CONSUMERS : A Test Kit to Aid in Home Detoxification
For consumers who are becoming increasingly aware of the environment and personal health, here are three new products that can help you find out if your home needs to be detoxified.
The Safer Home Test Kit offers devices to assist you in testing your residence for toxic safety. Although radon gas testing kits have been on the market for some time, this kit combines a radon tester with four additional products to monitor your home for lead contamination, microwave-oven radiation, carbon monoxide and ultraviolet radiation.
The kit was developed by Sharon Kemp of Beverly Hills, who found that no single product with the five toxic safety testing devices was readily available when she decided to test her home.
The Safer Home Test Kit ($49 to $59, retail) includes a radon canister from Radon Testing Corp. of America; lead alert solutions to test dishes, toys and water pipes; a carbon monoxide detector; a microwave-oven tester for leaking radiation, and a card that meters intensity of ultraviolet rays, showing how effective windows, sunscreens and sunglasses are.
The kit is available at Hammacher Schlemmer stores in Beverly Hills, New York and Chicago and through its catalogue, (800) 543-3366; General Nutrition Center stores at Beverly Center in Los Angeles and six San Francisco locations; Rexall Square Drugs on La Cienega Boulevard; Thrifty Drugs in Beverly Hills; Armstrong Home Center on Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles; Koontz Hardware in West Hollywood, and Carousel Baby Furniture in Pasadena.
If you can’t find the test kit in your area, contact Safer Home Test Kit, 325 N. Oakhurst Drive, Beverly Hills, Calif. 90210; phone, (213) 550-7600.
Protecting Baby From Toxic Substances
New Parents will find a wealth of information about harmful substances in a new booklet, “The Nontoxic Baby,” from Natural Choices in Encinitas.
The pocket-sized, 168-page book of easy-to-read reference cards is divided into four sections: “The Chemical Connection,” “Your Baby’s Room,” “Your Baby’s Care Products” and “Your Baby’s Food.”
Chapters cover such topics as: what infections and diseases can be caused by toxins in your home; how to choose nontoxic paints and cleaning solutions, toxic-free diapers and baby-care products, and how to reduce pesticides in foods.
You can order “The Nontoxic Baby” ($9.95, plus $2 shipping and handling) from Natural Choices, 204 N. El Camino Real, Suite E-214, Encinitas, Calif. 92024; phone, (619) 632-1335.
Cleaner Has a Dial to Regulate Strength
Take Five, a new nontoxic and biodegradable concentrated cleaner, can take the place of many different cleansing solutions and comes with a patented dial-a-strength cleaning system.
The Take Five system consists of a trigger sprayer attached to two bottles, one with an 11-ounce supply of the cleaner and the other to fill with water. The dial on the sprayer has a built-in system that measures the right amount of cleaner-to-water ratio for whatever you want to clean.
For example, you dial 1 for glass and mirrors; 2, for general household cleaning; 3, for kitchens and bathrooms; 4, for laundry pre-soak for grease and spots, and 5, for heavy stains and greasy jobs.
According to representatives of Rollout L.P., its Southern California manufacturer, the 11-ounce bottle of Take 5 concentrate, when mixed with water, “equals 14 bottles of other household cleaning solutions.”
Take 5 (suggested retail $8.99; 11-ounce replacement refills, $3.29) is available at Lucky, Hughes, Alpha Beta, Vons, Gelsons and Certified Grocers. If you’re not satisfied with it, there’s a money-back guarantee from the company when you return the Take 5 system. If you can’t find it in your area, contact Rollout L.P., 1901 Via Burton, Anaheim, Calif. 92806; (800) GO-TAKE 5.
