Question from Katy Swanson

Hi Debra-

I work for an environmental non-profit in Jacksonville, Fl and one of the individuals that have been working with had a question about the ingredients in MAAS metal polishes. I have reseached the website and found no information regarding what they are using to get results that are apparently “amazing” on all kinds of tarnished metals.

If you have heard anything about these product or the ingredients in these products I would appreciate any sharing of information. I do not feel comfortable recommending a product that does not disclose this information, especially if they are toxic or environmentally and socially harmful, but maybe i am not looking in the right spot.

Thanks for any help and your time.

-Katy Swanson

Debra’s Answer

I went to the MAAS website and they had neither ingredients nor MSDS posted, so I called. They offered to fax me an MSDS sheet, but my fax isn’t working, so the person who answered the phone read the “Hazardous Ingredients” section of the MSDS to me over the phone.

The hazardous ingredients in this product are calcinated alumina, hydrocarbon mixture, and triethanolamine. Triethalnolamine is a petrochemical of moderate toxicity (see Environmental Working Group Ingredient Report on Trienthalonamine). I’m most concerned about the hydrocarbon mixture, which could contain any number of petrochemical solvents with varying toxicity, which could change from batch to batch. The calcinated alumina is basically aluminum.

I would suspect that this product has a strong odor from the solvents. I wouldn’t use it.

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Question from Mindy

I washed my sleeping bag in the bathtub and the outer surface of it must still bleed color (it is blue) and when i finished soaking it, it stained the tub (which had been refinished over a year ago). I tried bon ami with the rougher surface of a sponge and it didn’t seem to work very well. Then I tried using a wet pumice stone which I read about in a household cleaning book I have and it seemed to start getting some of it off, but not completely.

Do you have any great solutions for this that are non-toxic and will restore my tub back to the pristine white, not that the blue is ugly?

Debra’s Answer

This seems to be the week for getting sinks and tubs white (see next entry below). Readers?

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Question from Natalie

Hi Debra,

Are pots and pans that are accidentally left on the stove and boil dry still safe to use?

Thank you.

Debra’s Answer

I don’t know the answer to this one. Readers?

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Question from SLJ

I admit I like to use Febreze now and then to refresh the fabrics in my house. However, with a dog and two cats I now would like to explore alternatives. I haven’t seen any natural substitutes that are safe for fabrics and smell nice. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Debra’s Answer

I haven’t seen any such products, but I don’t see EVERYTHING 🙂

Readers?

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Question from Sydney Blum

I am looking for a non-toxic snake repellent. I tried an herbal mixture from Australia and the snakes just sat in it without a care. Any ideas that really work?

Debra’s Answer

Readers? Anyone have any experience with this? We only have small garden snakes here, so I don’t know how to repel snakes.

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Question from vivian

I came across your website while trying to get information about the safety of silicone cookware. I received a bright red tart pan for Christmas, and the first time I baked with it I noticed a distinctly odd odor. The nose is considered the “first line of defense” from an evolutionary standpoint, and if you can smell chemicals, they probably are leaching into your food. Silicone by itself may not be harmful, but what about the materials used to color it? I will definitely not cook with this again, the flavor and odor, while subtle, is definitely a cause for concern! Also, people’s ability to detect odors can be vastly variable, so many people will never notice this…Thanks for a great website.

Debra’s Answer

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You may already know that raw, local honey can reduce allergies, but here’s why.

Unprocessed honey, which contains bits and pieces of bee pollen and honey (and sometimes even the honey comb, as well as propolis and live enzymes) is a super immune system booster.

The reason local honey is particularly effective is because the bees are collecting pollen from the very same plants that you are exposed to, and it will be present in the honey. Though it may sound strange that the very same pollen that causes problems for our bodies with direct exposure can also be the antidote to allergies reactions after it is processed by bees, but it is true. Apitherapy (medical treatments derived from bee products) goes back 5000 years to China and the Middle East.

This good effect works best when honey is taken a little bit (a couple of teaspoons) each day for several months prior to the pollen season.

Now, the other day I was walking through my local flea market, and passed a booth where a woman was selling seasonal local honey! This was the first time I had seen this and I was delighted! The beekeeper explained that she bottles the honey just as she takes it out of the hive. Of course, bees would produce honeys with different pollens and different flavors throughout the year because different plants are producing pollen in different seasons. In our consumer world where most everything is produced for uniformity, this seasonal difference is eliminated. But here it was, in glass jars right in front of me.

These bees pollinate strawberries and blueberries in the winter, citrus in the spring, watermelons in summer and many other plants. The strawberry honey I tried tasted vividly of strawberries. It was delicious!

So look for local honey at your farmer’s market, flea market, and natural food stores, and see if you can find some that is also seasonal.

Here’s a seasonal honey from New England: Carlisle Honey.

Advance: Researcher studying honey as possible allergy remedy
Local Honey and Allergies

NOTE: Some people can have allergic reactions to the honey itself, so proceed with caution if you are very sensitive.