Question from Annette Tweedel

Hi Debra, We live in an old wooden house in Louisiana and because there is about a foot or so between the bottom of our house and the ground our landlord puts some kind of wood or plywood that affects me. Actually we call it wrapping or insulating the house for the winter. Its to protect the pipes from freezing during the winter. We used to put tin around the house but our landlords don’t want that anymore. They don’t want, I guess, big holes in the wood outside the house. I read the information in your book, something about insulation made from aluminum foil, but I don’t know if it would apply to this also. I actually thought I saw someone’s house wrapped with something like that. Could you recommend something for us to put around the outside of the house that is safe and nontoxic?Thanks.

Debra’s Answer

I’m not familiar with this practice. Readers, what is your experience with this?

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Question from Srini

Debra,

I saw a new toothpaste called Coral White by Coral Inc.

Do you or any of the users know about this and if so, what do you think of it?

Debra’s Answer

It does have natural ingredients, however, I think their claim that it is the “only natural toothpaste” is incorrect.

My only disagreement is that it contains stevia, xylitol and sorbitol, all considered “natural” because they come from plant sources, but they are so highly refined they are no longer in their natural state.

If you want the coral minerals, just buy a coral calcium carbonate supplement and brush with that.

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Question from Alyce

I looked at a house I would be interested in buying except for the fact they have air fresheners in almost every room, and the smell is unbelievably strong. Is there a way to get the odor out, or do you think buying a house like this is too risky?

Debra’s Answer

I personally would recommend finding a different house.

Has anyone had any success removing air freshener residues from a house?

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Question from IJ

Hi Debra,

I notice none of the comments were about surgical steel. how about some information on surgical steel cook ware.

Thank you.

Debra’s Answer

First I had to research the difference between stainless steel and surgical stainless steel. There is a difference. Surgical stainless steel (or “surgical steel”) is stainless steel with the addition of molybdenum to prevent specific forms of corrosion and help maintain the cutting edge. It is used in the manufacture and handling of food and pharmaceutical products where it is often required in order to minimize metallic contamination.

There is cookware made from surgical stainless steel and this would be safer than ordinary stainless steel if you want stainless steel cookware. There are many available. Simply type “surgical steel cookware” in your favorite search engine to find them.

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Question from Hoping for Better

I’m new to the concept of outgassing. I’ve had allergies for years, and they did seem to get worse when I bought my memory foam mattress in the 2004/05. I finally broke down and went to an allergist, who will be testing me for allergies in a couple of weeks. I have 2 questions:

1) Is outgassing bad enough in a tempurpedic mattress that it’s worth it to replace it after 4-5 years of sleeping on it? Aren’t there other (cheaper) options? I had really hoped to keep it for 30 years. It has helped my back problems considerably, although I’m not surprised that it might be connected to my allergies because I do wake up with allergies every day, even though I’m pretty good about using allergy covers and cleaning the sheets in hot water pretty regularly.

2) Is there a way my allergist can test me for being allergic to chemicals like the ones in the bed? How do I know which chemicals I’m allergic or sensitive to? I can’t continue living with constant allergy symptoms!

I’m so glad I found this site. Thanks so much in advance for your help!

Best,
Hoping for Better

Debra’s Answer

In general, materials that outgas do so most when they are new and less as time goes by. If you noticed an increase in your allergies after you started sleeping on your Tempurpedic mattress, I would not continue to sleep on it.

Certain doctors can test you for chemical sensitivities by using what is called “provocative neutralization” testing. To find a doctor near you, visit American Academy of Environmental Medicine.

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Question from Judith

As always, thanks very much, Debra, for your wonderful website. I have learned so much from it.

My question is how would you clean up a spill of petroleum lamp oil from a kitchen floor and wall. We have inherited several beautiful oil lamps from my mom and I had mistakenly thought all of them were empty until two days ago, when my daughter accidentally knocked one of these lamps over. It fell on a tiled floor and against the wall of the kitchen and the floor length side of a wood desk. The smell was horrendous and is still terrible after having my husband clean up the site five times already. We have the windows open as much as possible (it is freezing here in Northern VA)and I sprinkled a lot of baking soda on the surface. I am sure the wall also absorbed a great deal of it and I am not sure what else to do. I need to be in the kitchen and right now I can only stay there for a few minutes. Is there a special cleaning agent that would help? How about the wall and the wood? Thanks so much!!

Debra’s Answer

Readers, any experience with this?

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Question from Hope

Hi there,

Does anyone have an opinion on the safety of a fiberglass tub with a gel coat? Many fiberglass tubs, showers, and pools are made with a gel coating integrated into the surface, made of polyseter resin. The gel coats can also contain additives such as UV reducers, pigments, fillers, etc. The most affordable japanese soaking tubs (the style tub that we want) are fiberglass with gel coats. I’ve heard that acrylic is relatively unhealthy.

Our desire is to have a japanese style soaking tub that is as safe as possible. My husband suggested stainless steel (I tried to explain that some people have health concerns about it but he wasn’t convinced). I considered cast concrete but am concerned about sealants. We found a nice fiberglass model that we like, but I need to know if the gelcoat is ok. Thanks =)

Debra’s Answer

There may be many different gel coats with different additives that may or may not leach, so I don’t think one could say across the boards that they are all safe or harmful. I think you’re going to need to evaluate the gel coat of the specific tub you are considering.

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Question from Lace Blue-McLean

Question: what to do with my left over orange pulp. We received a bag of oranges for the holidays and went to town juicing most of them. Now I am left with alot of pulp. Any recipes? I know it is good for the compost pile but would like to think it could be used some other way. Thanks!!!

Debra’s Answer

Here’s a site that answers all your questions about using leftover pulp from juicing, including concerns you probably haven’t even thought of. Includes several links to sites with recipes for using juice pulp, including orange. Juicer Pulp Recipes

Now, that said, I don’t juice anything. I blend the whole fruit or vegetable with water so I get all the fiber and everything. No pulp leftover because the WHOLE fruit or vegetable is in the drink.

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Question from Gloria Simala

I would like to know how to remove soot from clothing caused by a wood burning stove.

Debra’s Answer

I’ve never done this. Readers, any suggestions?

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Question from Eva

Hello Debra, i have re-read all of the laundry posts, i have found laundry detergent by Ecos that is soy free, to your knowlege, is there also a fabric softener that is soy free?

My 2 childner have dairy, soy, fragrance etc.. sensitivities so i have to be extra careful.

Thank you.

Eva.

Debra’s Answer

You don’t need to use fabric softener on natural fiber clothing.

I haven’t researched a soy-free fabric softener, since I don’t recommend synthetic clothing.

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