.
Michael Shepard and Heatheranne Shepard to Tina Moson and Danyelle Cady, 542 Rock Valley Road, $395,000.
Nancy L .Post to Benjamin Pion, 453 Homestead Ave., $378,500.
Nelson R. Amalbert to Dwayne Fisher and Rose Fisher, 2-4 Rene Drive, $460,000.
Nina C. Cassidy to Onyx Investments LLC, 258 Rock Valley Road, $192,000.
Talisa Soto Bratt and Talisa Soto to Ashley Haskell, 89 Sun Valley Road, $340,000.
U S Bank Trust, trustee, and LSRMF MH Master Participation Trust II, trustee of, to Reneeza Ramdeen, 66 Taylor St., $205,000.
HUNTINGTON
Janet Laprade and Janet F. Lyman to Nancy A. Laprade, Nancy A. Lombard and Daniel C. Laprade, 212 Norwich Lake and 212 Maple Ave., $100,000.
LONGMEADOW
David Lipke and Sarah Fontaine-Lipke to Indu B. Yadav, 109 Wild Grove Lane, $935,000.
Eric W. Pohlman and Gretchen M. Pohlman to Andrea Triantafillou, 88 Redfern Drive, $565,000.
Joanna Beachy to Steven W. Hayes and Esther M. Hayes, 20 Brittany Road, $855,000.
Kathleen M. McManus to John R. LaPierre and Stephanie LaPierre, 291 Bliss Road, $475,000.
Kenneth J. Shusterman to Abiy A. Teshome and Audrey G. Teshome, 230 Meadowlark Drive, $520,000.
Yana Stein and Roman A. Stein to Ericka Olson and Christopher Najar, 166 Primrose Drive, $620,000.
LUDLOW
Andrzej Pielecha and Grazyna J. Pielecha to Douglas Blair and Angela Curto, 1150 East St., $552,500.
Charlotte Marie Boney, trustee, Mark Charles Lasitter III, trustee, and Boney-Lassiter 2014 Revocable Family Trust, trustee of, to Debra Mary Goeschel and John Michael Emler Jr., 74 Knollwood Road, $775,000.
Frank Arduino, trustee, Holly Arduino, trustee, and 270 West Street Realty Trust, trustee of, to MSAM Real Estate LLC, 270 West St., $2,000,000.
J L N Properties LLC, to Michael G. Page and Jennifer R. DiRico, Lyon Street Estate, Lot 5, $125,000.
Laura N Stevens and Tyler Lionel James Alves to Jeremiah P Gombos, 675 West St, $440,500.
Michael T. Narey to David Alan Carpenter, 17 Brimfield St., $168,855.
Trey John Murphy Cavaan to TJMC Holdings LLC, 365 West Ave., $100. Whitetail Wreks LLC, to Hemlock Ridge LLC, Equinox Pass, Lot 91, $177,900.
MONSON
Darius M. P. Taylor, Heather A. Borden and Heather A. Taylor to Jeffrey D. Sterner and Sheila J. Nothe-Sterner, 111 May Hill Road, $466,500.
Frank Perez III, Dawn Perez and Dawn Crossman to Mackenzie A. Tozier, 98 Town Farm Road, $647,500.
MONTAGUE
Cassaundra R. Lopez and Ivan Lopez to Henry J. Burek III, and Mia A. Burek, 18 Franklin St., $169,000.
Edward G. Stone to Christina L. Williams and Oliver G. Williams, Federal Street, $175,000.
Peter Quintana to Eleanor Caroline Crosby and William R. Crosby, 104 Third St., $180,000.
NEW SALEM
Ann Colby and George E. Colby Jr., to Laura E. Barletta and Vincent F. Barletta, trustees of the 51 South Main Realty Trust, 51 South Main St., $550,000.
Laura E. Barletta and Vincent F. Barletta, trustees of the 37 South Main Trust, to Ann Colby and George E. Colby Jr., 16 Lovers Lane, $500,000.
NORTHAMPTON
Gary W. Keefe and Allison S. Keefe to Travis S. Watson and Allison B. Watson, 47 Avis Circle, $800,000.
Eugene J. LaFrance, estate, Eugene Joseph LaFrance, estate, and Anita P. Lafrance, personal representative, to Anita P. LaFrance, trustee, and Eugene J. LaFrance Revocable Trust, 310 Coles Meadow Road, $100. Fatimah Kabba and Gabriela Nunez Santiago to Rodney North and Donna Desrochers, 23 Prospect Ave., $1,055,000.
Anita P. LaFrance, trustee, and Eugene K. LaFrance Revocable Trust to Anita P. LaFrance, 310 Coles Meadow Road, $100.
