Question from sheila

I have very hard water that stains everything. Presently we use different toxic chemicals to clean the rust stains from our bathroom toilets and showers. Do you have any recommendations for cleaning the orange hard water stains from rust and maganese in our water.

Debra’s Answer

There used to be a page compiled by somebody named Loretta that has lots of ways to use baking soda, borax, soap, lemon juice, vinegar, and other natural substances to clean around the home. The website hosting that page no longer exists.

She suggests “Apply full-strength vinegar or lemon juice and let stand until spot disappears, rinse. Repeat if necessary.”

Readers, your suggestions?

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Question from JP

I bought my conventional home 3+ years ago and I am slowly greening it as I can afford to replace things. My dad recently mentioned that when he house sits for me or visits, after a few days he notices that he starts to not feel well. He could not discribe any symptoms other than not feeling well. My dad normally has robust health, so this really got my attention. For me, I feel alright but certainly not great.

How do I begin to find the major sources of toxins in my home? My home is about 15 years old and uses propane for the furnace and hot water. I plan to get rid of the propane within the next year or so. Propane is a great concern for me, though I can not tell you why other than something about it doesn’t feel right. I keep my furnace maintained and I have a propane detector and a CO2 detector. I use natural cleaning products, eat orgainc whenever possible.

So where do I start?r
Thank you,

Jan

Debra’s Answer

Read my book Home Safe Home, which outlines all the major (and many minor) exposures to toxic chemicals in the home and tells how to eliminate them.

Also, the Toxics page of Debra’s Bookstore has many books by other authors that identify toxic chemicals and their health effects.

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Question from KD

Hi Debra, I am about to deliver again… my second baby. Last time, I had some post-partum issues and this time I’d like to avoid the regular over the counter products like pre-moistened pads and so on as much as possible. They are medicated and full of parabens and stuff. Would you be able to point me in the right direction in terms of what I can get to deal with these post-partum issues?

Thank you very much in advance,

Debra’s Answer

I don’t have personal experience giving birth, but most of the websites on the Babies & Kids page of Debra’s List are run by mothers who have taken the natural path.

Try contacting them and asking your questions. They may have just the products you need for sale on their website.

Natural moms, your recommendations?

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Question from Mary

I like to shop in used clothing stores. However, many of the clothes have left-over scents in the fabric from perfume, cologne, and deoderant. I recently discovered that if I soaked clothes in 20% vinegar, 80% water for at least three days, this removed the perfume in most cases. I wash the item in cold water after soaking and usually hang it to dry.

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Question from Rima

My husband recently made shoji screens for our dining room. What we used for the “rice paper” was a synthetic product called “syn skin” that a local company that makes high-end shojis uses for all its screens. But when we received the product from TAP Plastics, it reeked of chemicals so badly, we had to leave it outside for at least a week before we were even willing to handle it. For future shoji projects, can you recommend a nontoxic rice paper, and where to get it? Thanks.

Debra’s Answer

www.rice-paper.com has natural rice paper from China as well as a lot of interesting information on the history and production of rice paper, and instructions for making your own (if you are so inclined). Acorn Planet has a lot more information about rice paper and sells a number of different types and grades made in China. They also carry various Asian art supplies. eshoji.com carries paper and hardware for making shoji screens. They carry the authentic mulberry paper used in Japan.

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Question from alyssia

i have been researching juicers and i’m concerned about the plastics used in them. i considered a stainless steel manual juicer, but the affordable ones won’t handle all of the things i would like to be able to juice. i’ve narrowed it down to a champion juicer (the parts are made out of stainless steel and nylon) and an omega 8003/8005 juicer (the auger is made out of food grade melamine and i don’t know what the rest is made out of). do you think these would be healthy choices? i really don’t want to defeat the purpose of drinking fresh juices by using a juicer that is going to leach toxic substances.

thanks so much!

Debra’s Answer

Not all plastics leach. The plastics used in juicers are very hard and do not emit plasticizers. Either of these juicers would be fine.

However, the latest recommendations are not to juice, but to puree whole fruits and vegetables with water to make a drink that contains much more nutrition and also the fiber. The book Green for Life by Victoria Boutenko explains this in detail, along with recipes. While I don’t follow a strictly raw food diet, she makes some good points about why we all need to eat and drink more greens. I’ve been drinking a blended drink of cucumber, celery, and apple most mornings and definately have noticed a benefit.

In At Home With Debra : My Vitamins, I wrote about a Chinese doctor who treats cancer, heart disease and diabetes with simple, readily available foods. The healing part of these foods is the phytochemicals, which are contiained in the fibers of the foods. So you need to chew each bite 40 times (or put the foods into a very high-powered blender) to release the phytochemicals. He recommends a 2-horsepower blender (Vitamix) or preferably a 3-horsepower blender (Blend-Tec) to can masticate the skins, seeds, and stems, to make the phytochemicals readily absorbable. Home blenders typically have motors less than 1 horsepower, but it’s better to use these low-power blenders than nothing.

The containers on both blenders are polycarbonate, but these are very hard plastics and there is a minimal amount of contact time with the food. The benefits of the blended drinks far outweigh exposure to any toxic chemicals that may be present.

