Lock Down

Social distancing, lock downs, if someone told me about this a few months ago I would have chuckled at the idea. But it is definitely a reality now.

I would like to avoid the obvious, by now we all know how to be vigilant. There are a few less obvious things I would like to share that may help during this lock down.

House plants for maximizing oxygen levels in your house for example. Especially in climates where it’s too cold to open a window; house plants are essential. The top 5 plants to produce oxygen and purify the air:

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• Boston Fern. These are not easy to keep indoors, they tend to dry out quickly. I was taught they like to “bathe” in water and I used to spray the leaves with water. Honestly; to no avail. I did manage to keep them alive outside though, which defeats the purpose of a house plant! If you have more of a green thumb, this may be the plant for you.
• Snake Plant. Now this one is easy to maintain! Unlike it’s nick name “mother in law’s tongue” something that is a little harder to contain.
• Areca Palm. I have always liked these. They don’t seem to need a lot of direct sunlight, I have one in my office. They do need a lot of water.
• Gerber Daisy. Who doesn’t like a Gerber Daisy?!? Be sure to give this baby lots of sunlight and water. Purer air and pretty flowers? Definitely a Win-Win.

We all know we should wash our fruits and veggies before consuming them. In all honesty, I have not been too diligent with this in the past. Times have changed, the thought of how many people have touched that apple in the store before I did…There is a viral video now suggesting you should wash your fruit and veggies with soap and water. Experts have already urged everyone not to! I even see suggestions with bleach out there. Are you kidding me?

Plain old water for at least 20 seconds or try the following: studies show that baking soda may be the way to go to remove pesticides off of fruits and veggies.

• Soak apples in a baking soda solution for two minutes; one teaspoon to two cups of water.
• For produce and fruits such as berries and grapes; make your own spray. Combine one cup of water, two tablespoons of baking soda and 1 table spoon lemon juice. Spritz on produce, let it sit for five to ten minutes and then rinse.

Going forward I will be more conscientious. So I googled “another word for diligent”. *blush*

Be healthy. Stay safe!