Question from chuckulz

I had some old pasta in my “pantry” and discovered they ‘released’ these bugs. I threw out all the pasta and emptied my pantry and checked all the boxes for signs of infestation. I found an old box of bread crumbs with holes in it and threw it out as well. I put everything back after I wiped boxes, cans & shelves with soapy water.

I still see these bugs flying around. I have been leaving a ceiling light on and sucking them up off the ceiling & light with my vaccuum. I empty the vaccum container every day. I can’t imagine how many there have been and where they keep coming from – I’ve checked everywhere.

I’m down to this – I have two cats and feel I need to bug bomb my house – is there any safe product? I don’t trust the ones I have seen.

Debra’s Answer

I do not know of any safe bug bombs.

Perhaps bugs in the pantry are Nature’s way of saying “This food is too old! Return it to the ecosystem for recycling, please!”

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Question from Elaine Caya

I’m trying to obtain a non toxic, chlorine-free pool… I now use very little chlorine, borates,and acid for PH adjustment..

I just ordered a product called “Oxy-Pool”.. It’s main ingredient is sodium percarbonate… which converts to hydrogen peroxide and soda ash..

Do you know of anyone who has tried this product and approve of it?.. I really would like to convert to a hydrogen peroxide pool but think the water will not be as clear as glass like it is now…

Are there any other products similiar to this out there?

Elaine

Debra’s Answer

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Question from Bob

Dear Larry,

My mom lives in Richmond and I will be traveling up there for Christmas. If you know of anybody in or around the Richmond Va. area that I could contact for fuel that would be good.

Debra’s Answer

Dear Bob,

There is a website which has people all over the country who are willing to share veggie oil, sometimes free sometimes for a fee.

www.Fillup4free.com

They have a map so you can instantly see in what areas of the country WVO is available.

You can register to add yourself to the map if you want to share your veggie oil or to use it to find people who have waste vegetable oil to give away or sell. Registering is free and gives you instant access to their discussion forums, video and photo libraries, and news feeds.

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Question from Ellie

Are the new BRONZE drinking and hot water faucets safe as far as toxicity from lead is concerned? I’m remodeling my kitchen and want to purchase safe faucets.

Debra’s Answer

Choosing a lead-free faucet is a little more complex than choosing bronze over brass. There’s a whole article that explains about lead in faucets very simply:

San Francisco Public Utilities Commission: Identifying & Purchasing Lead-Free Faucets.

A 1986 amendment to The Safe Drinking Water Act banned the use of lead solder in plumbing and called for “lead free” plumbing fixtures. A “lead-free” fixture was legally defined as one that had 8% or less lead in it (hardly “free” of lead).

NSF: Faucets says that federal law now requires faucets to meet the lead leaching requirements outlined in their NSF/ANSI Standard 61. This standard establishes guidelines for determining whether the faucet (or other product being tested) adds contaminants into the water as it passes through. “Under Section 9 of this standard, faucets and other endpoint devices are tested to ensure they do not leach more than 5 ppb of lead into drinking water.” So if you get an NSF certified faucet, it may still leach 5 ppb of lead into the water that comes out of it. While this is much less lead than faucets sold prior to 1998,it is still not zero lead. You can view their list of faucets that meet this standard at: NSF Certified Faucets.

The bottom line is: A faucet labeled “lead-free” may still leach lead into your water.

Apparently there are some faucet manufacturers which now produce plastic faucets that have virtually zero lead. Other manufacturers are substituting other metals for the lead in the brass, inserting copper tubes inside the brass faucets, or applying special coatings on the inside of the faucets in order to minimize or eliminate lead leaching. However, I haven’t been able to locate a list of these faucets. I did find one brand–Zeromix–that says their faucets are “entirely lead-free…Moreover the brass that we use contains no nickel and the faucets are made in such a way that no nickel comes in contact with your drinking water.”

As for any product, read the label. Check the package for any indication that the plumbing fixtures might be have zero- or ultra low-lead levels. New faucets meeting the NSF 61 standard will have NSF 61/9 stamped on cardboard box.