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Question from wen

in the market to buy some new sheets (btw, thank you for the great info re: white sales!) i was thinking of either buying organic sheets (btw, are they all basically the same thing? just a preference issue? (i.e. ‘simply organic’ vs. ‘coyuchi’ etc?) or is there something to look for to determine better quality etc?

secondly, i have some old cotton sheets that i LOVE. they’re high thread count and worn down and very soft. however, they were not organic. would the formaldehyde or toxicity be worn down over time and now be somewhat insignificant? or is it something that does NOT diminish..hence, even old non-organic sheets should still be considered toxic?

thank you very much.

Debra’s Answer

Organic cotton sheets are like any other sheets–they do vary in quality depending on how and where they are manufactured. I personally don’t have enough experience with the different brands to make a recommendation, except to say that Coyuchi has a reputation for being very high quality.

Go ahead and use your non-organic cotton sheets! As I’ve said before, the main benefit to organic cotton is environmental. Tests have shown there are no pesticide residues in cotton fabric (see Q&A : Conventional vs organic cotton clothing and Q&A : Pesticide residues in fabrics). The best thing for the environment is to use something for it’s full useful life before discarding it and needing to replace it by taking more resources from the environment.

The only cotton sheets to be concerned about are those with no-iron or permanent press finishes. These contain formaldehyde. Untreated non-organic cotton sheets are not toxic.

I did have one instance where I bought a set of printed cotton sheets and after I opened the package found the printing was a plastic-y kind of ink like on some t-shirts. That smelled and I had to just pass them along to a thrift store.

Also, from a quality standpoint, I’ve noticed some of the lower-priced cotton sheets are printed only on one side, where the more expensive ones have the pattern through-and-through. This has happened a few times buying sheet sets, and I don’t discover this until I get them home. You get what you pay for…

[See Debra’s List : Beds & Bedding for organic cotton sheets]

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Question from Fran M.

I want to find an electric skillet that has a stone, ceramic or stainless steel finish; or even cast iron. I also hope to find a breadmaker and food dehydrator with safe finishes. I have struck out on all three.

However, I may have found more alternatives to non-stick! Plus I also found a $20 wood trivet that fits around the large soapstone griddle from “Brazil on my Mind” – (which is cheapest from Greenfeet).

* Trivet for griddle: http://www.kitchenemporium.com/cgi-bin/kitchen/prod/29bmtv12.html

* Deni electric grill uses STONE! Flat, no oil can be used but may be able to stir veggies in butter in the 8 raclette pans? It’s $64 at

* Staub 10×8 all-enamelled cast iron rectangular pan with wood base! $89 http://www.chefsresource.com/12052.html looks awesome, easy care except: must avoid high heat

* Chantal 10-piece set with enamel frying pan – and glass covers – to dream on!! $340 + high heat OK (none of the pieces have nonstick finishes)

Debra’s Answer

Thanks, Fran, for sharing your finds!

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Question from Jennifer

Hi Debra,I am curious about your opinion of fleece clothing. I am referring to the garden variety microfleece, not the greener, recycled six pack ring kind. Are there any health risks associated with it? How about children’s sleepwear that has NOT been treated with flame retardands? (I understand that polyester is inherently flame resistant and does not require chemical treatment to pass regulations). I have taken all of my children’s fleece pajamas out of circulation until I know for sure.

Thank you,

Jennifer Asadow

Debra’s Answer

I don’t recommend polyester at all. While very little research has been done on the health effects of synthetic fibers such as polyester, still they are plastics and outgas. Some types of polyester fabrics, such as woven polyester-cotton sheets, always have formaldehyde finishes.

In addition, polyester can be irritating to the skin and cause skin rashes, particularly on children’s delicate skin.

While polyester sleepwear is not the worst thing in the world, I’d provide cotton sleepwear for my children.

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Question from Mary Anne

Hi Debra – Happy, Healthy New Year to you! I’ve been reading so much about the problems with using aluminum for cooking. I’ve figured out really good alternatives to aluminum foil for everything except baking in the oven (such as covering very large roasting pans and covering turkeys with foil tents). I tried parchment paper and it was a mess. I’m afraid to use a heavier paper (such as a cut-up brown paper bag) for fear of contaminants in the recycled & heavily chemically processed wood pulp. Do you or your readers have any alternatives? Thanks so much for your help!

Debra’s Answer

I don’t know what to suggest for this one. My roasting pan has it’s own lid. Readers?

If using foil to tent your turkey once or twice a year is your only exposure, and you need to do this, I would go ahead and use the aluminum foil. There are two kinds of toxic exposures: acute (such as drinking drain cleaner) where there is immediate harm, and chronic (such as exposure to pesticide residues in food) where there needs to be regular long-term exposure to cause harm. Aluminum is a chronic exposure, so what you do every day with aluminum exposure is more important than what you do occasionally.

I’ve learned over the years that different people have different viewpoints about exposure. Some decide to have as little as possible, others reduce exposure but to not attempt to eliminate exposures entirely. It’s your choice.

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