My Chemical-Free House
A Guide to Creating a Healthy Home
Hello Products LLC, owned by Colgate-Palmolive Company since 2020, known for its “naturally friendly” oral care items, has faced several legal challenges concerning the marketing and safety of its toothpaste products. Below is a summary of notable lawsuits. Adam C. Weiss, Lawyer at Lever & Ecker, PLLC, contributed to and factchecked this article. T . …
Formaldehyde is just one chemical of concern that can be added to paper towels. I list the other chemicals of concern below and a list of the only paper towels I found that met my strict criteria. I tested out the top brand. Chemicals in Paper Towels: What I would look for in Paper Towels: …
I tested and compared Lume Whole Body Deodorant Stick, smooth solid (unscented), and Curie (one with fragrance). I will compare them on effectiveness, smell, safety of ingredients, and cost. This article is not sponsored, and I did not receive free products to test. I bought the products. As a very smelly person, I was happy …
Hello, a Colgate-Palmolive Company, makes a mostly natural, aluminum-free deodorant that I tested out on my very smelly pits. Claims: Active Ingredients in Hello Deodorant: Ingredients in Hello Deodorant: Hello with Charcoal: EWG and Clean Rating Hello Clean & Fresh Charcoal has an EWG rating of 3, their previous fragrance-free formula had a rating of 2. Natural fragrance …
This is a complete list of the best pots and pans (and a pressure cooker) that are free of PFAS, nanometals, Lead, and Cadmium. If they contain other metals of potential concern I will list those too. It’s best to rotate your cookware, in my opinion, since the most common types can leach metals. The …
Summary: While IKEA sofas are made from more conventional materials than my top picks in the article on non-toxic sofas, IKEA is still one of the best options in the very affordable category. Some folks who are chemically sensitive have done really well with IKEA sofas and experienced very little off-gassing. However, the materials do …
The following are dishwashers without bitumen (and therefore with less off-gassing of VOCs) as well as options without a Prop 65 warning. Less Toxic Dishwashers 1. Dishwashers with Stainless Steel Interiors Dishwashers with a stainless steel interior like those made by Bosch, Miele, and Whirlpool use bitumen or asphalt as an insulation and sound-dampening layer. …
This is a review of the IKEA POANG rocking chair. Their regular Poang chair also has a bit of a bounce to it, but this one has the rocking chair legs. How is the rocking motion? The rocking motion on the Poang Rocking Chair is moderate (see video below) but definitely enough for rocking a baby …
Microban could be seven different chemicals incorporated into household items according to their website. You often see Microban listed as the antimicrobial in flooring, countertops, carpet padding, stone sealers, and paints. Note: I’m not covering their cleaning products, isolated disinfectant sprays, or industrial products. Microban no longer offers triclosan (source). Whether Microban off-gasses VOCs and …
In terms of toxicity, nylon/polyamide textiles can be made with bisphenols, toxic dyes as well as contain potential toxic additives like PFAS, flame retardants, and more described in the article. I will look at the toxicity of nylon in other applications as well. Conventional nylon/polyamide is a plastic that is fairly hard on the environment …
What is “Down Alternative”? Down alternative is usually a fluffy polyester fill, this is especially true if the only description of the product is “down alternative”. It’s usually a polyester microfiber. There are natural fibers that can be used as an alternative to real down to fill duvets, pillows, etc., but if anything but conventional …
None of the pop-up toasters I looked at had a non-stick coating of any kind. This is in contrast to toaster ovens, which I review here. I am also not concerned personally with what kind of metal is touching the bread, sometimes a small part of the internal structure (like the support bar) is aluminum. …
The following list of brands of sealers, stains and paints are safe for a birdhouse and have been reviewed by our resident veterinarian. We want to select a sealer and stain that is 0-VOC and safe for birds. It’s important that it does not contain pentachlorophenol preservative (source). It’s recommended to seal or paint the …
This is a complete list of the best pots and pans that are free of PFAS, nanometals, Lead, and Cadmium. If they contain other metals of potential concern I will list those too. It’s best to rotate your cookware since the most common types can leach metals. The only totally pure option is the glass …
I did an experiment to see what products removed essential oil residue from painted drywall, factory pre-finished wood floors (UV-cured water-based polyurethane), and raw wood. This protocol will apply to all-natural essential oils as well as products that contain essential oils like Benefect and other cleaners, diffusers, etc. I used a number of mixes, first …
The following paints can be used on plates, mugs, cups, and other ceramic items. Only one brand claims to be food-safe, however. The other two are for the outside side of your china-ware, or you can reverse paint the underside of a glass plate. 1. A Maker’s Studio A Maker’s Studio Ceramic Paint is a …
This article goes over materials and furniture that are free of added formaldehyde and free of formaldehyde altogether. This is for those who choose to avoid this VOC or for chemically sensitive folks who are sensitized to it. Furniture Without Formaldehyde Sofas Medley Medley sofas are made with either polyurethane & polyester or organic (GOLS certified) …
FloorScore was created by SCS with the Resilient Floor Covering Institute (RFCI), a leading industry trade association of flooring manufacturers and suppliers. FloorScore only complies with the legally allowable volatile organic compound (VOC) limits in California. Almost all flooring is able to achieve the lowest Floorscore tier of less than 0.5 mg/m3 VOCs. These limits are required …
What was the process like? I worked with Nisbet Brower, a custom cabinet dealer in Cincinnati, and chose my own contractor for the demo and installation. They seemed to be one of the only ones locally that sold Crystal Cabinets that I contacted. They have a showroom. I know you can work with places like …
I tested and compared Lume, Dew Well, EO, Fomin, Manspot, Bliss, and Pacifica deodorant wipes. All of these contain natural ingredients, and all had some marketing along the lines of natural/safe/plant-based etc. but most of them are not all-natural. I will compare them on ingredients, scent, effectiveness, size of wipe, EWG rating, if they are …
Summary: Antimony in Black Plastic Antimony can be found in black plastic, either as a part of added flame retardants (reviewed in the next section) or as a contaminant in recycled plastic. Antimony Levels For example, with a high-end XRF analyzer, Tamara found 128 ppm (parts per million) Antimony in a black plastic chair (source). …
The following is a list of brands that have declared that their furniture is free of all Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Some have been independently tested for fluorine which is a marker of PFAS. Some brands did show some cross-contamination of fluorine (which would mean there could be some PFAS contamination but PFAS were …
This is an overview of the GreenPan class action lawsuit as well as independent testing results showing what is really in the coating. This article was reviewed by Marty Burbank a lawyer at OC Elder Law. GreenPan Claims As of July 2024, GreenPan says ” THE HEALTHY CHOICE, Free of PFAS, PFOA, lead, and cadmium.” …
I test and compare Blueland Multi-Surface Cleaner to Branch Basics Concentrate all-purpose cleaner. Summary: Branch Basics is my top pick, personally. The formula itself is more environmentally friendly and it’s 100% biobased and biodegradable. It does not contain synthetic fragrances or dyes like Blueland does. It’s far more versatile and can be used on floors, …