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Question from Lorraine

Debra

I recently came across a site selling plans for homemade solar panels and windmills. The site claims it can be done for under $200 (the catch being manual costs 49.99… a fair price if its legit) The site is called earthforenergy.com. Just wondering if anyone has had an experience with the manual to verify it is worth the investment or if there are any other sources for DIY energy for homes? I love the idea of using sustainable resources to power our home but have previously found the cost prohibitive.

Thank you

Lorraine

Debra’s Answer

Readers?

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Question from Nell

Hi Larry,

I have been enjoying your veggiecar site with the notes from you cross-country trek.

I had two ideas I thought I’d share with you. You may have thought of them already, but I’ll send them along just in case…

1. Why not have Debra take photos of you showing the process of asking for the oil, filtering it, then putting it in the car. Print these out in order on a piece of paper that can be used to show anyone who does not speak English. That way, maybe it would be easier to get across to them what you are asking.

2. There must be some way to get in touch with do-it-yourself inventors and see if someone could come up with an oil filter that will work on it’s own-while you are driving down the road. That should really save you a lot of time. There are so many creative folks around, I’d bet there is someone out there who can do this for you–you just have to find them. (Maybe one of them can figure out how to filter out the smell.) Good luck. :~)

Thanks for sharing,

Debra’s Answer

Hi Nell,

Thanks for sharing your ideas on how to improve things for our future roadtrips.

1) The picture idea is brilliant. I had not thought of it myself. It does look like an excellent way to clearly communicate what I want without even having to speak a verbal language.

2) The idea of filtering veggie oil while driving had also occurred to me.

It seems like I need to do some further research to see if somebody has already come up with a practical method of doing this. If I don’t find something practical, then I guess its time to put on my inventor hat or find an inventor.

It would greatly speed our trips if the filtering coould be done on the road.

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Question from john

Dear Debra,

i have been at a water desalination shop, and i found an automatic filter device that uses, carbon, active carbon, r osmosis and odor (removes chlorine) filtration all in one.

i asked the vendor for the casing (housing) that holds the filters, where the water passes by.

unfortunately, he mentioned that it is made of polyethylene! they have another option, a fiber glass housing. the salesman said its usually used for chemical plants and the polyethylene for home use.

he also mentioned that the polyethylene is approved by several organizations and is safe.

i read some article about fiber glass, some were saying its safe, and others were warning to use it!

Debra’s Answer

I would choose the polyethylene. It is used in many food and water applications and does not leach toxic chemicals.

If you are going to use reverse osmosis, please add a bit of mineral-rich sea salt or Himilayan salt to the water to liven it up!

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Question from PRJ

We’re shopping for a Queen size chemical-free mattress. We are a bit dismayed by the expense of them, but moreso because we don’t live near any chemical-free mattress or futon producer to actually try-before-you buy! I see that Simmons mattresses are produced with “SIMGARD”, a kevlar-based material as the fire retardant. Do you have any opinions or feedback on Simgard mattresses? Do they still contain other unhealthy fire retardants? Many many thanks for guidance.

Debra’s Answer

I can’t recommend any synthetic mattress, regardless of the fire retardant. Synthetic mattresses contain so many toxic chemicals, it’s not a matter of just looking at the fire retardants. Please get a natural mattress.

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Question from Deborah Barnett

Debra, My teen age son just found out he had a acne skin problem called rosacea. I kind of quessed he had it. Do you or any one have any experience with this? Doctor told me no cure and i do not want any harsh chemicals on his body. Thanks deborah from tennessee.

Debra’s Answer

I don’t have personal experience with this.

Readers?

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Question from Steve Savitz

Are stainless steel food steamer inserts safe? I assume there wouldn’t be any nickel, aluminum, etc. Can anyone recommend a pot insert for steaming?

Debra’s Answer

Stainless steel is stainless steel, so steamers would have all the same issues as pans. Except short cooking time and you aren’t scratching them with metal utensils.

I have a bamboo steamer and I love it! Much more organic and less industrial.

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