Question from Janet and Tim Kroeker

Dear Debra,

A year and a half ago I wrote to you asking about installing a hardwood floor on a low budget. We had a source for some local burr oak or ash wood that had been thoughtfully harvested, milled and dried locally that we would have had to sand and finish it and put up with some off-gasing even if we went with a low VOC, (would that also mean slow drying) finish.

The other alternative was to go with a mass produced, commercial prefinished, and well protected (they said up to 8-9 layers) hardwood with little off-gasing–but who knows were it came from and the harvesting conditions. The latter choice would have been less expensive, have less off gasing and because we are presently living in the house we wouldn’t have to put up with a drying time.

I asked your opinion and you replied:

Well, I wanted to let you know we did go with the local choice and we are very satisfied we made that decision. We went with a local ash wood. Our friend Steve harvested and milled the boards while our other friend John kiln dried the wood and then took it to a finishing mill in Winnipeg (about an hour drive) where it was planed and tongue and grooved.

Debra’s Answer

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Question from Margaret

I have checked with the companies that sell clay plaster and they tell me kaolin clay is one of the ingredients. Since kaolin clay is somewhat radioactive, wouldn’t covering the walls of my home with it be ill advised? Or is it such a tiny amount that it is negligible? I have asked them this question and they won’t answer it (probably for liability reasons). I would love to know since clay plaster is beautiful and (apart from the radioactivity) nontoxic.

Debra’s Answer

Hmmm…I didn’t know about this. I clay-plastered my bathroom walls last year (photos coming soon) so I’ve got it on my walls–no warnings on the label, but there are no warnings on glossy magazines either, which use paper coated with kaolin…or ceramics, medicines, foods in which it is used as an additive, toothpaste, or cosmetics.

Kaolin is a naturally-occuring a clay, an aluminum silicate mineral. It is one of the most common found in sediments, soils, hydrothermal deposits, and sedimentary rocks. It is mined in Brazil, France, United Kingdom, Germany, India, Australia, Korea, the People’s Republic of China, and Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina.

Kaolinite can contain very small traces of uranium and thorium. While a single magazine made using kaolin does not contain enough radioactive material to be detected by a security monitor, radioactivitiy in a single magazine can be measured.

The EPA has a a whole page on uranium exposure. They say, “Uranium is a naturally-occurring element found at low levels in virtually all rock, soil, and water. Significant concentrations of uranium occur in some substances such as phosphate rock deposits, and minerals such as uraninite in uranium-rich ores.” My logic says that if it occurs in virtually all rock, soil, and water, and kaolin is found in soils and mineral deposits, kaolin probably has the same concentration of uranium as other naturally-occuring substances.

They also say, “A person can be exposed to uranium by inhaling dust in air, or ingesting water and food. The general population is exposed to uranium primarily through food and water. The average daily intake of uranium from food ranges from 0.07 to 1.1 micrograms per day. The amount of uranium in air is usually very small.” No mention is made of exposure from kaolin in consumer products.

My point here is, uranium is indeed very dangerous to health in very concentrated amounts, but at the other end of the spectrum, we are exposed to it every day from multiple sources. I always say it’s best to minimize exposure wherever possible, but I wouldn’t say that clay plaster is alarmingly radioactive. Our bathroom walls don’t glow in the dark and we haven’t noticed any ill health effects.

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Question from Tammy

Debra,

I try to avoid giving my 3 year old daughter candy but of course family like to give her candy and junk anyway. I hate that because they really don’t have a clue how bad most of that stuff is for kids or anyone for that matter. Anyhow, I was recently introduced to an all organic lollipop with the following ingredients:

Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Tapioca Syrup, Non GMO Citric Acid (made from beet sugar (not corn), Natural Flavors (May contain Watermelon, Pomegranate, Orange Oils, Lemon Oils, Raspberry, Mango), Natural Colors, (may contain Red Cabbage, Purple Carrots)

Now I can see there is no actual sugar in these suckers but I am not familiar with the Organic Evaporated Cane Juice and the Organic Tapioca Syrup. My question is what are these sweetners and what are the effects on my daughter? Just thinking that they can’t be as bad as sugar or corn syrup doesnt make it so. I am hoping you would know.

Thanks for any insite you can give. I enjoy your newsletter!

Tammy

Debra’s Answer

Organic Evaporated Cane Juice should be the whole juice from the sugar cane plant, with the water removed, but not refined. However, my experience has been that the labeling with regards to this may not always be accurate. I’ve called some companies that have this on the label and it could also mean something else.

Tapica syrup is a sweetener made from tapioca starch–the same tapioca used to make tapioca pudding. It is only available commercially. I don’t know anything about this sweetener.

It would be best to wean a child off of these kinds of treats completely.

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Question from Diana S.

My husband and are are going to reupholster our dining room chairs, and since we have 2 kids under the age of 4, we’d like to pretreat the fabric to make it more stain repellent. I don’t like the idea of a chemical fabric protector like Scotchguard, so I’m wondering about the alternatives since I won’t be able to just take the covers off and wash them! (We’re planning on stapling them to the chairs permanently.)

