Last week I wrote about how I helped a client furnish their new apartment with toxic free furniture.

This week I want to tell you how we removed a very strong odor from the apartment, even though we couldn’t determine exactly what it was.

It seemed to me that it was some kind of citrus oil-based product and I thought it had been used on the wood floors.

My client hired a cleaning lady to work with me. She brought a “steam mop” and we used a brand new set of clean pads to mop the floor so as to not bring any odors in from other places. This worked really well just by itself to reduce the odor, but it did not eliminate it completely.

Then we used EnviroKlenz Everyday Odor Eliminator according to the instructions on the bottle. We mixed it with water in a spray bottle and sprayed it all over the floors. We waited 15 minutes, and then used the steam mop again to remove it. This greatly lessened the odor.

Then we did the whole process again.

Each time the odor was less and less.

We also did this procedure in a closet that had a perfume smell and it worked there too.

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What’s wrong with this picture?

There’s something known as “false and misleading advertising” and it’s all over this snip from the Tuft & Needle website.

First, it gives the impression that Tuft & Needle mattresses are nontoxic and even substantiates that claim by telling you that they meet the GREENGUARD GOLD and OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 certifications.

But Tuft & Needle mattresses still contain toxic chemicals. I’ll tell you how I know in a minute.

But first, while they are certified, I couldn’t find one word on their website about their materials.

And while they meet the GREENGUARD GOLD and OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100, these standards do not test for all chemicals. The bigger problem, however, is their standards are not very stringent. So it’s very easy to pass the standard.

I’m often surprised at some of the products that pass the current GREENGUARD GOLD standard. Since GREENGUARD became part of Underwriters Lab, their standards have changed. Mattresses are now given GREENGUARD GOLD certifications that contain materials which I cannot approve, such as polyurethane foam, chemical flame barriers, and, in crib mattresses, PVC covers that emit phthalates.

Tuft & Needle is NOT the first mattress to be given the GREENGUARD GOLD certification. That occurred years ago. They were perhaps the first mattress to get the GREENGUARD GOLD certification in the mattress-in-a-box category, but that’s not what they say.

But here’s what really makes this claim false and misleading.

And here’s a video of chemical off gassing of Casper mattress.

And here’s another video measuring the TVOCs of a Nest mattress.

Now all three of these videos are measuring emissions from a brand new mattress that has been in a plastic bag. Those emissions are very concentrated. But they do show there are emissions. And anyone can get a TVOC meter and measure the emissions from these mattresses.

A couple of weeks ago I opened two Happsy mattress-in-a-box mattresses and there were no emissions. I had a TVOC meter in my hand and the TVOC reading in the room didn’t change when I opened the mattress packaging and laid the mattresses on the bed.

T&N hasn’t raised the standards, as they claim. That claim belongs to Happsy, the first certified organic mattress in the mattress-in-a-box category. And certified organic is less toxic than GREENGARD GOLD. That’s a fact.

There are now 31 brands using BPA-free cans.

Thanks to Environmental Working Group for putting together this list:

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Question from Cathleen

Hi Debra,

Hi. Love your website & all the info.

I suffer from many illnesses & sensitvities, including MCS.

I am in desperate need of a new hand-held shower head, that is latex-free & preferably USA made.

Can you recommend a company or product? I tried a High Sierra shower head that met this criteria, but the water flow was just too forceful for my skin & vascular condition.

Thanks so much, and I can’t thank you enough for all the help you provide people like me!

Debra’s Answer

I have no way of knowing the water force of various hand held shower heads so…

Readers? Can you make a suggestion from your experience?

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Modular cat climbing structure made from paper at Katris

 

Question from MaryJo

Hi Debra,

I am concerned about the recent article in the New York Times about the link between flame retardants and the rise in feline hyperthyroidism.

I am trying to find scratching posts or cat climbing structures that are not made with carpet treated with flame retardants (or just plain awful synthetic carpet and glues).

I am wondering if you have come across anything about this.

Any leads most appreciated~!

Debra’s Answer

Here are some cat scratching posts made with wood and other natural materials:

Natural Scratch

Love That Cat

This article suggests that you give your cat a natural tree log for a scratching post

And here are some cat climbing structures made with wood

Mountain Pet Products

Katris

Cats Play

There are a lot more. Just search on “natural cat scratching post” and “natural cat climbing structure” and you’ll find them.

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Handwoven organic cotton decorative pillows stuffed with kapok from Coyuchi

 

Question from TA

Hi Debra,

I’m wondering what you recommend for throw pillows. I’d like to replace the old, synthetic ones we have.

What is the best option for the “insert” or fill that goes inside the pillow cover? It seems that finding an organic cover is the easier part. But what is the best affordable insert option?

I’ve considered shredded latex, but that could be lumpy and it can have a noticeable smell.

Wool would compress easily, I imagine.

I saw some very affordable ones with duck feathers on Ikea’s website and came to your site to check on the toxicity of duck feathers; since I don’t know where the feathers came from or how they’re processed, perhaps it’s best to pass on those? And getting well-processed duck feather pillows would probably be quite expensive.

