By Jennifer Roberts
Are you still using barn lime in an attempt to control the ammonia in your horse’s environment? Quite frankly, this archaic method of odor control just doesn’t cut it anymore.
Barn Lime (also referred to as Ag Lime or Dairy Lime) has essentially no ability to remove ammonia and odors. Barn lime is simply crushed up limestone, or Calcium Carbonate, which may cover odors if applied thick enough but does nothing to neutralize odors. The fact is that when you use Barn Lime, the ammonia remains and will eventually fill the environment once again. However, one word of caution, Barn Lime can be extremely slippery when wet… like when it is applied over urine.
Luckily, Barn Lime is not harmful to your horse, unlike its cousin Hydrated Lime. Hydrated Lime (calcium hydroxide) on the other hand, becomes caustic when it is wet and may cause serious burns to your horse’s skin, in addition to possible eye damage. So, as you try to help your horse, you are effectively placing them in a very dangerous situation.
To make it even worse, toxic Hydrated Lime actually does the opposite of controlling ammonia. Hydrated Lime creates the ideal environment for the formation of ammonia, helping it to invade your horse’s stall and respiratory system to an even larger extent.
So you may be asking, “What should I be using?” Allow us to introduce zeolites, naturally occurring mineral that are created by volcanic activity. Zeolites effectively neutralize and remove harmful levels of ammonia and dries wet spots where it is applied. Zeolites are also completely safe for your horse (and your chickens, goats and elephants!). As an added benefit, zeolites are also harmless to the environment and are compostable.
Using a stall refresher, such as Sweet PDZ, will absorb and neutralize ammonia and other odors while providing fresh and safe air for your horse in its stall. Stall refreshers are far superior to lime products in terms of ammonia and moisture reduction.
Don’t waste your hard earned money with products that don’t work or even make the problem worse. Look for a natural solution that improves the health of your horse, look for zeolites like Sweet PDZ Horse Stall Refresher.
Sweet PDZ has been keeping stalls healthy for over 32 years and continues to be the leading horse stall freshener on the market. This organic (OMRI Listed), non-toxic compound captures, neutralizes and eliminates harmful levels of ammonia and odors. Sweet PDZ is a far superior alternative to lime products for ammonia removal and moisture absorption. For more information, as well as a dealer locator, visit SweetPDZ.com.
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