James E. Bacon to 14 Easthampton Rd LLC, 14 Easthampton Road, $1,000,000.
Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity Inc., to Mohammad Ismail Shirzad and Farzana Faqiri, 140 Woodland Drive, $190,000.
Anne Morehouse and Mary Hulbert to Edward Ted Gilman Kennedy and Carla Reissman, 54 Water St., $866,000.
Kristina King and Scott Forman to Samuel A. Duker, trustee, and Unit 4 YH Realty Trust, 88 Round Hill Road, $865,000.
Joseph Brooks and Myrrh Brooks, to Mo Xu and Andrew B. Diruzza, 228 Florence Road, $375,000.
NORTHFIELD
Susan A. Murray to Charles McGrevy and Tina McGrevy, 283 West Road, $380,000.
Deeds
ORANGE
D. Jean DeGara to Mallory LeBlanc and Anthony Saladini, 113 Drew Boulevard, $395,000.
PALMER
John J. Swistak and Susan Pajak to Efrain Diaz III, 1028 Maple St., $296,500.
Mark A. Gibson and Norma Gibson to Joaquim Santos and Mary Ellen Santos, 203 Breckenridge St., $15,000.
Michael Gaudio, trustee, and Arthur R. Gaudio Trust, trustee of, to Maria Brittingham, 20 Michael Drive, $320,000.
Nicholas Lloyd, Sierra Lloyd and Sierra Thorpe to Robert Fornaciari, 1724 North Main St., $336,000.
SHELBURNE
Laurence K. Flaccus and Susan T. Flaccus to Caitlyn M. Slowinski, Samuel E. Slowinski, Jenelle M. Wilkins and Kurt H. Wilkins, 16 & 28 North South Road, “fka” 1394 Mohawk Trail, $850,000.
SOUTH HADLEY
Cheryl A. Pringle and Linda A. Gelineau to Kathryn Barsevich, 25 Saybrook Circle, $346,000.
Lindsey M. Freer to Gillian Woldorf, 49 Camden St., $390,000.
Luis Builders Inc., to Cai Walkowiak, 36 Bridge St., $85,000.
Steven Schlachter, Steven A. Schlachter, Karen Schlachter and Karen L. Schlachter to Steven A. Schlachter, trustee, Karen L. Schlachter, trustee, and Steven A. Schlachter & Karen L. Schlachter Joint Revocable Trust, 310 Alvord Place, $100.
SOUTHAMPTON
Jason S. Labrie and Tiffany T. Labrie to Sarah Sypek, 42 Coleman Road, $555,000.
Bernard S. Borowski and Cynthia A. Borowski to Jason Labrie and Tiffany Labrie, 6 Pine Meadow Drive, $765,000.
Kyle Richard Ledbetter, Colleen Mary Ledbetter and Colleen Mary Payne to Valerie Haggerty, trustee, and RRB Irrevocable Trust, 55 Pomeroy Meadow Road, $630,000.
Fumi Realty Inc., to Alexander Smith, 5 Pomeroy Meadow Road Extension, $320,000.
Angela R. O’Donnell and Kevin B. O’Donnell to Alan Borowski and Amanda Dzialo, 102 Gunn Road, $850,000.
SOUTHWICK
Denise Faircloth and William Faircloth to Pamela Anne Molennor, trustee, and Pamela A. Molennor Trust, trustee of, 5 Honey Bird Run, $946,000.
Lyudmila Andreyeuna Maksyuk, Tetyana Maksyuk, Andriy A. Maksyuk and Olga Maksyuk to Vincent Serignese and Laurie B. Serignese, 8 Noble Steed Crossing, $625,000.
SPRINGFIELD
855 Liberty Springfield LLC, to IJE Properties LLC, 855 Liberty St., $735,000.
Adam Amaral and Alexis Amaral to Scott Allison, 896 Berkshire Ave., $235,000.
Adrian Morales Villalobos and Delia Herrera to Alba Hortencia Elias and Nathaneal Isaac Elias, 45 Greaney St., $350,000.
Bobby Hall, Barbara Hall, Bobby Hartsfield and Christine Hartsfield to Bruce Cononico, 174 Wellington St., $315,000.
Brooke E. Coughlin and Brendan M. Coughlin to Dahiana Josefina Rodriguez De Crisotomo, 842-844 Alden St., $393,000.
BRVS LLC to Chad J. O’Brien, 5 Rogers Ave., $437,537.
Casa Trio LLC, to Jean B. Jean and Jeanise Dort, 128-130 Oak Grove Ave., $520,000.
