Can only address the Lysol. Other cleaners he may have dumped there may be different. The active ingredient in Lysol is benzalkonium chloride which is rated as only moderately toxic to mammals (has an LD rating of 50 or LD50 = 430 mg/kg-bw) which means it is essentially "safe". It contains no petrol based chemicals according to the manufacturer.

Plants have a natural filtering ability for most chemicals assuming any remains in the soil. So personally I wouldn't worry about it with the lettuce and spinach but I wouldn't eat the carrots simply because they have so much surface contact with the soil.

That's JMO. You have to decide what you are comfortable with eating from the bed.

If you aren't comfortable with eating them now why not flush the area well with lots of water 2 or 3x and then re-plant. You still have time to make the area useable.

Dave

Thanks, Dave. It's a very tiny area, far away from the actual garden we are planting this year. So maybe it will just be a sacrifice to the local wildlife in hopes they leave the main one alone.

Kim

And you can always add it all to the compost pile too.

Could you do a small raised bed or container garden instead?

The Material Safety & Data Sheet (MSDS) from Ohio State U. (link below) indicates that the liquid Lysol (the type he probably uses for mopping a floor) contains Formaldehyde, Hydrochloric Acid, isopropyl alcohol, and Styrene, and is corrosive to the intestinal tract. I don't know how much of those ingredients are likely to be absorbed by the plants, but since you have another garden, erring on the side of caution is probably best.

Also, be aware that the "Active Ingredient" is not necessarily the most toxic ingredient. RoundUp herbicide, for instance, doesn't break down like Monsanto swore, AND at least one of the carriers in it is even worse than the active ingredient.

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: Lysol Liquid MSDS

Yikes! Those side effects sound horrible. Seriously rethinking using any of that stuff anymore. There has to be a better way.

Thanks for the info.

Worms in it along with growing plants and if your plants grow and do well I wouldn't worry about it one bit. Now if the plants don't grow and do well, beware.