Pesticides and herbicides get washed off of sampling equipment all the time and you are worrying there about levels below what would hurt the next plant as with your sprayer. The "never mix sprayers" is good general advice (because people forget things and aren't careful in rigorous washing) but the plain fact is you could clean the sprayer effectively if you want to. Lab soap is probably a little closer to laundry soap than dish detergent (for hand washing), but it is probably closest to dishwasher detergent. After washing with that (through the wand too) and rinsing and emptying it a time or two more you could put a $1 bottle of isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol in it, shake occasionally as you let it leach for a few hours, and then drain that through the wand and dive a final rinse with water. Rubbing alcohol (usually) is 70% propanol; a lab would use 100%. I wouldn't fill a baby bottle with it then, but I'd confidently spray a plant. I'd wash it before I threw a perfectly good sprayer out.

Scrape off as much as you can with a putty knife or paint scraper, then use an adhesive remover, such as Peel Away or Goof Off, available at home centers. Do NOT sandblast. Here is a link that might be useful: Peel Away

First, I'm a big fan of mixing different finishes in decor, as long as they harmonize. I think I would be able to live with a light cherry bed in an otherwise walnut room... Second, while that article on strippers is very helpful, in my country the chemical ingredients are not always listed, so you need to sit down in the supply store and read labels on all the products available for ease of use and clean-up. I've recently retested a bunch of strippers for removing "just" varnish-type finishes (though antique only, not sure if your modern finish would qualify), and find that the strippers deemed "safe" are doing pretty well - nice as they can be used indoors. The downside of all of them is that they require water clean-up, and not all wood structures take well to being washed. If you think that would be a problem, try something called EZWay, available by mail order. It does not require water clean-up. But for me it is a "do outside only" product as it smells. Third, have you considered buying used, via craigslist or a local thrift/consignment/used furniture store? Especially if you're willing to tinker and perhaps refinish, you should be able to find some nice deals. KarinL

Damping off is a fungal disease which attacks the seedlings at the soil line, withering the stem and causing the seedling to fall over and die. The best prevention is cleanliness! Use a sterile growing medium,preferably one containing milled sphagnum moss,as it naturally inhibits damping-off. Soilless mixes such as milled sphagnum / vermiculite are best. Planting containers should be new or thoroughly cleaned if reused ,wash with hot soapy water and rinse with a solution of 1 part chlorine bleach to 10 parts water. Avoid overcrowding of seedlings and overwatering ,a small fan in the seed-starting area to circulate the air is useful. Any stress which weakens seedlings , poor light, high temperatures, or improper watering makes them more susceptible . If only a few seedlings are affected, you may be able to remove them, taking care to remove the soil around them, a fungicide such as captan may be used,but this has limited effectiveness once plants are infected.