Most mattresses, as well as memory foam and egg-crate covers, are made with petroleum-based ingredients such as polyurethane foam, which can emit a strong smell because of organic solvents. And most also contain flame retardants, required by fire-safety laws but often harmful to human health. In 2005, toxic fireproofing chemicals called polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were phased out of production, but some of their replacements are almost as bad, says Sonya Lunder, a senior analyst at the Environmental Working Group, a D.C.-based nonprofit organization.
Just how hazardous can a mattress -- or pad or pillow -- be? The answer might be enough to make you lose sleep. Regular tossing and turning causes a mattress's foam to break down, and the resulting dust can float into the air you breathe. A 2006 Consumer Product Safety Commission study estimated that the average adult sleeping on a conventional mattress will be exposed to 0.802 milligrams of antimony and 0.081 milligrams of boric acid -- which is commonly used to kill cockroaches -- every night. The report deems these amounts safe for those older than 5, but numerous studies have linked both substances to a host of adverse health effects at various doses, and the cumulative effect of daily exposure is unknown. In addition, a number of recent studies have detected PBDEs in household dust, including in homes in the D.C. area.
If you've had your mattress for some years, take heart that:
Over time, some of the chemicals from the mattress will have dissipated. But biological contaminants, such as dust, dander, pollen, mold and mildew, may increase. They cling to mattress stuffing and ticking, and are difficult to remove.
The solution? Just encase your mattress with a tightly woven cotton cover.
If you're concerned about toxins but not ready to replace your old mattress, you can take steps to improve indoor air quality:
· "It's difficult to gauge how much of the chemicals seep out, but it also depends on how you're protecting it," says Seo, who recommends a barrier cloth cover (made from tightly woven cotton and typically used for allergy protection) to keep some compounds from escaping.
· If a mattress or pillow is noticeably odoriferous, letting it air out in a shed for a few days will at least help keep the chemicals out of the bedroom, although they'll still be in the environment. "Avoiding things that stink" -- that new-foam smell -- "is a great rule of thumb for environmental health," Lunder says.
· Finally, stocking up on such houseplants as spider plants and ferns, which absorb airborne pollutants, can help you rest easier.
The previous 3 nights were spent feverishly crafting: a white rabbit, a tiny blue car, and last night a gray cat. Tonight I was supposed to take a break but ended up blogging and surfing (and coughing a lot). Time to sleep now...
Today we had lunch at the Manhattan Fish Market. All I'll say is that Fish and Co is much better. Trust me on this.
My godma noted that Jack's pants had become shorts and I grudgingly agreed with her that he needs more pants. Mom piped up that she saw a children's store downstairs and after lunch we went downstairs to check it out.
Jack, of course, wouldn't stand still for me to measure his leg length but after a few estimations, we took home an overall and a pair of blue khaki pants. Now I just got to wash them.
Lately I've been buying a lot of stuff online and so I thought I'd go check out some children's clothes for Jack. He loves his cowboy clothes so why not look at some boots and jeans too (now that I got his measurements).
Cavender's Boot City, this site I found, is actually priced pretty reasonably. Unfortunately they don't ship international. But with many friends in the US now, I can ask/bribe/beg one of them to collect it for me and bring it home. :p You guys know I'm talking about you. ;)
My first package from Reusablebags.com arrived! I gave one 12oz to Kaitlyn, one of the 22oz to Dad (and instructed him never to drink from PET bottles again), and took the remaining 2 home for us.
Tonight Jack and I drank from our sweet small Klean Kanteen! :D The water was heavenly! No petal taste at all. Begone plastic bottles! Begone! :D
Plus a set of 10 small certified organic cotton bags that I can use to store produce (primarily), snacks, and other store-worthy things. And I had to go order some more with my free Acme bag coupon. You go too... buy stuff and save the world. Tell them I sent you: go to Reusablebags.com.
With the US and world recession slowly creeping up on us, lots of sneaky investment opportunities come looming. Some are legit, some are not. We recently got back our money on some land banking plan which we decided was a scam. So careful discernment is very important.
Things to be careful of are: limited time offers, aggressive salespersons, too good to be true offers, and opps you have not Googled to research.
As always I advise to hold on to your hard-earned money, pay off your loans and buy blue chips when the stock market is down.
One thing I've not thoroughly looked into is buying gold and silver. With the price of gold and silver going through the roof, it is something worth researching on.
Here you buy them from pawn shops but I'd have to look into buying them from brokers - don't trust the smooth young things in banks not that they can get me to part with my money to pay for their expensive new cars.
There's something very peaceful about watching your cat lap water from her bowl. Okay, technically Buffy was drinking from Boy's bowl but it was serene nonetheless.
Last night I slowed to a turtle's pace to pet Boy and then took him to my lap and stroked him till he decided to jump down. It was a welcome reprieve from a crazy busy week.
Organic Living: Going Organic and Green and Crafty
I've updated my About the Author section to reflect my new preoccupations. The act of transforming one's household from a rather unenvironmental one to an organic green one is quite a lofty task but I have been up for the challenge.
Unlike other blogs that tend to stick to one subject, I prefer to modify mine according to my interests at a particular time in my life. It's easier for me to manage and gives a better sense of continuity for anyone who reads my blog.
It's been a year and a half since I've stopped work and writing professionally but have found joy in raising my sweet son, perfecting my cooking, exercising my interior decoration skills, and most recently, picking up crafting cloth dolls.
