Water | Resources
Flosspot
This is the best dental floss I’ve found. Materials are natural and biodegradable and it comes in a refillable glass jar. No plastic here of any kind. There are two types. Flosspot is made from silk worm silk floss with a coating of candelilia wax for a smooth glide between teeth. Flosspot Gold is silk made from corn husks, coated with candelilia wax, and a ginger-mint flavoring. Both are certified by the USDA as biobased products.
The Date Lady
I love dates as a sweetener. Now you can get all the deep sweetness of certified organic dates in a syrup that is easy to use. Comes in it’s own squeeze bottle. “The organic dates in this delectable syrup were sun dried on palm trees deep in the Coachella desert. The fruit from this arid climate results in a golden brown nectar with notes of rich butterscotch that you might want to eat on… everything.”
Once Again Nut Butter
A line of nut butters from peanut to hazelnut, some organic, others not. The difficult thing about natural nut butters is they separate. This company has made the first certified organic peanut butter that doesn’t separate.” It’s stabilized, like supermarket peanut butter, but uses organic palm oil instead of unhealthy fats. Like other stabilized peanut butters it contains sugar, but if you want a peanut butter that tastes and spreads like a favorite supermarket brand, but is all organic, this is it. And if you are a fan of that chocolate-hazelnut spread, here’s an organic version (first ingredient organic sugar). These might not be the healthiest nut butters, but if you’re going to eat them, here’s an organic alternative.
Known Supply
Pima cotton t-shirts in various colors and styles for women and men. The thing that is different about these clothes is you know who is making them. Labor is transparent.
Seventh Generation Disinfecting Spray (and Other Alternatives)
Question from JC
Hi Debra,
Thanks for all your efforts to keep everyone safe and healthy!
I was wondering about using the Seventh Generation Disinfecting Spray (lavendar scent) on my son’s mattress where he was sick recently.
His skin would not come into contact with it directly and it dries quickly, but I wanted to double check with someone more knowledgeable regarding its safety!
Thanks again!
Debra’s Answer
Here are the ingredients for this product from the Seventh Generation website
ACTIVE INGREDIENT:
Thymol (present as a component of Thyme Oil): 0.05%.
OTHER INGREDIENTS:
- Water
- sodium lauryl sulfate
- copper sulfate pentahydrate (bluestone)
- citric acid
- sodium citrate
- essential oils fragrance††
Compressed air (propellant).
- Coriandrum sativum (coriander) fruit oil
- cymbopogon martini (palmarosa) oil
- eucalyptus globulus leaf oil
- lavandula angustifolia (lavender) oil
- lavandula hybrida (lavandin) oil
- mentha viridis (spearmint) leaf oil
- pelargonium graveolens (geranium) extract
- pogostemon cablin (patchouli) oil
- vanilla planifolia flower extract
- vanillin
†† Linalool is a component of this fragrance
OK so first, let’s note that the active ingredient is Thyme Oil. That’s what is doing the disinfecting. Just search on “thyme oil” and you’ll find many articles on it’s effectiveness as a disinfectant. So you could simply buy thyme oil and spray it on his bed and it would be like using the herb in food, but stronger. And there are other essential oils that could be used for disinfecting as well.
But back to the product you want to use.
I don’t see any ingredients that are particularly toxic here, they are just unnecessary to do the disinfecting.
I’m not sure about how they have worded the fragrance ingredients. There seems to be an “essential oil fragrance” that contain Linalool along with other essential oils. And then they list some other essential oils. So I’m not really sure about all this fragrance. And linalool might cause skin rashes but…
I don’t have a toxic reason to tell you not to use this product,
My only reasoning is simpler is always better.
Here’s another interesting post I came across while researching this:
KITCHEN STEWARDSHIP: EPA Says Natural Disinfectant as Effective as Bleach
High Cotton Ties
Apparently is a tradition in the South for men to wear brightly striped cotton bow ties, and you will certainly find a good selection here. Made of 100% cotton with no stain resistant or “no iron” finishes.
