Submitted questions will be posted with my response by the following Tuesday or before.
Submitted comments will be moderated and approved within 24 hours.
Non-Toxic Mascara Recommendation?
Question from wt
hello,
i’m looking for a non-toxic mascara that WON’T MAKE MY LASHES DROOP. my lashes are relatively thin, and anything heavy will cause them to droop in a heartbeat. is there such a forumula?
would appreciate a recommendation.
thank you!
Debra’s Answer
My lashes are thick, so I’ve never experienced this. Readers…?
Dishwashing soap
Question from S.L.
On your website under the section “At Home With Debra . . . How I Really Live” you say that you use an unscented liquid soap that you got as a bonus to clean your dishes and countertops. I’m wondering if you’ve run out of that original supply and if so, what do you use now?
Debra’s Answer
We’re still using the dish soap we got with our water softener. Some other products I have used in the past to wash my dishes include Dr. Bronner liquid soaps (now made from organically-grown ingredients) and a dishwashing liquid I got at Williams-Sonoma that they don’t carry any more, which was scented with kitchen fragrances, such as sweet basil and meyer lemon. When we run out of what we have, I’ll probably go back to Dr. Bronner.
Need Help With Kitchen Reno!
Question from V. L.
I find myself overwhelmed with choices for an eco kitchen reno. It seems that either solid wood cabinetry or cabinet boxes made of strawboard with solid wood
fronts are the only eco options. I’ve tried re-covering used cabinets from the paper, but they are always in really bad shape.
Further, are granite or soapstone the best environmental options for countertops, and doesn’t it depend on the granite’s source?
My kitchen is falling apart and I’m afraid to take one step forward!
Thanks for any help you can offer, and I really love your newsletter.
Debra’s Answer
There ARE are lot of choices for eco kitchens, more even than you list.
Building page of Debra’s List has a great article that outlines all the possibilities for countertops, and gives some resources. The best environmental option isn’t necessarily granite or soapstone–I once redid my entire kitchen with salvage gray marble slabs at $5 a square foot. Eco-options for countertops include tiles made from various recycled materials, too.
Both your choices for cabinetry sound fine. There are more options–such as metal cabinets, but wood is much more aesthetic. Consider having cabinets custom-built. I know that sounds expensive, but I had a local cabinetmaker build all the cabinets in my California kitchen with solid wood and my choice of finish, and the total cost installed was less than if I had purchased particleboard cabinets from Home Depot. So check around.
There are no single products that are “the best” choice for everyone. In a personal one-on-one phone consultation, I can help you choose the kitchen reno products that are right for you.
Safety of Rubbing Alcohol
Question from D. M.
I came across a recipe for a homemade shower cleaner using equal parts water, vinegar, rubbing alcohol and a couple drops of liquid dish detergent. Is rubbing alcohol a non toxic ingredient to use for cleaning?
Thanks for your reply and I am looking forward to receiving your e-newsletter as I’m always looking for non toxic ways to take care of our home and ourselves. I make some cleaning and body care products myself. Any that I have to buy I get from the health store and I check those ingredient labels!!
Thanks also for what you do to help educate people and make the environment cleaner and greener.
Debra’s Answer
I don’t consider rubbing alcohol to be a nontoxic ingredient to use for cleaning. The chemical name for rubbing alchol is isopropyl alcohol. The Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for isopropyl alcohol says “No significant effects beyond minor irritation are expected” for skin exposure, but if some accidentally gets splashed in the eye it can cause “Severe irritation and discomfort” and “Reversible and/or irreversible corneal damage may occur”.
From inhalation, “Respiratory tract irritation and/or headaches possible. Significant systemic toxic effects are likely following repeated exposure to high concentrations.”
I’m concerned about using isopropyl especially as a shower cleaner, as a shower is a small area with little ventilation. Therefore you would have a greater chance of inhaling a higher concentration of the alcohol.
I think your recipe would work without the rubbing alcohol. If you have problems with soap scum buildup, your water is probably too hard. Rather than using a toxic chemical, you could get a salt-free water conditioner from Go Beyond Organic.
Nontoxic Lice Shampoo
This product was sent to me by a reader.
