
Washing Toxics Out of New Clothes
What's the best way to wash/soak new clothes, to get the toxins out (or remove as much as possible)?

Can Aluminum Leach into Sardines from the Can?
I love to eat sardines- can you please tell me if the aluminum from the BPA free can could leach into the fish. Of course I would not buy it in acidic tomato sauce- only olive oil or water.

Chemical Smell in New Bosch Dishwasher
We recently purchased a new Boesch dishwasher, model SHX65T55UC. Every time we run it, there is a strong chemical and somewhat plastic odor.

What Do I Do About Moldy Latex Mattress?
I have a question that I cannot seem to find an answer to regarding our 100% all natural latex mattress. Ok, we bought a 100% all natural dunlop 3 layer mattress with organic cotton/wool cover from sleepingorganics.com and placed it on our wood floor in our son's room. 3 1/2 months later when moving the mattress, we noticed it was damp underneath and had a bad musty type smell. The cover also had mold on the bottom.

Safe Play Sand
We are looking for play sand for our toddler - the type of sand that is used for playing in sand boxes or sand tables outdoors. We found Quikrete brand at Home Depot, but then discovered negative reviews on Amazon stating that it produces a large cloud of dust (concerns about inhaling silica dust), that some people had rashes, scratchy throats, etc, after exposure to it, that it isn't safe for children, and that even though it is supposedly screened/cleaned, this product is "filthy."

Looking for Plastic Tubs That Don’t Smell
I have a long history of storing non-food items in plastic tubs, and have many of these in my home. But in the past two years, there has occurred a clear and obvious difference in the plastics used in the general storage tubs sold in the big box stores. They reek of an unpleasant odor, which does not resolve even after airing them for as long as a year, or by storing cedar chips in the tubs for months, washing with vinegar then leaving them in the sun, or any other method I have tried. Not only does fibrous content (clothing, books, papers) pick up this odor, but I assume that VOCs are at the root of the problem which carry health risks to chronic exposure to the source. I have refused to purchase such odiferous tubs after noting the problem with the first couple of tubs; however, I continue to have need to acquire more general item storage tubs and am hoping you can offer some information on this issue and perhaps a source for safer tubs at a reasonable cost.


Worried about Toxic Chemicals in Furniture
We recently ordered a lot of new furniture from Ashley Furniture store (bought in CA, made in China) and I am nervous about all the chemicals that may be in my air. We got a dining room table and hutch, and kitchen table that have a chemical smell. I did order a test kit from ACS and I am going Safe seal the wood furniture. However, what can I do to protect myself from the chemical exposure from the sofa’s and loveseats? My husband and I have a 4 year old and we’re currently “trying” to have a baby. Any advice would be appreciated.

Odor from Pine Furniture
I have a pine armoire I have had for 13 years. When I lived in Ca I never noticed the smell but I was forced to close up the room it is in here in MI for a week. When I went into the room the pine smell was very potent. I know it is damper here than in Ca. Could that be bringing out the smell. Is there any thing I can treat this piece with to make the smell go away?

Kapok Fill for Comforter
Hi Debra, I am looking for an organic comforter for my granddaughters and have found a lot of wool versions from your website. I was wondering if you know anything about something called Kapok seeds?

Are Duraflame Logs Safe to Burn in the Fireplace?
Are duraflame logs safe to burn in the fire place? I have heard the are pretty "green" but wanted to make sure with kids and dogs in the house.

Tableware and Flatware
What kind of flatware is the most non toxic without heavy metal contamination? Also, What brand of tableware--plates and dishes are the most safe? Is pyrex safe to eat off of?

Can These Fumes Harm My Child?
We had an oil based low voc polyurethane applied to our hardwood floors on the entire first floor of our house. Unfortunately I wasn't aware of the toxicity until after it was done and still smelled for weeks and I started researching. We have a young child and was running air purifiers but after 6 weeks and a lot of research on that and the carpets we had installed in the other room at the same time we decided to remove all the hardwoods and put tile down.

Exposure to New Carpet While Pregnant
My husband and I are moving into a new apartment next week. They are replacing the old carpet and putting in new wall-to-wall carpet everywhere. Probably of a lower quality too because the landlord wants to save money (we offered to pay more in rent if he puts in hardwood instead but that didn't work).

Fire Retardants in Sleeping Pillows, Comforters and Quilts?
Do pillows, comforters and quilts also have fire retardants in them? I used to think only matresses and mattress pad need to have these flammability requirements. But what is the real life scenario, is it a common practice in USA that bedclothes are also FR treated? Thanks a lot for your help.

Is Potassium Alum Aluminum-Free?
I am trying to make up my mind about the different kinds of aluminum free deodorants on the market. Some say they are aluminum free when, in fact, they do contain potassium alum. Is this safe to use or is it, in fact, just another aluminum product worded differently? Thank you...

Natural Clothing “Exclusive of Decorations” and the Toxicity of Dyes
I am trying to find cheaper, post-baby, all natural clothing to wear, some to exercise in. It's not easy to find all cotton work-out clothing, but Champion does make cotton clothing that is pretty cheap (esp. on sale). However, it is 100% cotton "exclusive of decoration." I assume this "decoration" to be the small "C" embroidery on the clothing items. Is this still okay to wear? How do you know if dyes used in cotton clothing are safe?

Proposition 65 Warning Label on Washing Machines
Many appliances have warning labels on them due to lead in the cord which is not a big exposure to consumers during normal use.

Breville Glass Kettle and California Proposition 65
I had been looking for an electric glass kettle and finally found the Breville the Crystal Clear 1800W Schott Glass Kettle. When I opened the box it had the following warning: "California Proposition 65 Applicable to California Residents Only This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm." I called Breville to find out what chemicals in this glass kettle could possibly cause cancer, etc. The answer I received is that they put this notice on all their packaging for all their products to meet California standards, whether or not the product contains any of the hazardous chemicals.

Nontoxic Fitness/Exercise/Birthing Ball
Do you or any of your readers know of a non-PVC medicine ball (the large exercise and birthing balls)?