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September 04, 2008

"Renewing" wood floor finish

QUESTION:

Ideally, I would not wear shoes in a house and damp mop the wood floors with water/vinegar every so often. In reality, I live in a house where people wear shoes, use a walker and regularly ( every few weeks) used the toxic floor treatments that make it hard for me to breathe.In the attached apartment, not always occupied, the smell lasts for many months. It hasn't been done in the house for months now, but my mother is insisting on it. Is there any product that might fill in the scratches without all the toxic ingredients? Thanks.

POSTED BY LAURA :: MAINE USA :: 3:53 PM

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers?

Debra :-)

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Safely repair scratched wood finish

QUESTION:

Hi Debra,

We have a dark-stained wood crib (million dollar baby) that now has scratches. Our new baby will be here in June and we'd like to find a safe way to restain or touch up the scratches to help it look better. Are there any nontoxic options?

POSTED BY JENNIFER SHAW :: OKLAHOMA USA :: 6:18 AM

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Readers?

Debra :-)

CATEGORY — INTERIOR DECORATING :: 0 COMMENTS :: POST YOUR COMMENT

Liquid detergent at Costco

QUESTION:

After leaving a message/request every time I shopped at Costco, they are finally carrying a liquid laundry product they are labeling as eco-friendly. It is called Wintree and is manufactured by Huish Detergents in Salt Lake City, Utah. How can I find out if this product legitimately deserves the label "eco-friendly" as much as Seventh Generation or Ecover or my current purchases. I am so tired of being conned by the big business advertisements.

POSTED BY VIVIAN ENGEL :: CALIFORNIA USA :: 5:34 AM

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

What you can do with any product you are wondering about is look at the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) which any manufacturer of cleaning products must supply to you by law. It lists hazardous ingredients that you can then look up on the internet.

I've already taken a look at Wintree and commented on it at Q&A: Liquid Detergent at Costco. My local Costco now sells Ecos brand laundry detergent, which has been sold in natural food stores for years.

Debra :-)

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Is 3-Years-New TOO New to be Non-Toxic?

QUESTION:

Hi Debra and community!

I have been offered a beautiful rental home at a REALLY good "friend discount" price, but it was newly built 3 years ago and I can still smell that "new home smell". If I spent a month baking it, ozone-ating it, airing it out, do you think that would be enough to make it "safe" for me? I'm not sure, but I don't think it was ever lived in, so it hasn't been aired out much in that 3 years.

It was built with fermaldahyde-free insulation, and has a solar system on it, but all other materials (hard laminate flooring, regular paint, vinyl windows, fiberglass tub, and open beams that are stained with regular stain) are just the cheapest materials the builder could use. At least there isn't any new carpet or linoleum...that's the worst!

The kitchen cabinets are oak, recycled from an older home, so they should be fine and the counters are granite.

I would love to jump at this opportunity, but in it's present condition it is definitely causing pretty intense symptoms in me.

Does anyone know how new is "too new" and if I slammed it with offgassing techniques if I could get it cleared out in a month or so? I would stay in my current home until it was cleared, but it's only 3 doors down, so I could check in on it periodically.
Thanks in advance!!
Susi Love
Santa Cruz, CA

POSTED BY SUSI LOVE :: CALIFORNIA USA :: 5:22 AM

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

You could certainly try all the things you mentioned, but I wouldn't agree to take the house until you've done those things and know it is safe for you. In this slow market, your friend may be willing to give you the time.

Debra :-)

CATEGORY — AIR :: 0 COMMENTS :: POST YOUR COMMENT

Next Entries

September 04, 2008

"Renewing" wood floor finish

Safely repair scratched wood finish

Liquid detergent at Costco

Is 3-Years-New TOO New to be Non-Toxic?

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