Submitted questions will be posted with my response by the following Tuesday or before.
Submitted comments will be moderated and approved within 24 hours.
Bathtub resurfacing
Question from Karen
I would like to know if bathtub resurfacing is safe. The contractor said there would be an odor only when it is wet. It takes 3 days for it to dry completely. Staying out of the houdse for that long is not a problem, but does anyone know if it continues to outgas after that time?
Thank you,
Karen
Debra’s Answer
It makes sense to me that it would be fine once cured, however, I have no actual experience with this.
Readers, has anyone actually done this?
Safer teething toys for my grand son
Question from Ruth Ruddock
With all the toy recalls going on, I wonder what is safe for a little 9 month old guy to chew on?
Any thoughts?
Ruth in Wisconsin
Debra’s Answer
Moms, what do you recommend?
Greentek air purifiers
Question from dorothy
Happy Holidays, everyone…….Does anyone have experience with Greentek air purifiers they can share? I have a loaner in the house right now, trying to decide whether to buy it, wondered how they compare to Austin, Alleraire, etc. Greentek can be ducted so one purifier can be used for a whole house, depending on size. thanks so much…Dorothy, MA
Debra’s Answer
I have no experience with this one. Readers?
Whipped cream dispensers-Nitrous Oxide dangers?
Question from Sweet Pea
I’m aware of the dangers of inhaling Nitrous Oxide itself. I know it is used to charge whipped cream dispensers. But I can’t seem to find an answer to my question on any of the websites.
Does it harmfully affect the whipped cream itself or does it just dissipate when discharged? Are there traces of the drug in the whipped cream?
A friend wanted one of those dispensers for Xmas.
Thanks!
Debra’s Answer
I don’t know how much nitrous oxide remains in the cream after it is dispensed, but it does mix with the cream. It is a very small amount.
I’d just like to say that whether there is any residual nitrous oxide in the cream or not, why not just use a mixer to whip cream? This kitchen gadget is just another specific-use thing that is using resources to manufacture. You can even whip cream in about two minutes with a manual egg beater. If you whip the cream yourself with a mixer, you KNOW there’s no nitrous oxide.
Chemicals in Mattresses
Question from jason
Thought some of you might be interested in a list of the numerous chemicals found in mattresses glues, polyurethane memory foams and industrial perfumes that we have compiled.
http://www.essentiadirect.com/research/glues-toxic-components
Debra’s Answer
This is a comprehensive list. Thanks for posting it.
Sump pump odor
Question from Leah
Although we have a lid on our sump pump, there is an odor coming from it, especially when it is dry outside and the water sits for a period of time. It comes in through the heat vents in our crawl space and our entire house smells. We were told to put chlorine tablets in it to help the smell. I am looking for something more natural that might work. Does anyone have experience with this or have any ideas? The water travels into a ditch in front of our house. Not only do I not want to be breathing chlorine in our house, I also don’t want to pollute our yard. Thank you!
Debra’s Answer
Readers?
Offgassing Bookcase
Question from stacy devivo
Hello,
I recently bought a bookcase from Big Lots for my 2 year old daughters room. It said that it was made from nontoxic paint, but it smells terrible. Even putting it together made me nauseous– I am chemically sensitive. It is made from pressed wood so I’m not sure if it is from the fermeldahyde or from the plastic that it was wrapped in. After assembling the bookcase, I immediately moved it to another room, hoping that the smell would offgas. I would like to know if there is another way that I can speed up the process or if I should try something else. I obviously don’t want to risk my daughter’s health and the bookcase will be placed right next to her bed. PLease give me some opinions or suggestions. Thank you!!
Debra’s Answer
My suggestion would be to dump this bookcase entirely. If it’s going right next to your daughter’s bed, you want a bookcase that is as safe as possible.
You could try using heat to outgass the chemicals or apply a vapor barrier sealant, but the best choice would be to use a solid wood bookcase or a metal one.
Readers, any other suggestions?
Sweet butter
Question from LA
Does it matter if the recepie calls for unsweetened butter and i use sweetened instead?
Debra’s Answer
I’m not sure what your recipe actually said, but I’ve never seen a recipe that called for “unsweetened butter” and I’ve never seen such a product.
However…the word “sweet” is used in the labeling of butter, but it has nothing to do with sugar.
Unsalted butter is often labeled “Sweet butter”. “Sweet cream butter” is lightly salted butter.
Also, fresh cream is referred to as “sweet cream” as opposed to “sour cream” which is fermented. Until 1940, all butter was made from sour cream. Today, because of mechanization, butter is made from sweet cream (read more about this in The Case for Butter).
Made in the USA
There have been a lot of posts lately lamenting the environmentally quality of goods made in other countries and a desire to buy American. So I did a little search and found there are a number of websites devoted to cataloging companies who manufacture their goods in the USA. While these are not all green products, if you are looking for something specific–like I know some readers now want to buy bedlinens made in the USA, you could check one of these lists and see if the products you find there are also green.
By virtue of reduced shipping–and the energy use and pollution from transportation–any product made in American would have the green attribute of energy savings (if one lived in America). However, not all products made in America are nontoxic, or made from renewable resources, or have any of the other green attributes. But I wanted to give you these websites as a tool, so you know where to look for products made in America.
Why buy products made in the USA?
- saves American jobs
- keeps American money circulating in America
- less transporation reduces energy use and carbon emissions
- products are made to American standards according to American laws
Here are the websites:
New York Times on Eco-Fashion
There was an article yesterday in the New York Times about eco-fashion. It includes some pros and cons about various textile manufacturing and compares some ecofashions in a slide show, but concludes that there isn’t much benefit to eco-fashions.
I don’t think they picked the best examples.
Also, while there are some cons, it seems to me that they are looking at the situation as “half empty” rather than “half full”. To me, it’s better to support products that are partially green than products that are not green at all. And by doing so, we move the market to be greener and greener.
The article also points out, “the trend [of consumer interest in green products] has advanced so quickly that it becomes difficult to evaluate the claims of products that say they are biodegradable, carbon neutral or made from sustainable materials. In recognition of rapidly expanding consumer interest, the Federal Trade Commission said on Monday that it will quickly re-evaluate its guides for green designations in marketing, last updated in 1998, to determine whether they need to be expanded.” This is good news.
The downside for me of this article was the fashions they chose were outrageously expensive and more couture. I would have preferred showing some of the many green fashions that are more affordable to the general public. It made it look like Barney’s was the only place to buy green clothing. Of course, the greenest clothing I could find is on Debra’s List: Textiles.
They seemed to conclude that green fashion wasn’t really green at all, and there was no point in buying it (at least that was my take). This is what happens to public enthusiasm about green products when there is too much greenwashing…
