Help please! Too much Murphy's Oil Soap on my floors!
zeebee
16 years ago
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kec01
16 years agoRelated Discussions
Question about using Murphy's Oil Soap for borers?
Comments (6)Here's a different article I found. Have no idea if it works, but I can remember my grandmother always having a bottle of Murphy's around. Neil Murphy's Oil Soap and Iris Borers Taken from AIS Region 18 Bulletin -- Spring 2000 Michael Gullo West Walworth, New York (This article was recently on Iris-Talk and originally printed in the January 1998 AIS bulletin) I first heard about the Murphy's Oil Soap method of borer control in the January 1998 AIS Bulletin. The title of this article was "Sand and Soap" written by Marie Gebert. In the article she presented the following advice: "use a mixture of one half cup of Murphy's Oil Soap to one gallon of water. Spray on the iris leaves weekly (or after a rain) from early May to late July. This should be used after any other sprays." I use the soap that comes in the refill bottles not that which comes in the spray bottles which is already diluted. I feel that a thorough garden cleanup (very later fall or very early spring) is also very important to make borer control even more effective. I have been using this method of borer control for the past two seasons with great success. I only find a very small number of borers that manage to survive the spraying, which I promptly squish. One could probably combine the oil soap treatment and beneficial nematodes (alternate sprayings) and achieve even more complete protection. With just two sprayings last season I only found a dozen or so borers. Marie, in her article, mentions that she and others in her area (northeastern Connecticut) have been using it to great effort for five seasons (as of 1998). I don't believe in using harsh chemical treatments to control pests or other problems, so Murphy's Oil Soap has been quite a help. Your climate will dictate how early you need to start spraying. Some years the first of May is early enough, but lately here I have needed to start even earlier, usually mid to late April. If you wait till the borers hatch then it will be too late, at least to stop the early ones. I won't use harsh chemicals, but for those who do I would suggest trying a test plot for the Murphy's to see if it is as effective as chemical treatments. I know of a number of people who use chemicals like Cygon only out of desperation....See MoreMurphy Soap
Comments (14)I realise this is a very old thread, but I thought I would post my little bit of wisdom about Murphy's Oil, gleaned from close to 15 years of using it as a professional housekeeper. Murphy's Oil Soap (original, concentrated) can be used in two types of solutions: 1/ The way it is on the instructions, with 1/4 cup to something like 1 gallon of water in a pail. This is good for large projects, including flooring that will accept the excess water. 2/ As a tiny drop in a spray bottle full of water. I prefer this method for both general cleaning, and floor cleaning with a terry cloth mop. It does a great job, and dries in minutes with no towels needed. Murphy's Oil Soap can be used to clean the following things: 1/Hardwood Flooring 2/Tile and laminate flooring 3/Stone tile flooring (including marble, with a mild dilution in a spray!) 4/Finished wood furniture 5/Painted wood furniture 6/Other painted surfaces such as walls 7/Wood, melamine, tile, stone (including marble!) countertops and backsplashes(in a spray) 8/As a scrub booster directly on your sponge, when dealing with soapscum in the bath. 9/Windows and other glass (with a little extra buffing, and in mild dilution in a spray bottle) 10/As a spot remover for stains on carpet and upholstery(in a spray) 11/As a spot pre-treatment for laundry 12/As an ingredient in homemade liquid laundry detergent 13/As an ingredient in homemade bug deterrent/killer solutions in the garden 14/As a preventative measure against an assortment of fungal infestations in the garden 15/Dishes, in pinch with lots of rinsing I have found that, when it comes to flooring (any type), the best way to clean them is by using a microfibre or terry cloth mop, and about half a teaspoon of Murphy's Oil Soap in a full (regular size) spray bottle of water. You get a great clean, and the solution dries in less than 5 minutes, so the water doesn't have a chance to sit on the floor and possibly damage it. While it's true that vinegar is often good to use as a general cleaner and a floor and window cleaner, there are a few areas where it is inadvisable to use vinegar. If you have flooring that has been sanded and refinished, choose Murphy's (mild, in a spray bottle) over vinegar. The acid in the vinegar will- over time- eat through the re-applied finish. Ask a flooring expert- I did. Also, you can't let water sit on a refinished surface, as excessive water will also damage the finish. Vinegar cannot be used on soft stone tiles that require a mild PH, or PH neutral, cleanser- the acid will etch the surface. Excessive water will etch the surface. Murphy's in a spray bottle works just dandy. :) You can use Murphy's on virtually any area of your home, from the ceiling to the windows to the floor, and even in your garden. Vinegar can be used most places, but not everywhere. The two of them together, however, will combat almost any problem in keeping your home clean. :)...See MoreI think Pledge ruined my furniture! please help!
Comments (22)Hello Duane Collie From The Keeping Room, i Had the walnut veneer Lacquered finish walnut table ruined by Pledge. The description of the table says “Solid Eucalyptus wood and engineered wood with walnut veneer, covered in a water based dark walnut finish.“ West Elm who I purchased the table from advised me to contact the Furniture Medic - this is a franchised furniture repair business. Hmmm. Awaiting their call. Home Depot in California does not carry mineral spirits, but my woodworking neighbor has Klean Strip- Xylol-Xylene and V.M. &P Naphtha. wouldnt these ruin the veneer? His wife thought I need to oil the table to dissolve the pledge- she gave me jojoba oil! i am afraid I will ruin the table even more...what are your thoughts?...See MoreMy Shampoo Soap Bar Experience
Comments (99)Chiming in again, since I guess that I started the whole shampoo bar thing here. Before I went on the Camino last year I trialed several bars. I rather liked the Grapefruit bar from Sweetsnthings, but I had also bought a bar made by Tree Hut at a local store. It was their 4 in 1 Mango bar. I really loooooved how it made my hair feel, and it smells yummy, so that's what I took on the Camino with me, and I liked everything about it. It's got more, for want of a better word, "chemically" ingredients, more like a traditional liquid shampoo, but worked better for me than the other bars, especially since I have hard water at home, and wasn't able to do an ACV rinse on the Camino. When I returned home from Spain I went to buy some more, but discovered that it had been discontinued! I managed to find 3 bars on clearance, which I am hoarding for my next Camino walk. (this summer, yay!) But now my search was on to find a replacement. I've been usingthis one from another Etsy vendor, LakeSuperiorSoap, and it leaves my hair soft and silky. The scent is nice, but pretty strong. I have also tried this one from GetLathered on Etsy. I like it too, but not quite as much. Neither shampoo leaves any kind of residue in my hair. After shampooing I use a quick swipe of this conditioner bar through my hair to make it easier to comb, but it hasn't been that hard to comb without it. The conditioner bar has lasted forever....See Moreeteinne
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