Question from Reenie

At the vacuum center today, they were selling Super Gel beads for areas that have an odor and/or damp areas. Instructions say just open the jar or put in a shallow bowl. The ingredients label lists water, a variety of essential oils and soya. But I wonder what makes them a gel? The soya? The owner of the shop told me the individual gel beads eventually get small and hard, about the size of a grain of rice. Has anyone done research on this or used them? I wonder if this product is a) safe for life including humans, pets, fish etc., and safe for the environment. Thanks!

Debra’s Answer

There’s a lot more information on their website: www.fresh-wave.com/.

I saw this too, at a hardware store, and it looked interesting. It is 100% natural, made with natural extracts of lime, pineneedles, aniseed, clove, and cedar wood, along with soy. So if you have MCS, you probably don’t want to use this because some of these oils are highly reactive. But I don’t see any reason for an average healthy person not to use it.

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Question from Reenie

Hello, Are there any books or online resources that are helpful to others wanting to create a Green Team in their workplace? Thanks!

Debra’s Answer

Readers?

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Question from Jill

Does anyone know what nontoxic sealer or wax can be used on a concrete countertop? Can beeswax be used?

Debra’s Answer

Readers?

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Question from Sandy

I have fleas in my house. My dogs are primarly inside, but go out to potty. This is the first summer ever that they bring fleas back in on them. The fleas love my furnitur as well. What would you reccomend to kill the fleas in my furniture.

Debra’s Answer

Go to Nature’s Defender Cedar Oil products. Type “fleas” into their search box and you will get “In-door & Out-door flea, mite & bed bug eradication kit”. That should do it.

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Question from Millie

Does anyone own a Naturepedic mattress in a full or queen size? I am interested in purchasing one for my son. How firm is it and is it holding up well? I’m worried that it might be too firm. It seems the stores in my area only stock the crib size mattress. I’m a little nervous buying it without trying it out first. Many thanks!

Debra’s Answer

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Question from Gina

Hi,

I have asthma and allergies, and I find I am very sensitive to shoes and jeans that say they are made in China. Lee jeans and regular pants that I bought at Kohls I had to return as I put them in my closet, and the horrible chemical smell came out from them. I ended up returning them the next day. I have seen on other blogs that people have complained of the smell of Lee Jean and Levi’s. Also, most of the shoes in stores now are made in China, and those smell horrible too. Is this them spraying stuff with pesticides before items come to the US? Why do most items smell that come over from there? And where can I find shoes and jeans that are made in the US instead?

Debra’s Answer

I don’t know what they spray clothing and shoes with in China.

There are a number of websites now that list products made in the USA. I started a list of them at Q&A: Made in the USA.

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Question from Colleen

Is Quickkrite floor leveling compound from Lowe’s alright to use for someone with multiple chemical sensitivity? We need to replace vinyl tiles in the kitchen and need something to patch the holes in the flooring to make the surface smooth before adding the new tiles. The tiles have been in the basement for 15 years so I’m sure they have outgassed. Are there any other options for no-voc or low voc floor leveling compound? I can’t go into Lowe’s to read the package and can’t find the ingredients online and can’t spend hours on the computer due to neck and back problems. Any suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated.

Debra’s Answer

Readers?

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Question from cm

I have a question about staving off the flu and germs by washing your hands. I currently use hot water and Method fragrance free soap. But I’ve read some articles (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/15/health/15well.html) that it isn’t as effective as using hand sanitizer. Are there harmful chemicals in the alcohol based sanitizers or are they safe to use?

Thanks so much,

CM

Debra’s Answer

Actually, the article you cite from the New York Times says that you can either wash your hands with soap and water or use hand sanitizer.

The alcohol in hand sanitizer is made from petroleum and has some toxicity. Since it’s not necessary to use hand sanitizer, I’d use soap and water.

I know a woman who is a nurse, and she was passing out literature on the importance of washing hands to prevent infectious illness. She said we should sing the ABC alphabet song while we scrub our hands to scrub for the right amount of time.

HOW TO WASH YOUR HANDS

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Question from Melissa D

Hi Debra,

I am looking for a beang bag-esque chair for my two-year-old son. Our house has all Ecotimber floors, and he doesn’t love always climbing up on the couch when he is looking for a softer place to sit. I’d like to get him a cotton or hemp bean bag chair, but all of the ones I have found – even the ones advertised as “green” – contain polystyrene beads. I thought those were not safe? The sites all claim those fillers are non toxic.

I guess I could always empty of the beads (if they are toxic) and fill the bag with something else with give – maybe cotton or wool batting?

Thanks for any advice you can offer, and thanks for being such a lifesaver for my family!

~Melissa

Debra’s Answer

Polystyrene is not nontoxic.

How about a big pillow for the floor? When I was a kid, my parents bought three big pillows and stacked them up on the floor. It was my favorite place to sit.

Get pillows with natural fiber casings, filled with a natural fiber stuffing.

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Question from Alyssa

Dear Debra,

I have a question about graphite from a pencil embedded in the skin near a vein.

As a teen, I had a pencil puncture my skin in school, and a piece of graphite has been embedded ever since, for over a decade.

Over time, the graphite piece has gotten smaller and smaller. I did speak with a doctor about it at one point who told me that it was likely surrounded by scar tissue and not causing any problems.

However, recently, I’ve begun to feel pains and aches in just that area where the graphite is located.

Also, I have had slow, but consistent hair loss on my head for the last decade. It started about a year after the pencil wound, and has been consistent since then. I am female and have lost a great deal of my hair and my hair that grows back is thinner in diameter than it used to be.

Debra’s Answer

Graphite in pencils, as we are usually exposed to it, is not toxic.

However, the MSDS for graphite says:

I’m assuming that graphite residing in the body might be like mercury in dental fillings. You say it’s getting smaller, so it probably is releasing small amounts of graphite into your body.

I personally would probably remove it.

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