Bryr Studio
Stylish clogs made just for you from a solid block of lindenwood (finish with a natural wax) and leather “made in the United States by heritage tanneries.”
2NFrom
Beautiful handcrafted hats for women and men, bags and accessories made from “upcycled bits of leather, silk, hemp, organic cotton, and precious findings, along with a diversity of fine fabrics, leather, and locally sourced materials from their Northern California Fibershed. This exclusive, limited edition handmade collection is a fine balance of craft and art .” These really are works of wearable art.
Recycled Nylon Nontoxic?
Question from Jason
Hi Debra,
I was wondering is clothing with recycled nylon in it such as Tracksuits,outwear jackets &etc are they safe to wear? Reason i ask is i am intrested in buying this Rain jacket https://www.patagonia.com/product/mens-torrentshell-rain-jacket/83802.html.
Thanks.
Debra’s Answer
Here’s a page from Patagonia about their recycled nylon.
Nylon is made from petroleum but it not a major chemical of concern. So I wouldn’t call this fabric “toxic” but it may not be suitable for some people sensitive to petroleum.
My greater concern for a product such as this is waterproofing. Patagonia is a very conscious and responsible company that is working hard to eliminate toxics in an industry where waterproofing has historically been very toxic.
The description says they use ” H2No® Performance Standard ”
You can go to this page to see all their materials and this page to see H2No® Performance Standard specifically. It has a lot of data about how they test for waterproofness but doesn’t say anything about the chemicals, nor does it claim to not be toxic,
I think I’ll give Patagonia a call and see how far I can get with them about full disclosure or materials.
I’ll report back next week.
For now, recycled nylon OK, waterproofing UNKNOWN.
UPDATE 12 March 2019
As promised above, I did call Patagonia customer service at 800) 638-6464.
I have not recommended Patagonia clothing in the past because of their use of toxic waterproofing. While Patagonia has taken many steps to improve the environmental impacts of their products, human health does not seem to be as much a priority.
If you do want to purchases a Patagonia product, please call customer service and find out what type of waterproofing is used on the product, which is NOT clearly disclosed even on website descriptions.
So this particular jacket description says that it has a DWR (durable water repellant) finish. Sounds like it will keep you nice and dry, but what they don’t tell you is that DWR waterepellants are made from fluorinated chemicals (think Teflon).
I went to their Durable Water Repellant page . It says, “Patagonia has long relied on a DWR with perfluorinated compound (PFC) but we have been searching diligently for an alternative because of its harmful environmental impacts.” No mention of health effects to their customers.
Then later on the page they say “And for the Fall 2019 season, we are pleased to introduce our first products that use PFC-free chemistries.”
Customer service told me the above statement applies to only a few products, and this jacket in question is NOT one of them. So it has PFC waterproofing.
READ MORE ABOUT PERFLUORINATED CHEMICALS (PFCs) ON ZERO TOXICS KNOWLEDGE BASE.
Choosing a Toxic-Free Range
Question from Andie
Hi Debra,
So grateful for you and loving your new website! Congrats!
My question: we desperately need a new oven and don’t know what to do!
Is it safer for us to purchase a floor model, that’s been sitting in an open room for a time? Or will it still outgas when it’s home and used for the first time(s)?
Really do not know what to do about ovens and this issue. Thank you!
Debra’s Answer
I wish I could just tell you to go purchase a certain brand but haven’t found one yet that has been designed to be toxic-free. This is one of those items where I need to educate the industry. That’s part of why I’m establishing my Zero Toxics website.
The last time I purchased a stove, I purchased a floor model at Lowe’s. And it was fine.
The last time I purchased a refrigerator was at a Sears Appliance Outlet. Just type that into your favorite search engine and your local outlet will come up. Also try Sears Scratch and Dent Appliances.
These appliances have been returned or refurbished or scratched during shipping. They all work just fine but have minor imperfections. I bought my last washer/dryer at a Sear Appliance Outlet store too.
So that would be the first place I would go.
