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Bethanne Patrick: Your book is just a wonderful compendium of practical, earth-friendly, toxin-free advice, for the entire home. And since this week we're coming into Valentine's Day, we wanted to talk about ways to show warm and welcoming tips for your family. Tell us, what's the first thing that you do with your home? Are there certain kinds of candles or scents that you use or don't use?
Annie Bond: That's a great point. I have some great suggestions for Valentine's Day. One is, it is really nice to burn candles, but you have to be very careful because most aromatherapy candles give off a lot of soot that causes pretty bad indoor air pollution. And that's very toxic. It's really a problem -- people don't understand where the soot is coming from and suddenly their computers are breaking and things like that.
Bethanne Patrick: Where does the soot come from?
Annie Bond: The wax becomes very saturated with the oil and a lot of oils are not natural essential oils to begin with, which adds another level of air pollution into the home. The most wonderful way to burn candles in the home is to use pure beeswax. It's expensive, but it burns slowly. And the one thing about beeswax candles that's a real treat is that it's actually an air-freshener at the same time. It's an air-cleaner.
Bethanne Patrick: I didn't know that. That's so neat!
Annie Bond: The candles give off negative ions --- the kind that are in the air when you're at the ocean or on top of a mountain --- which draw in the pollution to them and then make the pollution drop to the floor. Beeswax candles are a wonderful addition for any home.
Bethanne Patrick: I had been told that in some candles there is a wick that is dangerous and has some toxicity in it. Is that true?
Annie Bond: You have to be very careful with wicks anyway. A wick that has metal in it is a wick that you'll want to avoid for sure because that could well have lead in it.
Bethanne Patrick: Do all beeswax candles have lead-free wicks, or do you have to watch for that as well?
Annie Bond: You never know. Some home candle maker somewhere may make it with a lead wick. It's something certainly to pay attention to. I've never seen a lead wick in any beeswax candle that I've ever bought. Nevertheless, that doesn't mean that it couldn't happen, so you should be careful.
Bethanne Patrick: If you want to include any other kind of aroma in your home, whether it's floral or herbal, what are some good ways to make your home smell great but also keep it toxin free?
Annie Bond: The pure essential oils are wonderful, and they're terrific assets to your home, especially when used carefully and at specific times. I've just been researching lemon oil, which opens your heart --- it's very nice. You could make a dusting cloth, for example, and put a few drops of lemon oil on it, and when you dust the house with it, it'll have this lemon oil that opens your heart. That seems like a pretty beautiful thing for you to have in your home. Peppermint oil is another oil that helps for family harmony: it helps a person be more tolerant. Sandalwood is something that helps people have a feeling of unity, so I think that's a wonderful oil to have in your home. There certainly are different kinds of oil that you could have for romantic relationships as well. One that is really beautiful for that would be Jasmine, which is a very harmonizing oil.
Bethanne Patrick: Is there a way to make natural perfume?
Annie Bond: You could just put a dab of the essential oil on. You can also find sprays in your health foods store that let a little bit of that beautiful scent linger on you.
Bethanne Patrick: Are there other beautiful, earth-friendly gifts that you could give to your romantic partner or mate?
Annie Bond: There certainly are. Rose quartz is a beautiful stone of unconditional love. A friend of mine has two beautiful rose quartz stones at both sides of the entranceway to his house, and it's really beautiful. You have a feeling that that is a house that is going to prioritize people's hearts and allowing people to be themselves. That's a beautiful gift to give to someone. It gives off a vibration of a beautiful love. For a romantic partner, a stone that's really great is rhodonite. It's a beautiful vibration for that particular kind of heart connection. In terms of Feng Shui and the home, certainly red roses, red tulips and other red flowers that are in their brightest, richest, healthiest state, are wonderful to put in your home or to give to somebody. And that's often why they're given.
Bethanne Patrick: Are there some tips about flowers? I know some florists spray artificial scents on their flowers.
Annie Bond: The problem with synthetic perfumes and scents is that they're made with hundreds of different chemicals like nail cleaning acids -- horrible chemicals you would never equate with a perfume but are actually in perfume. There actually is an organic florist brand that you can find on AOL search.
Bethanne Patrick: So you can find organically grown flowers?
Annie Bond: Absolutely. Go to your local nursery and ask specifically how to get the purest plants. And it doesn't hurt for those types of businesses to know that people are looking.
Bethanne Patrick: What are some good tips to make sure that your bed linens are toxin free?
Annie Bond: The most important thing is to use a scent-free laundry detergent so that you do not smell the synthetic scent all through the night -- that's the last thing you want. The second highest priority is to make sure all of your bedding -- including the mattress -- is natural. It takes awhile, but it's well worth it. The way you sleep in a natural, organic bed is totally different than the way you sleep in a synthetic bed.
Bethanne Patrick: It's much more restful, then?
