Question from kohalaart
Aloha.
My husband didn’t believe me in my reasoning to buy an organic mattress & bought a sweda which is mainly memory foam.
My 1st question- is there a inexpensive way to cover the mattress so it dosn’t affect me? I put an old feather comforter on top of it, then organic sheets & a organic duvet and it helped a bit last night. Would getting used old wool blankets or a heavier down comforter be the answer or is there a cheap place for organic wool &/or mattress covers?
The second question is regarding how to treat the house. The previous owner loved glade plug-ins, & room perfumes, I got feeling very ill when I walked in (my husband bought the house w/out me) I’ve used baking soda on the carpets, vacumed the next day, had them cleaned by a “green” co. but they are synthetic and I think are still affecting me.
I don’t know if the toxins from the perfumes are in the wall paint too? We have lived here for 3 wks. and in that time my chemical sensitivities are now really bad, I feel pain in my chest, palpetations, shortness of breath. We are getting Cali-bamoo flooring in the downstairs, but even the non toxic flooring seems to be setting me off? There is also a tv cabinet we bought which is laminated wood, being in the same room sets me off…any ideas on how to get it to outgas faster? I have it in a room w/ an ozone generator now. I know it’s a long list of “problems” I really want to get better fast along with the house.
Debra’s Answer
First, your mattress. Just putting regular cloth on your mattress won’t block chemicals because they are very fine vapors that go between the threads. There is a cotton fabric called “barrier cloth” that is very tightly woven. You can get them from American Environmental Health Foundation. I have never used one, and I don’t recommend them as a substitute for a natural mattress, but they may help. They also do not surround the entire mattress (bottom is open, as with a regular mattress pad).
A sheet of polyethylene plastic would be more effective, in my opinion, and less expensive. Be sure to wrap the entire mattress and tape it closed.
For your house, you probably need a bake-out. Remove all people, pets and plants from your house, close all windows and doors, and turn up the heat as high as it will go. Let is bake for 24 hours. Then air the house out, close it up again and see how you feel. Repeat the process until you feel well in the house.
And your husband needs to get with the program. You need his cooperation.
