Question from Beth

I am looking for safe sneakers for myself and my toddler. Do you know of any specific brands that are are flame retardant free, polyurethane foam free, etc.? Do you think Aegis is safe and/or X-static (alternative to triclosan) as many sneakers are treated with these agents? May I ask what brands of shoes you wear? I’m just looking for the best options and realize that I may not find a perfect pair.

Thanks.

Debra’s Answer

I’m not sure you are going to find sneakers with these specifications. I’m looking at a pair or “organic cotton sneakers” online and they still have polyurethane foam padding and the soles are made from recycled rubber tires (which emit many toxic chemicals)

My favorite cotton shoes are espadrilles. I have no idea what they might be treated with, but they are made from very simple materials and I’ve never had a problem with them. Here’s the type I’m talking about : Asos Espadrilles. You can see in the photo they have cotton tops, some kind of natural rope sole, with some rubber.

I have a pair of leather sneakers I wear on vacations when I need a closed toe walking shoe. These are vegetable-tanned leather from Camper. Very sustainable company. Here’s one similar to the style I have: www.camper.com

But every day I wear my leather Mefisto sandals: www.mephistowebstore.com. I can do that here in Florida. I love these. I just buy one pair at a time and wear them until they wear out and buy another. They just are the most comfortable, least toxic shoe I’ve found for my climate. If I lived in San Francisco, I’d wear my Camper sneakers every day. I love those too.

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Question from D. Carlsle

Do you recommend mineral deodorizer bags to eliminate odors in closets? I used some a while ago and forgot the brand. What do you recommend?

Debra’s Answer

I’m assuming you are referring to the mineral zeolite for removing odors. Yes, those are fine.

There are many places to buy them (just google “zeolite odor removing granules”).

Here’s a link to the zeolite page on Nirvana Safe Haven, run by a woman with MCS, who is very knowledgeable about removing odors: http://www.nontoxic.com/zeoliteodor/zeoliteodorcontrol.html

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Question from Harmony Susalla

Here’s the latest toxic/info page I have recently released and probably what I most want to share with your audience: Harmony Art .

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Question from Gigi

I am looking to use cold packs for various body areas and joints. For instance, neck, shoulders, fingers, wrists, and knees. I like the ones that can be refrozen and shaped to the body parts like those offered by Chattanooga Colpac. However, some are made of vinyl and some are made of polyurethane that would be tossed in the freezer and reused. Given that I will be using a towel between myself and the ice pack, is there any reason to avoid either type? The vinyl ones do have some shapes that I will need. What are your recommendations? I am looking for good flexibility, good body part coverage and reuseability.

Debra’s Answer

The polyurethane packs are less toxic than the vinyl packs. However, the cold temperature contributes to inhibiting outgassing, so to use the vinyl packs would be less toxic than using a vinyl shower curtain, for example, where the heat would increase the outgassing of the vinyl.

You can wrap either in foil, which would block any chemicals but not block the cold.

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Question from Stacey

Dear Debra, I will appreciate your advice about wood finishes. After a lot of research, I have found many companies that offer solid wood children’s furniture,but I still have some doubts about the finishes. Since I so not have space to do it myself, I really need to be able to buy something that it is ready for use. And I am not sure about the results of totally unfinished wood, especially for kids. What do you think about these?: Danish oil beeswax polish clear lacquer linseed oil.

Thank you very much!

Debra’s Answer

Danish oil is a mixer of penetrating oil and varnish that hardens in the wood rather than on the wood. It can contain toxic solvents.

Beeswax polish is made from beeswax and is generally fine. Sometimes various chemicals are added, so you would need to find out whatever you can about the exact brand used.

Lacquer is a catch-all term for a natural or synthetic material dissolved in a solvent, which dries to form a hard protective coating. Shellac, made from ground beetles and alcohol, is a lacquer, but a lacquer could also be made from petroleum

Linseed oil is explained at Q&A: Tung Oil and Linseed Oil for Furniture Finish

I wish I could give you a simpler answer. It comes down to getting as much information as you can about the finishes and then evaluating the dangers.

See if you can find someone to apply a finish for you to a piece of unfinished furniture, then use Vermont Natural Coatings. That’s my favorite wood finish so far.

