Okay, I couldn’t resist the making the connection of the bathroom and smells.  There’s a lot of odiferous stimulation going that goes on in the “loo”.  Besides the obvious there are also sprays, perfumes, cleaners, mold, dirty clothes, etc, etc.  One of the smells that used to bother me quite a bit, until we quit using them, is those plastic shower curtains.  Think about that strong, acrid smell when you first open up most of those plastic shower curtains.  There is some serious off-gassing of VOC’s going on there and it’s never good for your health.  I’ve written about VOC’s in other articles so I won’t repeat myself.  Not only are these items generally made of PVC, but they are often treated with a number of chemicals to reduce mold and bacterial buildup.  A June 2008 report by the Center for Health, Environment and Justice, (a non-profit environmental organization) noted a study that found that over seven days, one new PVC shower curtain will release VOC’s that exceed the guidelines for indoor air quality established by the U.S. Green Building Council.  

This is an easy one to take care of…  Just don’t buy the shower curtains and liners made with PVC’s.  There is a more information about volatile vinyl as well as a link to a list of PVC and PVC-free shower curtains at major retailers at this site:  Center for Health, Environment & Justice

Unfortunately, prices for alternative products can still be a bit high.  They are sure to come down with more and more acceptance, but in the meantime, it’s easy to pick the cheap and nasty one over the unreasonable one.  Most people would just say open the window!  We just have to think about the long term effects on our health and not the short term effect on the pocketbook.  

There is a wealth of information available on the net. An article on “thedailygreen” blog is a good place to start.  thedailygreen

What are you using as an alternative?  Please post a comment!

Many people are taking reusable cloth bags to the stores these days; the only problem is remembering to take them from your car to the store!  You can get these bags from most stores for less than $1 but they generally carry the stores advertising.  An alternative is to create your own bags, kids love to do this!  Buy a bag from your local craft store and give the kids fabric paint or paint pens to create your very own ‘special’ bag.  The benefits are that the kids have more ownership in the whole shopping process and may even help by reminding you to take their bag(s) to the stores and it helps teach the children about taking care of the environment. These are great gifts for grandparents too.  

And don’t forget, if you do get some of those pesky plastic bags- recycle them (keep a cloth bag somewhere handy (mine is hanging in the garage) and stuff this with the plastic bags when it is full take it with you to the recycle bin at the store; you recycle and have your handy cloth bag with you).

Elaine

At our house, we try to recycle as much as plastics as possible.  The best option when it comes to plastics is to try to get the same products packaged in a material which is more easily recyclable and or use less “new” resources, such as tin, glass, or aluminum, or biodegradable materials

 from paper or wood.  Sometimes it’s just not possible, so the next best course is to pick products packaged in plastics which are less toxic and which can be recycled.  Here is the breakdown of the different types.  And I used to think that plastic was plastic!

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