BioKill Sanitizer Review

Not only is the heat and humidity of HK summer really getting to me, the thing that bugs me the most is the rapid growth of Moulds on some of the stuff at home such as the upholstery and my speakers cover...

I saw this in the supermarket (Park and Shop) and decided to give the product a chance as it is organic formula (that means no harsh chemicals) and supposedly non harmful to the environment. It is safe on clothes and food (though I really wont think of putting it on my food)

Product Label

Biokill Offical Website

• Organic, safe biocidal product that is a hypoallergenic, natural bactericide, Viricide and Fungicide with long-acting, sanitizing characteristics
• ll Natural Ingredients had been certified GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe) by the US EPA & FDA and Effectively kills up to 99.99% of germ
• Non-rinse formula and there are no areas of restriction, it is safe to apply in sensitive areas, e.g. all household surfaces, on clothes & accessories, toys, etc
• Can be applied on food, it reduces bacteria-loading and keeps it at low levels thereby extending shelf-life and food safety

Product Review

The spray works really really well. I tested it on my dining chairs, hi-fi speakers, the gap between tiles in toilet, wooden book cabinet and even on stinking gym gear.

The spray kept the moulds off my dining chair for at least a month now. The hi-fi speaker lasted for about 3 weeks since it was closer to the balcony with constant exposure to the damp humid air. But even then, the growth was limited and retarded. It didnt go poof like a bloody mushroom field as it previously did before I had the spray.

On the toilet tiles. While it didnt manage to get the gaps sparkling white again (u need bleach for that effect), the moulds definitely was gone and didnt reappear. Then again, I didnt scrub the tiles. I sprayed and wipe it off and the effect was evidently clear.

As for the stinking gym gear. My husband forgot to take it out for washing after use for days, wrapped in his plastic bag in the bag..... so u can imagine the bacteria growth. I wash it once but while its clean, there was still this mild stench I didnt like. So I spray the biokill on it and rinse it again. Fantastic! The smell was effectively removed!

The brand has other products which I have yet to try.

Verdict
It is definitely a very very good buy as far as I am concerned. At about HK$52 per bottle, a little spray goes a long way! This one is a keeper for any household invaded by moulds and those concerned with the impact of the toxic residue and vapours industrial sprays on our environment, including yourself.

Update: 2011
Dont ask me why but they dont stock this in supermarket anymore:(


Additional Handy Tips

- Remove odor on clothes, add half a cup of baking soda to a full load of washing ( better patch test on the fabric before u do so. It didnt work as well as I like on smell but it definitely got rid of oil stain patches on cotton tees for my patch test)

- Cleaning shelves and walls of fridge, add half and half solution of water and white distilled vinegar.

Some facts about fruits

I love my handy fruits and vege guide to healthy eating...

Since I was young, I have always been intrigued by all the repeated "reminders" by my mum about what food (fruits/ veg) should not be consumed with certain food. I remember my mum used to have this pictorial table format book (lost now) that list all down commonly consumed food that acts "against" each other..

Previously I was too young to understand the logic or reasoning between the "lethal" pairing but now I do. Not all old folks tales are without grounds. Like what I had told my friends before, if the "food" is NOT in a form that is recognisable to your grandma, it's probably bad for you and your body. (eg: all the junk food that have been invented over the last 30 decades or more)

I was just flipping through my newly acquired food guide and found interesting facts below..
Did you know about the "do not" consumption facts about such fruits?

1. Persimmons
Should never be consumed with white wine, warm water, and vege soup as this will result in the manisfestation of "stones" inside your body. The fruit should not be consumed on empty stomach. It should never be consumed with crab meat. People who are suffering from bout of cold and mothers after delivery should also not over consume the fruit.

2. Mangoes
Should not be consumed with garlic or spicy food nor after meals. Additionally, people with constipation should avoid consumption

3. Custard Apples
High in sugar content hence obese and disabetic people should avoid or minimalise consumption.

4. Strawberries
Consumption after meal aids "dissolve" of food fats and aids digestions but people with diarrhea should avoid.

5. Lychees
Excessive consumption will lead to lowering of sugar count thus resulting in giddiness and possible fainting.

6. Papaya
Excessive consumption will result in bloatness (gasy built up) as well as diarrhea side effects.

7. Western pears (green skin)
People with (cold or non heaty) cough should avoid consumption.

8. Watermelon
Diabetics and people with early symptoms of common cold should minimise or avoid consumption.
Watermelon should never be consumed with Pineapple and mangoesteen!

9. Plums
Overconsumption will lead to diarrhea. People with Phlegm (flem) should avoid consumption.

10. Navel Orange
Avoid when suffering from diarrhea

11. Rock Melon / Cantaloupe
People suffering from Weak body, water retention, cough with blood, itchy throat, mild phelgm with could should avoid consumption.

12. Chinese Pear (Yellow skin)
People with diarrhea, cold and cough should avoid. However consumptions after meal do aid digestions.

13. Grapes
Diabetics and people with constipation should minimalise intake. One should rinse your mouth after consumption to avoid erosion of teeth enamel.

14. Mangoesteen
Avoid consumption with watermelon, bitter gourd, mustard, cabbage, soybean and beer. Husk Purple stains cannot be easily removed.

15. Lemon
People with cough, flu with fever should minimise intake. People with phelgm should avoid consumption.

16. Apple
Diabetics should avoid intake due to high sugar content. Rinse mouth to avoid enamel erosion. Excessive consumption will result in bloated feeling.

17. Cherries
People with bad breathe should avoid intake.

Salt for mouth ulcers and corelated food knowledge

I was cracking so hard today, after seeing my husband squirming in agony and tears welling up his eyes. That was after I applied salt directly onto his 2 lip ulcers. My sides were splitting from laughing at his expression.

