Ask
Hana Haatainen Caye
Shelley writes: Someone at my church gave
me a box of baby clothing for my new baby,
but it reeks of mothballs. I tried washing
the clothing with my cloth diaper detergent
and it still smells bad. Do you have any
suggestions?
GG: It’s funny you should ask this, Shelley,
as a mom in the Green Grandma Facebook
community asked the same question recently.
Through trial and error, she discovered that
rinsing the clothing in distilled white vinegar
and hanging it outside to dry took care of the
problem. Just add ½ to one full cup of vinegar
to the rinse cycle and let the vinegar, sunshine
and fresh air work its magic!
Jessica writes: I love finding bargains at
garage sales, especially for my kids. Is there
anything I should steer clear of?
GG: Excellent question, Jessica. Yes, there
are some things to watch for when buying
secondhand kids’ stuff:
• Car seats! As someone who once did this
without knowing any better, I cannot
stress this enough. It is never a good idea
to buy a used car seat. Car seats have
expiration dates for safety reasons (and
not simply as a gimmick to generate more
sales). If the car seat was in a vehicle that
was involved an accident; the safety of that
seat is compromised, even if it was just a
fender bender. Don’t chance it!
• Cribs, high chairs, swings, and other baby
furniture and equipment. While it might
be okay to buy these items at a garage sale,
be sure to check on the model numbers to
make sure they were never recalled. This is
where a Smart Phone can come in handy!
• Mattresses. There is just an ick factor
here. I mean, was this the mattress where
Johnny tried out his first nights without a
diaper?
• Stuffed animals. Unless the precious
pooch is machine washable (in vinegar,
of course!), resist that cute little face and
leave it behind.
So pick up those adorable onesies, sundresses
and sleepers. Take them home and toss them
in the wash with some non-toxic detergent
and vinegar. After all, a bargain is bargain.
Just keep the health and safety of your
children in mind as you search for those
second-hand treasures.
Hana Haatainen Caye, aka Green Grandma, www.greengrandma.org is a wife, mother and
grandmother who shares her passion for common sense greener and healthier living. Based
on the most popular feature of her blog, Hana wrote her first book, Vinegar Fridays.
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