Going Green with Diatomaceous Earth

The first alarming warnings of increased toxicity in homes is due to too much usage of chemicals, pesticides and toxins. Adulteration in food and vegetables, chemicals in soap and cosmetics makes one think if there is any end to the increasing risks of preservatives and chemicals added in our daily usage of food and fertilizers. The first dose comes from food intake and others come with the products we use and from the polluted environment.

And how do the skeletons play a role in controlling pests?

 The skeletons of diatoms aren’t made of what our bones consist of. They were made of substance called glass which is nothing but silicon dioxide. This glass may not be harmful to us, but it certainly is for insects which crawl on earth. The layer that cover insect’s insides is called cuticle, if they crawl along a line of diatomaceous powder, it gets chafed, depleting the moisture levels and ultimately resulting in death. This cuticle which is a thin external covering of the insect is its exoskeleton to which the muscles are attached, DE causes permanent damage to it. It gets rid of fleas, ticks, parasites and lice naturally.

I first learnt about DE online while searching for a good fertilizer for my garden. This earthy powder can be used to improve the soil health and amending porosity for clay soils.

• It is used in animal feed and as a deodorizer for manure.
• One can use DE for preventing infection to stored grains.
• In one incident Diatomaceous earth and activated bauxite were tested as granular absorbents for filtering gaseous alkali metal compounds.
• What’s more you can use DE to clean and polish old silver jewellery and copper vessels.
• It can be used to remove stink from your shoe cupboards.
• Use it to combat strong smells like pet litters and garbage cans.

There isn’t any side effect of Diatomaceous earth until you inhale it. There is a food grade Diatomaceous Earth which can be ingested safely. It is a safe pesticide for homes, garden, birds, poultry, farms and grains.