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Question from Stacey

Just wondering if you have heard of “Kalso Earth Shoes.” I’m trying to find less toxic shoes, but it’s not easy since you really don’t know what materials are used, and the information is not available sometimes (most times). These shoes have a “negative heel” technology, and supposedly are made of leather. However, when I received a pair, there is an odor to them. I tried contacting the company but got no response. Just wondering how you chose shoes?

Thank you!

Debra’s Answer

It’s very difficult to find toxic-free shoes. Part of the problem, as you said, is that the materials are not disclosed.

In another post, Q&A: Safe Sneakers?, today I talked about the shoes I wear. I look for shoes made from leather or natural fibers. Like I would wear shoes made from cotton or linen. I don’t have any at the moment made from natural fibers, but I would wear them. And I basically avoid any shoes made from plastic or that contain antifungals. That’s about the best we can do at this point in time.

Leather does have a natural odor to it that can smell a bit like cows. But if the odor is a chemical odor, return the shoes. Leather can be treated, but isn’t always. Always ask and try to get information.

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Question from Bonnie Johnson

Glidden has a newer paint called High Endurance Plus. It is paint and primer and supposed to be low voc and low odor. Has anyone used it yet? I have a couple of projects coming up that need paint. I have used Mystic. Good coverage, low voc but I could smell it for about 3 months. The problem is trying to find it. I have to drive 60 miles to get some. Just curious about the Glidden. Thanks.

Debra’s Answer

I have no experience with this paint. Readers?

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Question from Colleen

What do people with MCS use to fertilize flowers in pots outside and in the outside garden for acidic and non-acidic loving plants? Are the 3 month feed pellets ok to use outside in the garden? I haven’t fed my plants outside for 6 years now because I don’t know what is safe to feed them. We have river rock as mulch in our main flower bed so I’d need something that doesn’t have to be worked into the soil. I was thinking mushroom compost for the bed that didn’t have river rock in it but that has cocoa in it and I don’t want to use that because it could poison our dogs. Thank you for your help.

Sincerely,

Colleen

Debra’s Answer

I use organic potting soil in my pots along with these products from Organic Living For All

These made a huge difference in my Florida garden. I suggest you find a local organic nursery or Permaculture group and find out what is right for the place where you live.

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Question from Donna

Hi Debra, I have two questions that go hand in hand.

I’ve been reading a lot lately about lead dust on PVC products, but I’m confused. Does the item (like a toy or window blind) need to be deteriorating to produce lead dust, or can household dust settling on an item (that’s intact) get lead in it?

Also, our house is six years old, and the builder used faux wood doors throughout. They’re made of some kind of plastic, and now I’m worried that they’re PVC but have no way of knowing for sure. They’re hard plastic with a fake wood grain. Are you familiar with these doors? If they are PVC, would you suggest replacing them? We have 24 of these doors!

Again, thank you for all you do!

Donna

Debra’s Answer

I think things get confusing when people with no background understanding try to write about toxics.

Lead dust gets created when an item that is painted with lead paint–such as doors or windows–breaks down the paint into dust through the friction of opening and closing it. PVC products contain lead, but there would be no dust unless the PVC item were cut, such as sawing a PVC pipe or window. Lead CAN be released by touching PVC, but it’s not dust.

The only way to know what type of plastic was used to make your faux wood doors is to contact the manufacturer and ask them. If you can’t find out who the manufacturer is, look for a similar door in a store and ask that manufacturer what their doors are made from. It may or may not be the same. I don’t think it’s PVC.

I can do this kind of research for you as a paid personal consultation. If you have 24 of these doors, you might want to know what they are made from. But if your house is six years old, you probably have other materials that are of greater concern. We can go over all of this in a personal consultation. It’s beyond the scope of a blog answer.

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Question from Lisa

Hello Debra, I was wondering if you could suggest a natural or one of the ‘safer’ non-natural twines or yarns that someone could use for an outdoor doormat. I would like to have something that didn’t mildew or mold, since I am sensitive to mold and I have heard that sisal can be bad when it gets wet. Any ideas?

Thank you so much!

Debra’s Answer

I’ve never made an outdoor doormat. If you could send me some possibilities you are considering, I could review the materials, but I don’t even know where to begin with this.

I purchase my doormats, which are usually recycled rubber. I’ve given up on natural fibers because it rains so much here in Florida that they just fall apart.

Readers, any experience with this?

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