I read somewhere online about soaking fabric in borax to make it more stain repellent, but I think stains would still soak in according to that anecdotal test. Does anyone have any experience with this? Is there some natural recipe I can use to pretreat the fabric before I cover the chairs?

Thanks

Debra’s Answer

A reader recommended melted wax mixed with vinegar and water sprayed on to the fabric.  I have not tried this so I can’t comment on whether it works.

Question from Denise Brill

What is the best (safest) method for preventing algae growth in children’s wading pools at home? I’d prefer not to have to drain the pool after each use since it’s an 8 foot diameter pool that holds over 400 gallons of water and is a pain to drain and refill.

Thanks!

Debra’s Answer

Readers? Any ideas?

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Question from bev Rockey

I would like to have someone come and clean my home using safe products. I have searched the phone book but no luck. Do you know or anyone ? I live in Ohio close to Columbus east suburbs .

Debra’s Answer

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Question from Karen

Hello, my name is Karen. My husband and I own a roofing company in Tampa, Florida. I am interested in learning more about solar tile roofs. I had heard of a community in Arizona that had solar tile roofs. I would be excited to provide solar tile products and installation, if it were to be approved in Florida. Any information you have would be appreciated.

Thank you

Debra’s Answer

My husband and I thought this was a good idea too and looked into it. There are a number of different manufacturers making them now. For those of you that are not familiar with solar roof tiles, they fit in with your roof tiles instead of being large panels that sit on top, so you can have solar energy that is almost invisible (photo)

Here are some links to get started with. And I hope you do this as Florida is a prime area for solar energy and it’s not being utilized. So lead the way!

Premier Power

PowerLight

Sharp

Sunslates

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Question from Kat

Hi, I had been tempted to get some of the clear cookware, but now I’ve heard some complaints about the “glass” cookware exploding?

And that was the reason why the Visions cookware was originally discontinued?

I also heard that Pyrex bowls were originally made of borosilicate glass, which is very resistant to thermal shock (which is what can cause the glass to shatter), but are currently, made of soda-lime glass, which is not as resistant.

What I don’t understand is the inconsistency…Why are some people able to cook with on a stovetop just fine without anything breaking or shattering… while others have it explode? Based off what I read, it seems to be more than just a “thermal shock” issue, but I can’t tell.

Debra’s Answer

I don’t know where you got the idea that Pyrex or Visions can shatter while cooking. Some websites say “Glass cookware that is allowed to boil dry is likely to shatter” and I had this experience once. When I was a teen, my parents had a Pyrex pot in which my mother boiled water for coffee. One day I put it on and didn’t watch it and when it boiled dry, it did shatter. However, this does not occur during normal cooking.

Visions pots are so heavy that I can’t imagine that they would shatter under any circumstances.

Regarding the inconsistency, I don’t know what references you are looking at, but I would say that if there were problems with shattering, it had to do with the differences in how the pots were used rather than the pots themselves.

Used according to manufacturer’s instructions, I don’t see any problem with the safety of these pots and they are very nontoxic.

Question from Albert

Hi Debra,

I recently moved into an apartment and am finding ants in the bathroom. By keeping the tub as dry as possible and using peppermint oil profusely, I am keeping the population down to just a few a day so it isn’t a big problem yet, but a bother. I have also seen some in the laundry room so I suspect they are a problem in the building. I am wondering if it would be safe for someone chemically sensitive to use a few ant baits as well? I am considering trying to seal off all the cracks in the bathroom, but I’ve tried taping most of the visible ones and they still seem to find some way in so I wonder if that will help?

Thanks!

Debra’s Answer

Here is the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for ant bait. I wouldn’t recommend it for a person with chemical sensitivities, or otherwise.

I have always had success by filling the cracks where they are entering with Elmer’s white glue. You’ll need to keep watch and do this day after day until you get all the cracks, but when you do it’s handled…nontoxically.

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Question from Janel Tenerelli

Hi Again,

Thank you for your answer and other readers responses about affordable laundry detergent! I came across a new detergent and would like your input here…Arm & Hammer Essentials Detergent. The ingredients listed on the bottle are:

You can purchase this detergent at any grocery store and it is just as affordable as any other detergent on the shelves. My question is just how safe is it? Since I wrote to you the first time, I have been purchasing 7th Generation, Ecover and Charlie’s Soap. Would you know if this Arm & Hammer detergent is just as safe to use as one of the ones I now use…it certainly would be easier on my pocket!

Thank you for such a great website and newsletter!

Debra’s Answer

While searching for their website (apparently this product doesn’t have a website yet…) I found ARM & HAMMER ESSENTIALS described as “a concentrated liquid laundry detergent formulated with plant-based soaps and containing no dyes, phosphates or bleaches.”

She then gave Seventh Generation’s ingredient list for comparison:

Coconut-based surfactants, Non-animal derived enzymes, Natural water softener and alkalinity builder (borax), agent to wash away soils (sodium gluconate), Viscosity control agent (table salt), Natural fragrance (citrus oil), Preservative (less than 0.05%), Water.

They look pretty similar to me. I would classify this new Arm & Hammer Essentials Laundry Detergent as “natural”, but for the moment I’d watch out for the fragrance (since I haven’t actually used this product myself. Maybe one of you will write in and let the rest of us know about the scent issue.

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