Lice R Gone ¨ is an enzyme based product that “has such low toxicity it is essentially harmless to people, pets, wildlife and crops…is completely biodegradable upon application…has no residual contamination…and is quick acting and totally effective against head lice and their nits.” It contains Purified water, anionic / nonionic surfactant blend, glycerin, enzymes, and peppermint oil.
FDA (GRAS) – Generally Regarded As Safe.
Order online at licergone.com/about.htm.
Natural Black-out Curtains
Question from T. A.
We need black-out curtains for our baby’s room, but I can’t find all natural material. All have some polyester, or vinyl, in them.
Debra’s Answer
Readers ~
I tried to find all-cotton black-out curtains or even black-out fabric, to no avail. All contained polyester.
When I couldn’t find an all-natural solution for her, T wrote to me and said, “I suppose i’ll just leave the piece of black wool material that i taped to the window in place.”
I suggested that she have that black wool sewn into her curtain as a liner, and that’s just what she’s going to do.
Dyes on Imported Fabric
Question from J.G.
I’ve been looking for flannel sheets but noticed that many are imported. Not real clear on this issue, so do I need to be concerned about the type of dye that is used in any imported fabric? Which would mean only made in U.S. cotton or organic would be safe. Thanks for any info.
Debra’s Answer
I’ve been sleeping on flannel sheets for over twenty years and have never noticed an ill effect from the dyes.
If a dye is “colorfast” — that is, that it stays in the fabric without coming out during use or washing, it is staying within the fabric. If, for example, you wore a red shirt, and ended up with red armpits, some of the dye may be absorbed through your skin and into your bloodstream. I am not aware of any reason to be concerned about dyes that are colorfast.
Water Filter Basics
Question from J. L.
I just bought a water filter and I’m not sure I bought the right one. What should I be looking for in a water filter?
Debra’s Answer
This is a big question. There is a whole chapter on choosing water filters in Home Safe Home, and I’m also in the process of writing a how-to guide for the website.
Here’s a simple place to start.
Most water filter advertisements say they remove a whole long list of pollutants. But what is more important to know is what pollutants do you want to remove from your water?
The first thing to look at are two key pollutants: chlorine and fluoride.
In the past, the standard disinfectant was chlorine, but it is fast being replaced by chloramine. Chlorine combines with the natural organic matter in water such as dead leave and humus in soil, silt, and mud, to forms trihalomethanes, or THMs, the most common of which is chloroform. According to the EPA, trihalomethanes were present in virtually all chlorinated water supplies in the United States.
So chlorine is now being replaced by chloramines. If your water is not yet treated with chloramines, it probably soon will be. Chloramine is
Nontoxic Carpet Cleaner
Question from P. A.
Due to a lack of time and energy, I’d like to hire someone to clean our carpets for us; however, I have serious concerns about the toxicity of the products used.
Do you have any suggestions? Do you know anything about ChemDry? Their website says they use “hot water extraction with the power of carbonation.” Do you know what this means?
Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
Debra’s Answer
Carbonation is what makes the bubbles in club soda or any soft drink. It occurs naturally in some spring waters. To make carbonated beverages, liquid carbon dioxide is injected under pressure beneath the water in a sealed container. Each of us exhales carbon dioxide into the surrounding air every time we breathe.
Using carbonated water as a cleaning solution has been around for a long time. Once I was having lunch with my literary agent and a big New York editor at a fancy restaurant in San Francisco. I ordered an ice cream dessert that came in a pool of chocolate sauce. I put my spoon in the ice cream and the whole scoop slipped off the plate into my lap! My agent immediately ordered a bottle of club soda and the chocolate stain came right out.
ChemDry is applying this same method on a larger scale. Their website says:
Nontoxic commercial cleaners
Question from J. S.
Can you direct me to nontoxic commercial cleaners?
I am chemically sensitive, and I would like to promote safe cleaners to my medical providers.
Debra’s Answer
Yes. There are three that I know of. Naturally Yours products are made from natural ingredients; Safe Source products are made from nontoxic petrochemical ingredients; and Soy Clean products are soy-based.