I’d like to have a number of throw pillows, as well as floor pillows/cushions in a larger size. So I’d like something that won’t break the bank.

Debra’s Answer

The most resilient pillow filling I know of it kapok. And you can buy kapok pillow inserts with organic cotton shells.

FABRICADABRA: Kapok Pillow Inserts

Prices start at $21 and volume discounts are available for 12 or more.

If this doesn’t work for you, wool would be my second choice. I slept on wool pillows for years until I discovered kapok. But the do mat over time.

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Question from Colleen

Hi Debra,

I need to have a colonoscopy and may have to have other surgery. I have reactive airway disease and asthma which is triggered by vinyl shower curtains. They are made with DEHP which is also in IV bags, tubing, etc that the hospital uses.

Has anyone dealt with this? How did you get around it?

I have a list of DHEP-free and PVC-free medical supplies as alternatives but am not sure they’d work with me on it.

Any helpful advice? Thanks you! I meet with the doctor on Aug. 30, 2017.

Debra’s Answer

Readers? Any suggestions?

I fortunately have not had the need to experience this, so have nothing to offer.

But what comes to mind is perhaps Healthcare Without Harm can help you, or Practice Greenhealth. Both organizations advocate the removal of toxic chemicals from healthcare.

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For the past few weeks a lot of my time has been occupied with helping a consulting client furnish a nontoxic apartment for her son, who has multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS).

She asked me to help her choose furniture, bedding, and air and water filters. I gave her some choices, and she chose the ones she wanted.

She kindly gave permission for me to share some photos with you and also tell you about the products. It was an opportunity for me to experience first hand some of the products I have been recommending that I hadn’t seen in person, and I want to share that experience with you, too.

In general I learned that what a difference there can be in the quality of products made from the same materials. Unfinished furniture pieces had variations in design and workmanship, organic cotton sheets from different places had variations in thread count, color, feel and quality.

Choosing nontoxic materials is the first step. Then there are many other factors that affect the quality of the product and it’s performance above and beyond the materials being nontoxic.

Below are my observations and comments on the items we chose.

IKEA BED FRAME

Ikea has a number of bed frames that are made of solid wood. The only difference is style. All of them are solid wood (with the exception of a metal bar that runs down the middle of the frame to hold the wood slats) and a few miscellaneous parts that hold the frame together. There are no glues or adhesives. There is a light acrylic finish that had no odor even as we took the pieces out of the box. This is the second IKEA bed frame I’ve experienced and both were free of outgassing from toxic chemicals. They are also fairly inexpensive. This is a good choice for a budget bed frame. My one caveat is that it will take you a couple of hours to put it together and it really needs two people. TARVA queen bed frame $179.

HAPPSY MATTRESS

I’ve been writing about the Happsy Mattress for some months now. Prior to their being available I saw samples of the materials, but even with everything I knew about it I wasn’t prepared for how truly remarkable and wonderful this mattress is.

First, it comes all rolled up in a very big box, wrapped in many layers of nontoxic polyethylene plastic.

While you are searching for how to get the mattress out, you find a little tab and a note that says “start here”. You pull the tab and find it it a little cutter that slides down the side of the mattress, opening the layers of plastic with ease, while the mattress is protected below by a piece of cardboard.

When you peel away the plastic the mattress springs to life like an inflatable life raft. With the familiar hiss, the Happsy mattress literally inhales air, and as it does so it unrolls itself until it is laying perfectly opened and inflated.

You do have to turn it over, but when you do, you see how very beautiful it is, with it’s lovely quilted color and different shades of organic cotton fabric on top and sides.

It had a slight odor of latex when first unwrapped, but that dissipated quickly.

Laying on it was heaven. If I didn’t already have a mattress I love I would buy a Happsy mattress immediately and sleep on it myself. Happsy Organic Mattresses queen $1199.

WHITE LOTUS HOME PILLOWS

My client purchased a bunch of pillows from in various sizes and softnesses. All were well-made and nontoxic. One of the pillows she bought was the pillow I sleep on, their kapok-filled pillow with invisible zipper that I still love after about two years of sleeping on it. The zipper allows you to add or subtract fill inside the pillow to meet your needs. White Lotus Home.

MAGNOLIA ORGANICS ORGANIC COTTON BLANKETS

These blankets are beautiful. Nice and thick and warm. They come in a big reusable cotton shoulder bag with a long strap. No plastic packaging. Magnolia Organics.

COYUCHI BED LINENS

Coyuchi really is the top of the line in organic bxdlinens. Very top quality. Coyuchi .

UNFINISHED WOOD DRESSER

My client purchased many pieces from a local unfinished furniture store. I’m not giving the name here because they don’t ship, but these items can be found at almost any local unfinished furniture store in your area. The pieces are solid wood, heavy, and very well crafted, like fine furniture.

COVERTABLE FUTON SOFA

This sofa is made from an organic cotton futon from White Lotus Home and covetable sofa frame from KD Frames. A convertible frame can be turned into a platform bed by lowering the back. The futon will be covered with an organic cotton cover.

I’ve visited the White Lotus Home workplace so the futon was excellent, as I expected.

