Submitted questions will be posted with my response by the following Tuesday or before.
Submitted comments will be moderated and approved within 24 hours.
Mold In Bathrooms
Question from Tricia
Hi, I need help getting of mold in the bathroom it is marble and I use almost everything I can think of to clean it. It is still there. I live in Honolulu and there is a lot of moisture. Can some one help me. Please
Debra’s Answer
I just happen to have an article I wrote on this very subject, which was published a few years ago in Natural Home magazine.
I’ve posted it as a COMMENT to this entry…
Produce Wash
Question from Marcy
I’m looking to make my own produce wash to remove the wax, residue, pesticides, etc. Can someone provide a recipe for me?
I appreciate the help!
Debra’s Answer
I don’t generally recommend produce washes as I don’t believe they can remove waxes, pesticides, etc. Better to buy organically grown food. I just rinse mine with filtered water.
Readers, your suggestions?
Bisphenol A in Canned Foods
Just received this warning this morning from the Organic Consumers Association…
Toxic Chemical Bpa Leaching Into Canned Foods
An alarming new study from the Environmental Working Group analyzed samples of canned fruit, vegetables, soda, and baby formula on sale in the nation’s supermarkets and found that more than 50% were tainted with a chemical linked to birth defects, ADHD and cancer. The chemical, bisphenol A (BPA), is an ingredient in plastics that lines food cans. According to the study, the chemical has been leaching into foods at levels up to 200 times the government’s recommended “safe” level of exposure. According to Dr. Frederick vom Saal, a professor of biology at the University of Missouri-Columbia, and a long-time expert researcher of BPA, there are 94 scientific studies indicating deleterious health effects from BPA. “If BPA was treated as a drug, it would have been pulled immediately. This chemical can be replaced right now by safer materials, and the public would never notice the difference.” OCA is planning to launch a campaign later this year to pressure food companies, especially organic companies, to stop using BPA-tainted cans and other toxic or non-sustainable packaging.
Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_4414.cfm
How To Avoid BPA
- Metal canned beverages appear to contain less BPA residues, while metal canned pasta and soups contain the highest levels.
- Canned foods in glass containers are not a BPA risk.
- Plastics with the recycling labels #1, #2 and #4 on the bottom are safer choices and do not contain BPA.
- One-third of liquid baby formulas have high levels of BPA. Powdered formula packaging is generally considered safer.
- Avoid heating foods in plastic containers and do not wash plastic containers in a dishwasher.
- When possible, opt for glass, porcelain and stainless steel containers, particularly for hot food or liquids.
- Do not let plastic wrap touch your food in the microwave, or better yet, avoid microwave ovens altogether.
- Many metal water bottles, such as those sold by the brand Sigg [see correction about Sigg under COMMENTS -D] are lined with a plastic coating that contains BPA. Look for stainless steel bottles, such as those sold by Real Wear [couldn’t find this company on the web – D] and Kleen Kanteen that do not have a plastic liner.
Anolon Cookware
Question from Pam
We are transitioning to a non-toxic household. My hubby has gone through and discarded all the toxic cleaners, etc from our home. I’m wondering about my cookware… it’s Anolon. What is your opinion on this type of cookware?
Thanks,
Pam (WI)
Debra’s Answer
From the descriptions I could find, it appears to be anodized aluminum with a nonstick finish. While anodized aluminum is fine with me, I stay away from nonstick finishes.
For more on cookware, type “cookware” into my on-site search engine (click on the bg purple SEARCH button in the right hand column of every page).
Plastic Baby Bottles
Question from Jane Sheppard
Is there is a plastic baby bottle available that won’t leach pthalates or other toxic chemicals into the baby’s milk?
Debra’s Answer
Readers? Do you know of one?
Natural Sleeping Bags
Question from mindy goldis
I wanted to know if any companies sell a sleeping bag that is made of natural fibers (on the inside), as the one I have is falling apart and if i purchase a new one, I want it to be non-toxic and natural.
Thank You!
Debra’s Answer
Allergy Buyers Club sells a Cotton Sleepsack that is basically a cotton liner that could be placed in a bed or sleeping bag, so as to have untreated natural fiber next to your skin while you are sleeping.
REI also sells such liners made from cotton or a cotton/silk blend, so I imagine you could get them at most stores which sell sleeping bags.
