Monthly Archives: June 2007

Safer Cleaning Products Make Sense

Harsh chemicals are common in household cleansers. Just look at the label and see how many have warnings or require that you wear gloves when you use them. Then think about how hard it is for the chemicals which get into your home’s air to get out of your house. It is normal for indoor air to be more polluted than the air outside.

One of the most important rules parents have to follow is to keep the cleaning chemicals away from children, as young children have been known to drink harmful chemicals in all innocence. But wouldn’t it be nice to minimize the need for that?

It can be surprising how easy it is to clean without harmful chemicals. A mixture of vinegar and water, for example, makes an excellent window cleaner. It works on other surfaces as well. Some people do not like the smell, but once it dries, the smell is quick to vanish.

White vinegar even works well on carpet stains in many cases. Mix equal parts water and white vinegar and spray onto the stain. Allow it to sit for a minute then clean with a soapy sponge.

If you have trouble with a stopped up drain, I like combining baking soda with vinegar. Pour the baking soda, then the vinegar into the stopped up drain. Close the drain for a while to let the reaction work. Rinse with boiling water. I’ve had this one successfully improve some pretty slow drains. Continue reading →

Will They Merge?

Whole Foods is trying to buy Wild Oats, but the FTC is looking at preventing the merger because it might limit competition. The idea is that it would limit the options for organic foods.

I know my mother would prefer they not merge. She doesn’t like Whole Foods, and is concerned about how that would impact the Henry’s (owned by Wild Oats) in her area. I’m less concerned.

The director of the F.T.C.’s Bureau of Competition, Jeffrey Schmidt, said in a statement: “Whole Foods and Wild Oats are each other’s closest competitors in premium natural and organic supermarkets, and are engaged in intense head-to-head competition in markets across the country. If Whole Foods is allowed to devour Wild Oats, it will mean higher prices, reduced quality and fewer choices for consumers.”

Honestly, this surprises me. Since seeing AT&T get back together it’s hard to picture why this is worse. But at the same time I can kind of see their point. There aren’t a lot of options for organic produce. I discount what regular grocery stores offer because frankly, it’s not that much. Not exactly competition for stores more focused on organic.

I have very mixed feelings about this. I like the prices at the Henry’s in my area. Love the selection. So I get the concern about how competition will be impacted, although the only Whole Foods I know of in my area is at least a 30-45 minute drive away.

Guess we’ll just have to see how things go.

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Should These Detergent Chemicals Be Banned?

The Sierra Club has asked the EPA to ban various detergent chemicals that have been linked to sex changes in fish. The problem chemicals are nonylphenol ethoxylates, or NPEs. Intersex fish have been documented in southern Great Lakes, the Potomac River watershed and the Southern California coast.

This is why it is important to consider what is in the chemicals you use. I’ve been trying to cut back on chemical cleansers in my home. So many things can be replaced with less toxic or even nontoxic homemade cleansers that do a wonderful job. Fortunately, there are also more environmentally friendly brands appearing in stores as well. Seventh Generation is pretty easy for me to find.

I am glad to see that the EPA has been asked to review the use of some chemicals. Changes aren’t likely to happen easily, but an EPA ban or ruling on where these chemicals could be used would be quite a help. Until then, I’m taking this as a reminder to work on banning these chemicals in my own home.

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Whole Foods Has Podcasts

Have you ever listened to a podcast? I’ve listened to one or two on my computer. My husband has avery basic MP3 player, but I’ve never downloaded anything on it other than music.

But podcasts are gaining in popularity, and you can get some great information on it. It’s kind of neat seeing how companies are starting to take advantage to share information.

This month Whole Foods has a natural skin care podcast. I haven’t done much with natural skin care myself, aside from the occasional aloe for sunburn. But since I rarely use moisturizers or makeup, it’s not a topic I think about a lot. But I have started to think about it more as I get older and notice dry skin more often.

I’ve been working on using more natural products all around. It can be a bit tricky figuring out what works best. I like jojoba oil for my hair, as it is very long and keeping the ends in good condition can take a little extra effort. But I haven’t done much more yet.

The podcasts are on some really useful topics and contain some good information. I can see some advantage in listening, and I may just have to start playing these as I do housework or something.