Question from Laura After 8 months of breathing problems from the dish soap my mother uses she switched to Ecover. Even though I'm not at the house much anymore she is still using it. But it dries her hands. I think if a product removes dirt from dishes it's going to...

Question from Marie I have come across a natural salt called "realsalt". It's very good, and is supposed to be 100% natural. I buy it in bulk, from a health food store, but not all health food stores carry it. You can also buy it directly from their website. This is...

Question from Pram Non Toxic Finish For Wooden Spoons Good to be here - I hope someone can help with this one. I am looking for a non-scented starch for cloth. A friend needs to sew with very slippery silk and it is much easier if the fabric is lightly starched first....

Question from Joan Christensen Dear Debra, I can not find any information on Pears glycerin soaps, how beneficial or harmful it is to use them. I am confused about glycerin. Should I avoid glycerin soaps such as Pears? Debra's Answer I went to the website for Pears...

Question from DAVE My wife and I keep hand sanitizer in the car which we use time to time to clean our kids' hands. My six year then told me yesterday that she is asked to use hand sanitizer, what she calls "magic soap", everyday at school to clean up after recess....

Question from Joan Hi Debra, I have another question about a maker. There is a maker called Sensatia (www.sensatia.com) from Bali, Indonesia. Could you tell me if you would recommend products from that company? Thanks. Debra's Answer Looks good to me. I like that they...

Question from Joan Christensen Hi Debra, Could you recommend to me some choices for natural toothpaste? I found some with Nature's Gate called Nature's Gate Organics Peppermint Whitening Toothpast with Flouride 5 oz. for $6.99. Also comes in Raspberry flavor. Do you...

Question from kitti Hey thanks for putting up this excellent site - its just about the only one I've been able to find so far on homemade sweeteners. I've got low blood sugar, so i'm looking for an inexpensive sugar-alternative, to help me regulate that. I'd like to...

If you don't live in San Francisco, where plastic grocery bags have been banned, you may still be facing that choice of paper or plastic at the checkout. Personally, I bring my own canvas bag, or opt for paper. The inherently biodegradable paper bags get reused as...

Question from Mary Good Morning, We are having prefinished hardwood floating floor installed. The representative suggested they put a 'muffler' layer of padding under the flooring to muffle the sound & give a slight cushion. We have just had to remove all carpet...