The curse of knowledge, new trials and pesky zinc oxide

Now that I know what I know, it is almost impossible to get through a single day without noticing every little thing.  I can spot polycarbonate containers vs. the BPA free ones.  I am wary of anything that looks like PVC.  I am happy to take my own shampoos and lotions with us anywhere we go.  Although on our latest trip, the flies seem to be digging my lemongrass scents.  I am more aware of what fruits and veggies contain more or less pesticides.  I am even more wary about anything touching my baby's skin that I have not researched first.  I call this the blessing (or curse) of knowledge. 

So after a week away, we are now home and road testing some new products.  The first of which are Nature Babycare Diapers.  Diapers are a sore spot with me.  I thought I had wanted to cloth diaper but with apartment living this doesn't bode well.  We don't own a washing machine, a service is almost double what we pay for diapers through Amazon Mom and we don't get to the laundromat as often as we (mainly I) would like.  Plus with the laundromat, there is always the worry over residue from 1, 4 dioxane and phthalate-containing soaps contaminating our dipes.  So for 15 months we've been using, with success, Seventh Generation dipes, knowing that these like all other disposables can take up to 500 years to degrade in a landfill (ugh, what a hard pill to swallow).  But these days, in the heat, my little one can't take the feel of them on his lower back and scratches like crazy.  And his lower back is sore and irritated.  I'm not sure what happened, but will be contacting the company to see if something has changed.  So, in the meantime, we are road testing Nature Babycare, which seem to be softer up the back, and will have a review by the end of the week.

We are also road testing another natural sunscreen - this week is Elemental Herbs for kids.  After some research (not too greasy, not too powdery) this one seemed to fit the bill.  It was awaiting me in our mailbox when we got home and we've had one application so far - seemed to go on pretty well.  Again, more later.

And finally, here is an awesome trick for those who use ZINC OXIDE based sunscreens or diaper creams.  Zinc stains.  And even if you slather up your little one in just a diaper, there is still the chance of getting it on some nice clothes, you'd rather not have white spots on.  Especially if your little one is as squirmy as ours is!  Here is a DIY stain remover that we found online that really works.

Wet stains with hot water and apply liquid dish soap (they say that ones for fighting grease are best.  We don't buy Dawn but my mother in law had some so we used that.  Next time I will try Dishmate).  Use an old toothbrush, scrub brush or rub the fabric together over the stain briskly.  Without access to the first two, we did the rubbing technique.  Once thoroughly rubbed in, soak the stained garmet in distilled white vinegar for 30 mins then launder as usual.  We went an extra step and used a natural stain remover with built in scrub brush.  It worked on a new pair of pants and also a sun hat that has already been washed over a dozen times.  You may also go another extra step and wipe the stain with a dry paper towel first, careful not to rub the stain too hard or it will press it further into the fabric.

Enjoy!

Kitchen Detox and The MIghty Nest

Unless I win the lottery or go back to work, whichever happens first, our great kitchen detox is going to move along slowly.  I just discovered these Mighty Packs from the Mighty Nest and had to stop myself from purchasing a monthly subscription - even with the 50% discount that was offered if you ordered by June 5th!!  If it is something you can afford, it seems like a great and fun way to introduce new non-toxic products into your home.

Our kitchen detox is happening like this.  Throw away anything suspect then replace it when we need it.  Of course this means me sending my husband out into the world at 4pm looking for a loaf pan so I can make a meatloaf (organic of course) last night.  Thankfully regular supermarkets sell Pyrex! And we were able to get dinner on the table by 6.

I did allow myself to purchase a few needed items.  Twist naked sponges (no dyes, no perfumes, no toxic glues), Dishmate dish soap (we have recently been using Dapple.  I know what you are thinking - a dish soap just for babies? Isn't that a gimmick?  Well Dapple is pretty awesome in that there are no parabens, SLS, SLES and 1,4 Dioxane - imagine that they have to specify that.  Dishmate does as well.  And in the end, Dishmate is cheaper) and lastly some Badger SPF 15 lip balm, because I really need it!