Firstly, it was a surprise for me that he has never heard of this technique to cure lip ulcers whereas I grew up using this simple method to cure all my crater size ulers. It's less painful if u catch them early but I personally love the stinging sensation because it feels like I am killing those "micro-bastards" .

It's such an old simple and effective method. The antiseptic salt application not only works naturally and "beautifully" effective, not to mention it's a much safer option compared to those "gels" applications which contains chemicals. In fact, they have annouced recently (news) to reconsider or prevent application of bonjela on kids under 16yr as they are considered unsafe.
I would never trust any industrial products on any kids if one can help it...

Wise Diet that helps recovery of lip ulers:
Anyway, according to my vege and fruits encyclopedia, the consumption of tomatoe, brinja/ eggplant, and carrot juice will also aid the recovery of lip ulcers.

Benefits
Eggplants: High in vitamin P (Bioflavonoids ). Regular consumption prevents high blood pressure. Promotes wound healing and maintain the health of the thin walls of the small blood vessels known as capillaries.

Caution:
Carrots: People who are low on sugar count should moderate intake of carrot and over consumption of carrot will result in "yellowing" of your skin colour.

Tomato: Unripe tomatoes (greenish- yellowish looking) should not be consumed as they supposedly contain naturally occuring poisonous alkaloids that disappear (so we are told) as the fruit matures.

Codependent Relationships Dynamics

"As long as we believe that someone else has the power to make us happy then we are setting ourselves up to be victims" ~ Codependence: by Robert Burney

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" This is the second in a series of articles by codependency therapist, Spiritual teacher Robert Burney about the ways in which romantic relationships in our society are set up to be dysfunctional. It does not matter how much two people love each other if they are reacting to their childhood programming in their interaction.

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Dysfunctional Definition of Love

One of the biggest problems with relationships in this society is that the context we approach them from is too small. We were taught that getting the relationship is the goal.

It starts in early childhood with Fairy Tales where the Prince and the Princess live happily-ever-after. It continues in movies and books where "boy meets girl" "boy loses girl" "boy gets girl back" - the music swells and the happy couple ride off into the sunset. The songs that say "I can't smile without you" "I can't live without you" "You are my everything" describe the type of love we learned about growing up - toxic love - an addiction with the other person as our drug of choice, as our Higher Power.

Any time we set another human being up to be our Higher Power we are going to experience failure in whatever we are trying to accomplish. We will end up feeling victimized by the other person or by our self - and even when we feel victimized by the other person we blame our self for the choices we made. We are set up to fail to get our needs met in Romantic Relationships because of the belief system we were taught in childhood and the messages we got from our society growing up.

There is no goal to reach that will bring us to happily-ever after. We are not incomplete until we find out soul mate. We are not halves that cannot be whole without a relationship.

True Love is not a painful obsession. It is not taking a hostage or being a hostage. It is not all-consuming, isolating, or constricting. Believing we can't be whole or happy without a relationship is unhealthy and leads us to accept deprivation and abuse, and to engage in manipulation, dishonesty, and power struggles. The type of love we learned about growing up is an addiction, a form of toxic love.

Here is a short list of the characteristics of Love vs. toxic love

(compiled with the help of the work of Melody Beattie & Terence Gorski.)

1. Love - Room to grow, expand; desire for other to grow.
Toxic love - Security, comfort in sameness; intensity of need seen as proof of love (may really be fear, insecurity, loneliness)

2. Love - Separate interests; other friends; maintain other meaningful relationships.
Toxic love - Total involvement; limited social life; neglect old friends, interests.

3. Love - Encouragement of each other's expanding; secure in own worth.
Toxic love - Preoccupation with other's behavior; fear of other changing.

4. Love - Appropriate Trust (i.e. trusting partner to behave according to fundamental nature.)
Toxic love - Jealousy; possessiveness; fear of competition; protects "supply."

5. Love - Compromise, negotiation or taking turns at leading. Problem solving together.
Toxic love - Power plays for control; blaming; passive or aggressive manipulation.

6. Love - Embracing of each other's individuality.
Toxic love - Trying to change other to own image.

7. Love - Relationship deals with all aspects of reality.
Toxic love - Relationship is based on delusion and avoidance of the unpleasant.

8. Love - Self-care by both partners; emotional state not dependent on other's mood.
Toxic love - Expectation that one partner will fix and rescue the other.

9. Love - Loving detachment (healthy concern about partner, while letting go.)
Toxic love - Fusion (being obsessed with each other's problems and feelings.)

10. Love - Ability to enjoy being alone.
Toxic love - Unable to endure separation; clinging.

11. Love - Cycle of comfort and contentment.
Toxic love - Cycle of pain and despair.

Love is not supposed to be painful. There is pain involved in any relationship but if it is painful most of the time then something is not working.

There is nothing wrong with wanting a relationship - it is natural and healthy. There is nothing wrong with wanting a relationship that will last forever - expecting it to last forever is what is dysfunctional. Expectations set us up to be a victim - and cause to abandon ourselves in search of our goal.

If we can start seeing relationships not as the goal but as opportunities for growth then we can start having more functional relationships. A relationship that ends is not a failure or a punishment - it is a lesson.

As long as our definition of a successful relationship is one that lasts forever - we are set up to fail. As long as we believe that we have to have the other in our life to be happy, we are really just an addict trying to protect our supply - using another person as our drug of choice. That is not True Love - nor is it Loving. "

~ Codependence: The Dance of Wounded Souls by Robert Burney is Copyright 1995 - all else is copyright 1999 & 2000 by Robert Burney PO Box 977 Cambria, CA 93428. This series of articles was originally published online on the Inner Child/Codependency Recovery page that I edit for Suite101.com Directory - although bits and pieces of the articles have been part of articles and web pages published previously.