Cig4 LLC, to Hossein Mojahed Zadeh, 235 Boston Road, $325,000.
Clifton Medeiros and April M. Medeiros to Briana Torres-Ferrer, 25 Gardens Drive, $395,500.
Cynthia Jane Ortell, Crystal Mary Nadeau, Colleen Lynch and James Liberty to Matthew-David Charles Gordon, 32 Albert Ave., $250,000.
Dipikaben R. Patel, Dipikaben Patel, Monal Patel, Yash Patel and Rajesh Patel, estate, to Rose Tran and Heinrich Bui, 102 Starling Road, $375,000.
Dominic Kirchner II, trustee, and Bogdanow Realty Trust, trustee of, to Murtadha Noori, 229-231 Saint James Boulevard, $395,000.
EH Home Solutions Realty LLC, to Sarah Anne Ryan, 140 Chestnut St., Unit 606, $215,000.
Gabrielle Ruggiero to Rashad Marquise Evans, 42 North Brook Road, $315,000.
House Hack Helpers LLC, to Ramona I. Acevedo and Mario Rodriguez Acevedo, 342 Wilbraham Road, $423,000.
Javier A. Rivera to Angilene
S. Brown, 165 Seymour Ave., $300,000.
Jessica S. Dillard-Wright and Devi Dillard-Wright to Katerina Valentine, 37 Revere St., $274,500.
John R .LaPierre and Stephanie LaPierre to Patricia Del Buono, 48 Zephyr Lane, $375,000.
Joseph R .Conway, trustee, and Mack Na Servicing Trust, trustee of, to Olmsted Realty LLC, 195 Jasper St., $140,000.
Lumpkin & Markarian Holdings LLC, to Bar Belmont LLC, 459 Dwight St., $500,000.
Lisandra Zeno to Ricky Santiago, 103 Flint St., $255,000.
Marlene Ferreira, Joan H. Drewnowski, Joyce Mycofsky , estate, Helen Zoladz, estate, Elva Miriam Mycofsky, estate, and Michael Mycofsky, estate, to No Limit Assets LLC, 223-225 St. James Boulevard, $87,500.
Michael A. Powers, Michael C. Powers and Jessica W. Powers to Darrell Griffin and Yancy Griffin, 2393 Wilbraham Road, $365,000.
WARE
Lisa Jo Terry Jakshtis to Melinda Terry, 13 Crescent Terrace, $100.
Matthew J. Graves and Michele L. Graves to Nicholas Lloyd and Sierra Lloyd, 53 Babcock Tavern Road, $474,000.
Darryl M. Auguste to Crystal J. Garcia-Auguste, trustee, Darryl M. Auguste, trustee, and Garcia & Auguste Family Trust, 1 Wildflower Drive, $100.
Edward R. Lychwala and Ruth M. Lychwala to Brian Errante, 130 Greenwich Plains Road, $510,000.
Denise J. Wheeler to BSM HSN LLC, 28 Maple Ave., $66,000.
Guy P. Beaulieu and Sandra M. Crowley to Gabriela Vieyra and Christopher Babas, 84 Coffey Hill Road, $599,000.
WEST SPRINGFIELD
Cornerstone Homebuying LLC, to Bryanna Montalvo and Thomas Owens, 333 Massachusetts Ave., $350,000.
Gitsit Real Property LLC, to Amanda Kamel, Maikel Kamel and Roberta Billiel, 6 Albert St,. $350,000.
Gitsit Solutions LLC, to Gitsit Real Property LLC, 6 Albert St., $100. Holly Hitchcock, Holly Borelli and George J. Borelli III, to Andre Fillion, 100 Nelson St., $327,000.
James A. Robb, representative, and Michael B. Robb, estate, to Tyler A. Pierson, 80 Brush Hill Ave., Unit 15, $176,500.
Mark Walachy, Maureen T.
Walachy, Michael A. Perrea and Sharon A. Perrea to Duane Jay Paul, 121 Kings Highway, $350,000.
SS Fund LLC, to 1146 Memorial Drive LLC, 1146 Memorial Ave., $495,000.
Tamara Tsyganenko, Simon Tsyganenko, Petr Tsyganenko and Tamra Tsyganenko to Molly Holt and David W Holt, 70 Almon Ave., $263,000.
WESTFIELD
Christin L. Wilson and Kelly Wilson to Jonathan R. Bracci and Taylor Bracci, 171 Munger Hill Road, $630,000.
David N. Fisk to Fitzgerald Home Solutions LLC, 7 Day Ave., $380,000.
M3 Properties LLC, to Thomas A. Bonyeau, 555 Russell Road, F39, $210,000.