The frame was unfinished Tulip Poplar, which is a great wood, but the frame was very difficult to put together and had poor instructions. Many of the pieces had rough ends that hadn’t been sanded.

This is my first experience with a convertible frame sofa and I would say that it needs a few big pillows to make the relative size of the back and seat more similar to a conventional sofa.

The total cost of a convertible sofa like this is around $1500-$1800, depending on the materials you choose for your futon.

White Lotus Home | KD Frames

UNFINISHED WOOD TV STAND AND CHAIRS

These came from the same local unfinished furniture store as the dressers mentioned above.The chairs are actually the very same chairs I have in my house. The pieces are solid wood, heavy, and very well crafted, like fine furniture.

IKEA WOOD TABLES

For the dining table and a desk my client purchase two pine tables from Ikea. Like the bed frame, the tables have a light acrylic finish that had no odor even as we took the pieces out of the box. Very easy to put together in less than an hour. INGO pine tables $69

WATER FILTERS

My client ordered drinking water and shower filters from Pure Effect Advanced Filtration on my recommendation. These are the water filters I use in my own home.

I learned a valuable lesson: make sure you can install the the water filter before you order it.

In our case, she had ordered an undersink filter that requires an auxillary faucet. But there was no hole in the countertop and this is a rental. So we had to return it. The countertop model is the correct choice here.

And in one of the bathrooms the showerhead was the “rain shower” type that come straight down from the ceiling. The shower filter leaked with this type of showerhead, so we’re going to have to get creative with the plumbing to install it. Pure Effect Advanced Filtration

AIR FILTERS

My client also ordered two EnviroKlenz Mobile Units for her 1400 square foot apartment.

While I used a mobile unit in my home for a short period as a test before recommending it, I had never experienced it in action in a situation where it was really needed. I had that opportunity in this apartment.

When I walked in, I was hit in the face with a strong odor of cleaning product. Larry smelled it too. So we turned on the mobile units full blast and in about two minutes the odor was completely gone. It really showed me how well these units work. Low speeds for every day, and then when you need a pollutant to be removed fast, the high speeds will clear the air quickly. I was very impressed. EnviroKlenz Mobile Unit Air Purifier

“Our son is severly ill with Lyme and MCS and we are coming down to Florida from New York for treatment.
We needed a healing sanctuary free of mold, toxics and odors. We found an apartment, but had no idea how to furnish it. Then by chance we found Debra. She was great from the beginning—guiding me,,educating me on what I needed. She knew where to buy everything. She did whatever we needed and went above and beyond. She went to the apartment, received deliveries and supervised the assembly of the furniture. Even though we had had an indoor air quality inspection done, Debra found formaldehyde and other odors when she went that would have been a disaster for us. We are so grateful for her assistance and highly recommend her. I don’t know what we would have done without her.” M.S. Long Island NY.

Cherry Garcia tested zero for glyphosate

 

Last week an The New York Times published an interesting article about glyphosate in ice cream. Specifically Ben & Jerry’s in the title, but others as well.

So should we all stop eating ice cream?

Here are the important points for consumers who want to eat ice cream.

The Organic Consumers Association tested 11 samples of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream and found trace amounts of glyphosate in 10 of the samples. I was happy to see that my favorite flavor—Cherry Garcia (which I haven’t eaten in years)—was the one flavor that had zero.

So why do the others have glyphosate? The conclusion was that the glyphosate isn’t from the ice cream, but from the flavor additions. You can see in the chart that there is a wide difference in the amount of glyphosate between flavors.

The Organic Consumers Association also tested four brands of organic vanilla ice cream: Alden’s, Three Twins, Julie’s and the Whole Foods Market brand 365. The lab found trace amounts of glyphosate comparable to Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough in the Whole Foods 365 sample, but none in the others.

So some brands of organic vanilla test the same as Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia.

I rarely eat ice cream because I try to keep my intake of sugar and fat down and ice cream is loaded with both.

Regardless of tests, logic tells me that organic ice cream is going to contain fewer toxic chemicals overall, and it’s a better choice.

When I eat ice cream (rarely) I make my own at home. That way I can choose organic cream, my preferred organic sweetener, and any other ingredients.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Traces of Controversial Herbicide are Found in Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream

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Question from Mai

Hi Debra,

I was wondering if you have any information about POM plastic (polyoxymethylene )? Most of the food processors I’ve found that come with a glass work bowl have POM plastic on the blade unit.

Debra’s Answer

Here’s the Product Safety Sheet for polyoxymethylene

It’s a plastic of the thermoplastic type. It is sold as a small plastic pellet which is then melted at high temperatures to then be molded into plastic parts.

“When this product is heated to high temperatures in order to produce a molded or extruded part, small amounts of formaldehyde gas is given off. The release of formaldehyde during the manufacture of parts made from Ultraform® POM is the primary concern…”

“Plastic parts made from Ultraform® POM…do not present a risk from exposure to formaldehyde, since the parts are no longer heated to high enough temperatures to produce formaldehyde.”

I’m not concerned about this on the blade unit of a food processor.

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