The biggest fear I have beyond aluminum cookware is plastic!  We used glass baby bottles and have been moving slowly towards using only glass, stainless steel and bamboo for food.  The problem we are having is with sippy cups.  Our guy prefers the straw version.  Oh and we are going through a throwing phase, so that leave glass out.  Luckily, very awesome people who care created this handy guide to dealing with plastics.

If anyone is looking for a gift for me, I gift certificate to this wonderful store would be much appreciated (wink, wink)!

I Wonder What Number Plasticman Was...

TLC Home posted a great and handy guide here to knowing your plastic by number.  Today we threw out an old plastic Iced Tea maker with the dreaded #7 on it.  Instead we used a giant applesauce jar (thanks Mom) to make our Lime tea in. 

I've been learning a lot about plastics these days and I will continue to post my findings as I go along.

I'll discuss #7s, polycarbonate and BPA later, but today I want to talk about our #3 recycling no. plastic, PVC (polyvinyl chloride).  PVC has been really getting me mad these days.  It is a bad plastic, that is as bad for you as it is for the environment.  As quoted from TLC's home "Soft PVC often contains and can leach toxic phthalates, and can also off-gas chemicals into the air. It's used in some cling wraps (yikes!), many children's toys, fashion accessories, shower curtains, and detergent and spray bottles. To top it off, PVC isn't recyclable, either."

Now there is a lot of emphasis on "phthalate-free pvc" in children's toys.  But from what I've discovered and learned from my trustworthy sources is that although it may be better, it's still not the best choice.  And therefore, I don't want it in my home, no matter what.  What I also would like to point out here is that I am still making mistakes.  Today we are expecting a dining room set.  The chairs are "leatherette."  What was I thinking?  As I'm trying to de-tox my home, I'm purchasing more toxins.  I'm not quite sure what to do when the chairs get here.  But I can honestly say that yes, I made a mistake when I ordered them, I'm too tired and busy these days to remember to cancel things when I have the chance and now I may just need to refuse delivery - as much as I really want the gorgeous solid wood table!

The toxins that can be leached from vinyl include mercury, lead and cancer-causing dioxin.  Chlorine derived wastes and generated throughout its life and released into the environment.  PVC is truly a bad, bad plastic!

So why is PVC used?  Well, for one it is cheap and for another, it is easily manipulated. The phthalates added are the plasticizers that soften it.  Amazing how soft those toys are without the phthalates though, aren't they?

These days we found some nice PVC-free options for our little one in the bathtub.  Green Sprouts makes a great tug boat toy.  Our son now fills it with water and dumps it on me to rinse me off.  Boon makes some super cute rubber duckies; Skip Hop's Moby the Whale fits nicely and looks super cute on our tub's faucet; and Sassy has removed PVC from some of their tub and squirter toys - although squirters do grow mildew inside, so that's another thing you might want to consider.

We currently have glass doors on our tub and use a rubber mat, but I have heard about new shower curtains made of PEVA, which is supposed to be a non-toxic alternative.   I don't know too much about it and although the glass door are a pain to clean, I'm kind of glad we have them right now.

A Word About Scents

In the previous entry on laundry detergent, I had mentioned my dislike of the heavy, cloyingly sweet and oh so toxic-smelling odors of most commercial brands.  What I did not mention is that these scents are actually chemicals and some "unscented" varieties of common products actually use scent-masking ingredients to make them scent-free.  It is mind boggling!

A recent slideshow from Rodale points out 11 common diabetes triggers right in your own home.  One of the culprits... stinky, scenty synthetic fragrances, which may contain phthalates!  They are used in order to "fix" scent, in other words, they make the fragrance last longer.

Like BPA, phthalates are known endocrine disruptors, often used to soften PVC (more about this toxic plastic later).  Endocrine disruptors cause hormonal changes and are thought to be one of the culprits in the earlier onset of puberty and obesity with insulin resistance.