I love working with my hands. A few nights ago while pondering where to buy organic cotton to make stuffed dolls for my son instead of buying commercial ones, I stumbled upon Molly Sketchbook where she reviewed The Cute Book. The next day I ran to Kinokuniya to buy it, as well as Aranzi Aronzo Cute Dolls (Let's Make Cute Stuff), and Aranzi Aronzo Fun Dolls (Let's Make Cute Stuff). I acquired the materials a day after, after careful reading and photocopying of patterns. That night, I sat by the lamplight and made my first bunny. Jack loved it and he's requested for a blue car. :)
Update: The next day, Kaku sped outside after hearing my mom in the kitchen and stayed out since. Ah well...
In my anti-plastic green drive, we've thrown out a lot, recycled some, and the kitchen actually looks brand new (okay, I exaggerate). So here's what we've accomplished so far.
1. NO PLASTIC KETTLE: Replaced plastic kettle with stainless steel one (carefully inspected). If heat causes plastic to leech, then what about plastic kettles that are reheated to boiling point every day?
2. NO PLASTIC DRINKING BOTTLES: Stopped drinking from all #1 PET bottles. Also ensures we don't get lazy since pending the arrival of the Klean Kanteens, we have to go to the tap with a glass. Ordered Klean Kanteens in various sizes for the whole family - stainless steel drinking bottles with a clean record. Note: some brandless metal bottles could have lead so research before you buy. For now, using Jack's old Medela breast milk bottle which is #5 PP, the safest known plastic (as safe as plastic can be) - still pour out water after day is over. Water after 2 days inside tastes funny.
3. NO PLASTIC COOKWARE: Teflon and non-stick is plastic. So have removed all plastic utensils and non-stick pans from kitchen. Bought a Lodge cast iron pan (it's beautiful - I oil it lovingly after I wash and dry it every day - husband is jealous) and 3 stainless steel pots, as well as some stainless steel ladles.
4. GENERAL FOOD STORAGE: Bought different sized "Made in Italy" glass bottles to store food (snacks, dried fruit, bread, etc) - looks pretty too. Cheapest at Tangs, similar priced at Giant and Isetan. Now have row of rice cakes, bread, dried fruit, and nuts lined up on table looking like a candy store. Very appetizing. Got to liberate the pasta next.
5. FOOD IN FRIDGE: Use glass plates in fridge for produce instead of laying them on plastic fridge bottom.
6.NO CLING WRAP: I refuse to buy any food wrapped in cling wrap, even from the organic section. It may have #3 PVC (the most toxic industrial chemical around) or the more slightly harmless #2 HDPE which is not known to leech anything. Who knows? The only exception is fish sometimes but I am going to start buying from the market and dumping the fish in stainless steel containers from Ikea (which I need to go buy soon). Those are useful since I can keep and freeze the fish in them. $15 a piece but they last a lifetime. Eagerly awaiting my organic cotton produce bags. For now I just chuck them in my cotton bag together.
7. NO CANNED FOOD: Stopped stocking canned food except maybe Eden Organics. Buy only bottled food.
8. GRILLING FOOD: Stopped grilling stuff on non-stick pan that comes with grill. Anything non-stick = toxic.
9. LAUNDRY: Buy green laundry wash from organic shop. Costs double but I now use half the amount. We don't really need that much. Clothes smell nicer.
10. NATURAL PILLOWS: Bought new Snowdown natural latex pillow without flame retardant (flame retardant pillows contain formaldehyde) from Robinsons (OP $89 - on sale $55 yay!).
11. BRING OWN BAG: Use own bags when shopping. Today using just one cloth bag, I saved probably 4-5 plastic bags (or more considering I refused any plastic for 5 buns - the cashier was perplexed. I told her I did not want any plastics touching my food).
12. SKIN CARE: Bought organic skincare without sodium laurel sulfate and fragrance. Calvin Klein's Eternity was found to be "toxic to the respiratory tract and nervous system". No wonder this guy I know who used it was rather loopy.
We can't eliminate all industrial chemicals from our lives but we can sure minimise their exposure to us, especially us with young children.
Next steps:
1. Experimenting with baking soda and vinegar as detergent for laundry and dishes.
2. Buying natural soap. Yes, even Dove smells funny.
3. Eliminating all products with fragrance from our home. I haven't used perfume in years. It gives me a headache. That should have been a sign.
Curiously, Kaku went missing last night and this morning after changing the poo pans and feeding the kids, I found her scurrying around in the kitchen. She made herself quite comfortable on the left couch head while Boy remained on his right side of the couch and on his rug when it pleased him. So I laid out a bowl of food and water for her so she could eat.
Instead, Boy has taken to eating her food and leaving his alone. They seem quite contented together but I wonder now if the mad scurrying and hiss I heard last night from Boy was actually him chasing her around the kitchen and under the couch, or was it the cockroach I thought I saw?
Anyhow, mission accomplished without me lifting a finger. She must have tired of the other three bullying her and decided to move in or become too alarmed by Buffy's diarrhoea (Kaku had her run last week). Perhaps a combo of both.
While she is still hissy when I get close, when I watched her from the window and blinked at her, she went up close to look at me, roll over on her back for a while, realise I couldn't quite pet her, came closer to the window, repeated the same another two times before she disappeared from my view right under the window.
She doesn't run when I come into the kitchen anymore and she even watched Jack when he came in to look for me. She stayed there the whole while when I made dinner and only when I got a metre or so close, she'd hiss. So I have left her be for now.
The two boys were quite happy sunning themselves today, grooming each other but Buffy only appeared at mealtime. I think she is still unwell. Hope it clears soon. It is tiring cleaning diarrhoea every day. I'm even pondering buying the Litter-Robot. Sigh...
"To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness." -- Bertrand Russell
"Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages."
-- Thomas Edison (Harper's Magazine, 1890)
A woman's romance with motherhood, green living, finance, and this heady thing called life.
. The next day I ran to Kinokuniya to buy it, as well as 