Our Legacy LLC, to Matthew R. Wilcox, 3 Vernon St., $575,000. Thaddeus M. Jarzabek, trustee, Jane E. Jarzabek, trustee, and Jarzabek Living Trust, trustee of, to Mark Fraser Ramage, trustee, Adrienne Lenhart Ramage, trustee, and Ramage Family Trust, trustee of, 131 Bates Road, $705,000.
Vitaliy P. Baranyuk and Nina Baranyuk to Thomas Michael Wolak, 13 Smith Ave., $360,000.
WESTHAMPTON
David C. Colton Jr., to David C. Colton, 176 Kings Highway, $100.
Rachel T. Goodman and Harris Danow to Courtney Marie Ross, 223 Main Road, $450,000.
WILBRAHAM
Bretta Construction LLC, to Joseph M. Pecoraro and Julianne V. Pecoraro, 14 Wellfleet Drive, $805,000.
Daniel Rodrigues and Giavanna M. Colaccino to John W. Lanzoni and Maureen A. Lanzoni, 2205 Boston Road, Unit J-93, $300,000.
Dennis P. Martial and David R. Martial to Dominic Santaniello, trustee, Lucas Giusto, trustee, and Naples Home Buyers Trust, trustee of, 4 Wilson St., $56,000.
Robert Leonard Bustamante to Kevin Grant and Calyn Bisi, 20 Mountainbrook Road, $415,000.
Zahi N. Haddad and Debra M. Haddad to Giavanna M. Colaccino and Daniel R. Rodriques, 8 Evangeline Drive, $425,000.
WILLIAMSBURG
Susan L. Morrison and Susan Morrison to Susan Morrison, trustee, and Susan Morrison Revocable Trust, 16 Williams St., $100.
Antiques
more about your collections, connect with potential buyers or dealers, or find out about shows or other opportunities to sell. Kovels.com and AntiqueTrader.com have more articles with detailed information on selling collections, as well as directories where you can look up relevant businesses and clubs. Remember, if you decide to do business with an auction house, consignment store, dealer, auction house, or anyone else, do your research and take precautions. Get references and reviews, make sure you know about any fees, and always get a signed copy of any agreement.
TIP: To clean a tin toy, first dust it. If it’s dirty, use soap and a little water to wash it. Be sure it’s completely dry before storing, and store it in a dry place, not in the basement.
Kovels answers readers’ questions sent to the column. Send a letter with one question describing the size, material (glass, pottery) and what you know about the item. Include only two pictures: the object and a close-up of any marks or damage. Be sure your name and return address are included. By sending a question, you give full permission for use in any Kovel product. Names, addresses or email addresses will not be published. We do not guarantee the return of photographs, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. Questions that are answered will appear in Kovels Publications. Write to Kovels, The Republican, King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th Street, 41st Floor, New York, NY 10019, or email us at collectorsgallery@ kovels.com.
Cleaners
antibacterial chemicals may also be promoting bacteria resistant to the best drugs we have against them.
Then there’s indoor air. The average American spends 90% of their time indoors — breathing the residue of our cleaning products. “There is a whole lot more of most chemical compounds indoors than there are outdoors,” said Delphine Farmer, an atmospheric chemist at Colorado State University, who led one of the most comprehensive set of experiments of chemical exposures in homes. “There are questions lingering about what the health effects are.”
Theoretically, regulators sort this out before products hit the market, a philosophy known as the precautionary principle. In the European Union, for example, regulators follow a “no data, no market” rule. The United States takes a more laissez-faire approach.
Products must still demonstrate a reasonable expectation of safety, while offering a balance between risk and performance. “The American system certainly allows for that nuance, and it allows for personal decision,” Farmer said. “That’s a good thing. But that only works if we give people the information that they need to have to make a good decision … and I don’t think we do.”
The problem, she said, is that we lack data on the nearly endless number of chemical reactions as cleaning products in our home interact with surfaces, off-gassing building materials, air pollution and each other. “That’s a very new topic,” she said. “I don’t know that we have enough information to really give a good holistic idea of what the trade-offs are.”
So if U.S. regulators weren’t willing to practice the precautionary principle, I could do so at home.
DIY chemistry of clean
Virtually all cleaning requires just a few chemical reactions.
