Yes, a soap solution can kill mites. Falling back into my more pedantic mode , I will mention that the term for the cinnamon infused alcohol Howard mentioned is a "tincture" (in case there should be any interest in such knowledge). Been some time since I made a cinnamon tincture, but if I recall correctly I think it was one tablespoon of cin. per 16oz rubbing alcohol. (If I happen to come across the recipe I used, I'll try to remember to post it.) Don't know if it matters, but I used the highest proof isopropyl carried at the market (90 proof or better). WARNING, said tincture does STAIN -- clothing, bricks, cement, siding, you name it. Staining is pretty much permanent. Don't know if a lesser concentration of cinnamon would make a difference. For those "beloved" earwigs .. Another Dawn related concoction that can be useful is a nicotine spray. To make such, if you or a loved one is a smoker, save the used cigarette butts. Let them steep overnight in water. Water should be a dark tea brown. Filter through a coffee filter to catch any stray particles. In a 16oz sprayer, combine 1\2 cup of the nicotine "tea", 1/4 cup Dawn, and top off with water. Shake gently to mix thoroughly. Spray this under the edges of you siding (usually where the siding stops and the brick begins seems to be where those vermin like to hide out) or other earwig heavy "hot spots". Between the toxic effects of the nicotine and the soapy solution, it tends to do a good job on killing any earwigs on contact. (Can increase the amount of Dawn if necessary.) NOTE: For those, like me, who aren't smokers and can't stand the stench of cigarette smoke, pipe tobacco can also be used. There's even one that has a nice vanilla type scent. Please do not spray this on bees or spiders -- let them do their jobs. For those who either use a rain barrel or have certain plants that do require very damp/wet media (yeah, I know, not the type of plants intended on this forum but ...). While many may know that placing a mosquito dunk in a rain barrel will go a long ways to eliminating mosquito larvae, fewer are aware that a dunk can be used to kill off fungus gnat larvae. Simply break off a 1/4 of one of those mosquito dunk "donuts" and put it in a gallon jug of water. Let it sit overnight or two. Give the container a shake and use the water to water the plants. Continue refilling and reusing that dunk chunk until it completely disintegrates. (Personally for really damp/wet soils, I like Drosera (sundews) and Utricularia (bladderworts). heh) This post was edited by paul_ on Thu, Aug 29, 13 at 23:06

Hello everyone, The only oil that I found that worked for me after trying all kinds was minerial oil. A few drops to gallon of water and a few drops of dishsoap. If you have plants inside and see spider webs. Act fast. Remove plants from growing station. Clean and clean and spray Lysol all over and repeat for two days. Mean while wash all plants down and spray wetable garden sulfur all over them. Shower the plants a few times and repeat every few days with garden sulter spray. This will help untill you can get your plants hardened off for the new season. The lysol will kill small bugs that are hiding. You can even fan the lysol spray in the air in the growing area while your plants are not there. Its great to wash your plants but you need to remember where they are growing also. -Elizabeth

I bought some great laundry soap on line. It's called Charlie's Soap. Sorry, I don't know how to post a link. But it's great for laundry, a powder, use only one tablespoon per load. It's not cheap. But it dissolves instantly, makes loads of suds, smells nice (vaguely like coconut) gets out dirt and odors, and rinses out beautifully. I heartily recommend it.

I have one at each sink (main/cleanup & prep) and I have hand washing soap in both. I like to be able to put the dish soap where I want it and not be constrained to (1) dish soap in only one bowl (main is a 2-bowl sink) and (2) just in the corner of the sink or in a corner/side of a pan. So, the dish soap is either on the counter or under the sink. No, not ideal, but better for me than in a fixed dispenser (I'm thinking of getting a SS dispenser for the dish soap though.)