Question from Judith

I am very chemically sensitive and I recently purchased clothing at two chain retail stores, Coldwater Creek and Chicos. .I discovered a perfumy chemical smell.. possilby some type of deodorizer or something they put on the clothing. I normally do not shop in such stores.

I also purchased some pillows and chair pads from Costco that have the same odor. Too late to return, have washed many times yet the odor remains and it transferred to the furniture I had it on.

I washed and soaked and aired in the sunshine many times. I realize I cannot purchase anything with spandex again as it holds that chemical odor.

Even though I washed my hands and, as my norm, threw what I wore shopping outside right away putting on a hooded robe and bathing soon, the smell lingers in my house and it really bothers me.

I have heard that some companies are using scents that are meant to entice the buyer to purchase. Does anyone know what these chemicals might be? They are the worst ever. I will never go back to those stores nor purchase decorator pillows from Costco. I imagine the chemicals are being used widely, not just in those stores.

I also had terrific trouble with deodorizers used at Trader Joe’s recently. I had not been there for a very long time.

Debra’s Answer

I don’t know what those specific chemicals are in those specific fabric finishes. Readers, any ideas?

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Question from Angelique

My daughter was transporting a few jugs of vinegar and one of them leaked in her car. It wasn’t a big spill, but her car smells like vinegar, and she hates vinegar!

She didn’t air the car right away; it was about two hours later that I told her to open the car windows. She only had them open a few hours, however. This morning I told her to open the windows again. I also took a water-damp cloth and scrubbed the area of the spill.

One person told me a similar thing happened to them and the vinegar dissipated after a few days. However, another person told me that she used vinegar to clean up something in her car on a hot day — like yesterday was hot for us in AZ — the smell took a long time to go away.

Any suggestions? Is there something else I can do? Should I scrub the area with a mild soap and water? Use baking soda? More sun? No sun?

Debra’s Answer

Readers?

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Question from cathleen

I am looking for a PVC free raincoat for a toddler. I found some cute one made by “Kidorable” but they are made with polyester and PVC. Do you have any suggestions?

Debra’s Answer

Here’s a list of PVC-free raincoats compiled by moms in the Pacific Northwest, where it really rains!

http://www.evergreenmoms.com/2009/03/pvc-free-raincoat-roundup_1954.html

This is from 2009, so some of the suggestions may be outdated, but go ahead and check those companies anyway. If they had the idea to sell PVC-free raincoast last year, they may sell them this year too.

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Question from HEG

The AC handler in my new apartment has sort of a mossy/mildewy smell. I assumed it was fungal buildup in the drip pan but the smell seems to still be there after I wiped the drip pan. I am having a company that cleans AC handlers and ducts come out to inspect the unit and evaluate it, but if they decide that there is mold or mildew that needs to be cleaned, I am wondering what nontoxic products you and your readers recommend to use to clean the AC handler parts. Thanks.

Debra’s Answer

I have no experience with this, so, readers, what do you advise?

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Question from john walker

Hi Debra, I suffer from MCS and just hesitantly bought another gas stove to replace my old one. The gas itself does not bother me unless I stand over it for awhile. However, the stove is new and it is outgassing making me ill. The smell is like a “new” smell like get from electronics. Do you have any ideas how to speed up the outgassing process?

Thank You

Debra’s Answer

I don’t know of any way other than to simply use it. This is one of the reasons to buy used appliances.

I recently bought a new Frigidaire gas stove and had no “new” smells from it. It was a closeout model on sale, so it probably had been sitting around for a while.

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Question from lindaann36

Hi, i love your website, and all the great info you provide. I was wondering what your thoughts are on THE WATERWISE DISTILLER MODEL 4000. www.waterwise.com Thanks.

Debra’s Answer

Many years ago I read a report on a test Rodale Press did on stainless steel water distillers. They said they found metals in the product water that had leached from the stainless steel during distillation.

For this reason, since then I have not recommended stainless steel distillers, which the waterwise distillers are.

The only water distiller is one made from Pyrex glass, which is avialable at http://www.rain-crystal.com/default2.htm.

I used one of these distiller for many years when I lived in California. When I moved to Florida, there was too much sediment in the water. It unfortunately clogged the distiller and was too difficult to clean out before I could figure out that I needed a sediment prefilter here. We ended up getting a whole house water filter from Go Beyond Organic.

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Question from Violet56

I have many new and old books. Occasionally I have noticed a very tiny insect (the size of a comma!) crawling on a page. I would appreciate any tips on how to prevent and a remedy for how to get rid of – these teeny insects from my books. Thanks.

Debra’s Answer

Reader? I’ve never encountered this in my books.

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