Annie Bond: Much more restful. One scientist called modern mattresses 'toxic waste dumps.' They're full of toxins that agitate your central nervous system, and you end up being very restless. The first time I ever slept in 100% organic bedding I was so serene. When I woke up I could hardly recognize myself. It makes a huge difference.
Annie Bond: That's a great point. I have some great suggestions for Valentine's Day. One is, it is really nice to burn candles, but you have to be very careful because most aromatherapy candles give off a lot of soot that causes pretty bad indoor air pollution. And that's very toxic. It's really a problem -- people don't understand where the soot is coming from and suddenly their computers are breaking and things like that.
Bethanne Patrick: Where does the soot come from?
Annie Bond: The wax becomes very saturated with the oil and a lot of oils are not natural essential oils to begin with, which adds another level of air pollution into the home. The most wonderful way to burn candles in the home is to use pure beeswax. It's expensive, but it burns slowly. And the one thing about beeswax candles that's a real treat is that it's actually an air-freshener at the same time. It's an air-cleaner.
Bethanne Patrick: I didn't know that. That's so neat!
Annie Bond: The candles give off negative ions --- the kind that are in the air when you're at the ocean or on top of a mountain --- which draw in the pollution to them and then make the pollution drop to the floor. Beeswax candles are a wonderful addition for any home.
Bethanne Patrick: I had been told that in some candles there is a wick that is dangerous and has some toxicity in it. Is that true?
Annie Bond: You have to be very careful with wicks anyway. A wick that has metal in it is a wick that you'll want to avoid for sure because that could well have lead in it.
Bethanne Patrick: Do all beeswax candles have lead-free wicks, or do you have to watch for that as well?
Annie Bond: You never know. Some home candle maker somewhere may make it with a lead wick. It's something certainly to pay attention to. I've never seen a lead wick in any beeswax candle that I've ever bought. Nevertheless, that doesn't mean that it couldn't happen, so you should be careful.
Bethanne Patrick: If you want to include any other kind of aroma in your home, whether it's floral or herbal, what are some good ways to make your home smell great but also keep it toxin free?
Annie Bond: The pure essential oils are wonderful, and they're terrific assets to your home, especially when used carefully and at specific times. I've just been researching lemon oil, which opens your heart --- it's very nice. You could make a dusting cloth, for example, and put a few drops of lemon oil on it, and when you dust the house with it, it'll have this lemon oil that opens your heart. That seems like a pretty beautiful thing for you to have in your home. Peppermint oil is another oil that helps for family harmony: it helps a person be more tolerant. Sandalwood is something that helps people have a feeling of unity, so I think that's a wonderful oil to have in your home. There certainly are different kinds of oil that you could have for romantic relationships as well. One that is really beautiful for that would be Jasmine, which is a very harmonizing oil.
Bethanne Patrick: Is there a way to make natural perfume?
Annie Bond: You could just put a dab of the essential oil on. You can also find sprays in your health foods store that let a little bit of that beautiful scent linger on you.
Bethanne Patrick: Are there other beautiful, earth-friendly gifts that you could give to your romantic partner or mate?
Annie Bond: There certainly are. Rose quartz is a beautiful stone of unconditional love. A friend of mine has two beautiful rose quartz stones at both sides of the entranceway to his house, and it's really beautiful. You have a feeling that that is a house that is going to prioritize people's hearts and allowing people to be themselves. That's a beautiful gift to give to someone. It gives off a vibration of a beautiful love. For a romantic partner, a stone that's really great is rhodonite. It's a beautiful vibration for that particular kind of heart connection. In terms of Feng Shui and the home, certainly red roses, red tulips and other red flowers that are in their brightest, richest, healthiest state, are wonderful to put in your home or to give to somebody. And that's often why they're given.
Bethanne Patrick: Are there some tips about flowers? I know some florists spray artificial scents on their flowers.
Annie Bond: The problem with synthetic perfumes and scents is that they're made with hundreds of different chemicals like nail cleaning acids -- horrible chemicals you would never equate with a perfume but are actually in perfume. There actually is an organic florist brand that you can find on AOL search.
Bethanne Patrick: So you can find organically grown flowers?
Annie Bond: Absolutely. Go to your local nursery and ask specifically how to get the purest plants. And it doesn't hurt for those types of businesses to know that people are looking.
Bethanne Patrick: What are some good tips to make sure that your bed linens are toxin free?
Annie Bond: The most important thing is to use a scent-free laundry detergent so that you do not smell the synthetic scent all through the night -- that's the last thing you want. The second highest priority is to make sure all of your bedding -- including the mattress -- is natural. It takes awhile, but it's well worth it. The way you sleep in a natural, organic bed is totally different than the way you sleep in a synthetic bed.
Bethanne Patrick: It's much more restful, then?
Annie Bond: Much more restful. One scientist called modern mattresses 'toxic waste dumps.' They're full of toxins that agitate your central nervous system, and you end up being very restless. The first time I ever slept in 100% organic bedding I was so serene. When I woke up I could hardly recognize myself. It makes a huge difference.