Back before the days of these lightweight, synthetic, mummy-style bags, I remember we used to have heavy rectangular cotton sleeping bags with flannel linings, and they still exist. Read descriptions carefully, as some flannel linings contain polyester. They are still filled with synethetic materials.
Here are some links for rectangular cotton sleeping bags:
http://eaglecampingequipment.com/pro894588.html
Slow Cooker with Lead Free Glaze
Question from Christine
Hello- I am currently trying to find a slow cooker that is free of Lead Glaze. There seem to be a lot of slow cooker makers out there, but none of them state whether the inner pot that you put food in has lead/no lead glaze.
Yes, I could use the lead check swabs, but I don’t see how practical it would be, as there are more than 25 possible ones I have seen on the web. Order one and test and return if lead possitive? Nor really.
I contacted a few seller and manufacturors, but all of the sellers said they didn’t know, and I have not heard back from the others.
Any ideas where to find one?
Debra’s Answer
The VitaClay Chef Slow Cookers have a pot made from “natural pure unglazed clay.”
I read a post on another blog that said most of the crock pots made by major manufacturers DO have lead in the glaze. Also, an article called Cookware Safety says, “Enamel-coated iron and steel…does not contain lead, except in some glazes for slow-cooking pots (crock-pots). However, the amount of lead leached into food from these pots does not exceed FDA standards.”
An article from FDA Consumer in 1990 had this to say about lead in slow cookers:
Though the amount of lead in slow cookers may “meet FDA standards,” they are not zero. Though I couldn’t find the allowable standard for slow cookers, the FDA allows pitchers to leach 2.5 to 5.0 ppm, and plates and saucers, the level of lead that can leach into food over a 24-hour period cannot exceed 7 ppm. It is widely known that there is NO safe level for lead exposure.
Another point about slow cookers and any other small kitchen appliance is that the power cord contains lead, so if you are storing an appliance and plug it in before using, be sure to wash your hands before handling food, or wrap the cord with tape to encapsulate the lead.
Readers, if any of you want to call around to the manufacturers, or do some testing on a slow cooker you already have, please write in a comment to this entry and let me know your results and I will post them. I couldn’t find a review list of lead in slow cookers anywhere, and it would be great to have.
Vinegar as Disinfectant
Question from MISS PAM
I am a licensed daycare provider who feeds the daycare children natural and organic foods as well as cleans with natural things.
I belong to a child care chat and many of the other childcare providers are adamant that I do not use bleach to sanitize and feel I am not disinfecting and sanitizing.
I use vinegar and they think that I should be using something else, like bleach.
I am not sure of what to say. They want to know if vinegar is a disinfectant or a sanitizer. They want to know if it actually cleans as good as bleach. They say that vinegar does not kill germs like E-coli and the such.
How can I combat this to my wanting a chemical free environment in my home for my family and the daycare children in my care?
Thank you in advance for your help.
Debra’s Answer
Here’s the science about vinegar: http://www.sciencenews.org/
pages/sn_arch/9_28_96/food.htm.
You can also read more about natural disinfectants at Q&A: Disinfectants.
Lead on Extension Cord
Question from mindy goldis
I have recently bought an extension cord at wal-mart and there is a tag on it that says it contains lead and may cause cancer and you need to wash your hands after touching it.
I tend to take a rag/cloth when I touch the cord, but I’d rather find a store that sells a cord that is lead-free.
Do you have any suggestions.
Thanks!
Debra’s Answer
Yes. Please see Q&A: Lead on Power Cords.
Wheat free nut cake
Question from KJR
I have tried several of your recipes and they have all been fabulous.
But today I tried to make your nut cake for a friend’s birthday. It did not work at all. I’ve never made a cake without flour before, so I knew the batter would look different, but it was very runny and egg-like instead of “batter-like”. As it cooked, it rose like a souffle and then dropped when I took it out. It was a total loss.
Any idea where I went wrong? I used all the same ingredients without substitution.
Thanks!
P.S. I also made the crumb cake and it was excellent!
Debra’s Answer
I test all the recipes in my kichen before I publish them, so I know they work. Perhaps…the recipe says “finely chop the nuts…” They should be almost as fine as flour, like corn meal. Did you chop your nuts this fine?
Has anyone else made this recipe? Did you have success or no?
This is an excellent cake, so I want to make sure my instructions can be successfully followed.