Common cleaning product ingredients and potential health and environmental concerns
PRODUCT BRAND (EXAMPLE) INGREDIENTS OF CONCERN POTENTIAL HEALTH CONCERNS*
Multi-Surface Cleaner Mr. Clean
All-Purpose Cleaner Lysol
Window cleaner Windex
Dishwasher rinse aid Finish
Dish soap Dawn
Disinfecting Wipes Clorox
Fragrance, preservatives (e.g. methylisothiazolinone), surfactants, fragrances, preservatives
Quaternary ammonium compounds, fragrance
Ammonia, 2-Hexoxyethanol
Ethanolamine, surfactants, alcohol ethoxylates
Sodium lauryl sulfate, dyes, Surfactants, fragrances, dyes
Quaternary ammonium compounds, bleach, quaternary ammonium compounds, fragrances
Allergic reactions,respiratory irritation, skin irritation, asthma
Asthma triggers, hormone disruption, skin irritation, reproductive toxicity
Respiratory irritation, burns, eye damage, toxic if mixed with bleach
Skin and eye irritation, toxic to aquatic life, may damage gut lining
Mild skin irritation, environmental persistence, aquatic toxicity
Asthma, skin sensitivity or irritation, reproductive toxicity
* Health concerns indicated in scientific literature may be at higher or repeated exposures than is common in household use.
Source: Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI) at UMass Lowell MICHAEL J. COREN / THE WASHINGTON POST
I had to invest a bit more elbow grease and time. Allowing homemade recipes to sit on surfaces a little longer compensated for the less powerful solvents. But I came away convinced that DIY recipes could handle almost all my cleaning needs.
TURI has compiled a longer list of household solutions. Next for me to try: bathroom and toilet bowl cleaner, dishwasher rinse aids, floor polish and more.
Generally speaking, McCarthy said, avoid mixing vinegar and baking soda, as the chemical reaction cancels out their cleaning power. And stick to well-vetted recipes — mixing two innocuous chemicals can result in dangerous compounds. If using essential oils, a few drops are more than enough.
For off-the-shelf solutions, many “natural” or “green” products are as effective as conventional ones, McCarthy said. While those eco-terms aren’t regulated, you can look up products on the Environmental Protection Agency’s
“The American system certainly allows for that nuance, and it allows for personal decision. That’s a good thing. But that only works if we give people the information that they need to have to make a good decision … and I don’t think we do.”
DELPHINE FARMER,
AN ATMOSPHERIC CHEMIST AT COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY
First, you need a surfactant. Any soap will form a sticky bridge between water and oil. By suspending oil and grease in water, it allows dirt to be easily lifted from surfaces with a damp rag. Then it helps to have a solvent. Think how water dissolves sugar in simple syrup. Alcohol or aromatic terpenes — such as d-limonene, derived from citrus peels — do the same for oils, food bits and even the lipid membranes of bacteria and viruses. That makes messes easier to wipe away.
Vinegar, while technically more of an acid than a solvent, helps clear away mineral, inorganic crud. (Note to the wise: Don’t use on natural stone or you’ll end up with etching, and never, ever mix
with bleach: You will create chlorine gas, which can burn your lungs.)
Finally, for tough jobs, an abrasive such as baking soda comes in handy. To impart a citrus smell, a drop or two of essential oils or just plain lemon juice does the job.
My new cleaning regime
When I surveyed my home, 90% of the work came down to two jobs: cleaning surfaces such as counters and floors, and cleaning glass on windows and mirrors.
For the first, Alicia McCarthy, a research scientist with the Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI; turi.org) at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, cooked up an elegant recipe for a multi-surface cleaner: 2 cups
water, 2 tablespoons castile soap and ½ teaspoon baking soda. A couple of drops of citrus oil are optional.
TURI says the recipe performs as well as Formula 409 All Purpose Cleaner, at a fraction of the price, without quats and other potential nasties. As advertised, it worked well on my countertops and the inside my microwave.
Next, I needed to wipe toddler nose smudges off my windows. Never fond of Windex, I turned to a second TURI-vetted formula: a simple mix of 1 cup vinegar and 1 cup water. (You can add rubbing alcohol to speed evaporation and reduce streaks.) I ended up with spotless glass panes — at least until the kids got home again.
Safer Choice and certified disinfectants lists. You can also check third-party certifications such as Green Seal and UL Ecologo. Additional options include appliances like handheld steam cleaners (starting around $40) and electrolyzed water, a disinfectant solution created by sending an electrical current through diluted salt water.
I’ve now replaced more than a dozen cleaning products with just two DIY spray bottles. While I’m not throwing out all the conventional products just yet, I may go years before using them again.
For everyday cleaning, I’ll breathe a little easier with soap, water, vinegar and a little scrubbing.
MORTGAGEES’ REAL ESTATE AUCTIONS TO BE SOLD ON THEIR RESPECTIVE PREMISE
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Rider mower, good condition, 12HP,
ANTIQUE ESTATE AUCTION
