The Reason I'll Never Use Organic Materials

I've been thinking alot about what to write about. Do I stick to just sensory processing disorder? Do I talk about daily life? What?! And then, I had something brought to my attention, and I knew that was what my next post will be about.

I'm going to talk about why Poly-Pellets are the best thing to put in a weighted blanket, lap pad, etc, instead of organic foods; rice, corn, or beans.

 I've done ALOT of research on poly pellets and this is what I've found:

1. Out of everything you could put in the blanket for weight, poly-pellets are the BEST. Poly pellets (polypropylene) will not melt in the washer  and you can throw them in the dryer! It's best to stay away from corn, beans, rice, or even aquarium rocks. Reason being- the corn, beans, and rice could get moldy... (tender subject for me, more on that later) and aquarium rocks could rip the fabric of the blanket.

 2. To go along the lines of #1- while organic materials are readily available (corn, rice, beans) and inexpensive, eventually over time they will break down and rot, they'll create a dust that will get all over the blanket or lap pad, etc. BUT, you can't wash it off!  If you get this dust wet by washing it, mold or mildew will grow.

3.  Don't put metal rings in the blanket! I know some people want add more weight but they want it to be cheap. Metal rings are loud and will make a noise when they hit each other. Poly pellets are extremely small (see picture) and don't make alot of noise. I can't imagine sleeping with metal in a blanket, personally. I think it would be uncomfortable.

I know weighted blankets are expensive, trust me, I know! That's why I started this little business. I wanted to make things cheaper for families that needed it.

Now, why is mold such a touchy subject to me? Well, I'll tell you.

Two years ago, we lived in Montana. My husband was working over in North Dakota in the oil fields, and we were SO happy!  We had it all; a great paying job that took my husband to work for a week and then he was home for a week, and the house we LOVED. We talked numerous times about buying it...

 We lived in a canyon with the river on one side of us and the mountians on the other. During the summer, we would see a mama bear with 2 cubs come down on the mountain and walk the base of it..
The house was part of a small subdivision. There were 7 other houses around us, each on an acre. But this one was the only one with a finished basement. When it came open for rent, we snatched it up. It was to die for! There were 5 bedrooms, including a huge master bedroom and bathroom, (I still miss it dearly), as well a 3 1/2 bathrooms. The basement was huge and we had all the toys down there with my craft room and our entertainment area.

Shortly after we moved in, Damien, who was 15 months at the time, started getting ear infections. Every week we were at the doctor, and everytime he had an ear infection. We tried every antibiotic and even resorted to the steroid shots. But nothing would kill it. This was at the crucial time where he should have been talking.

A couple months later, in May, we welcomed our son Brody into the world. He was always a loud breather, and sometimes still is. When he was 6 weeks old, he got a cold, but it sounded like he had a sore throat. I took him to the doctor on a Monday and they just said he had a virus, but it couldn't be treated, it had to run it's course. But the doctor said, "if he gets a fever of 100.3, get to the ER right away."

You know what's coming, don't you?

He never got better that week, but he never developed a fever. So by Friday, I was still worried about him, and took him to my pediatrician again. The nurse weighed and measured him, and then took his temp... 100.5. She ran out of the room...literally ran, and the doctor came running in. She looked at him, and said, "We need to get him over to the hospital. He'll be staying there getting tests done for a few days. We need to find out why he's sick."

I was scared. The doctor had no idea why he was sick. I had 2 little kids with me, and worst of all, my husband was in North Dakota working, and had no way home. Luckily, I called a friend who showed up and took my two kids for the weekend.

I remember walking into the pediatric floor and the doctor and nurse were standing at the door and grabbed Brody from me and ran to the room. They immediatly started tests. There was the urine test, where they had to insert a catheter. Blood work, where they had to draw blood from his head since they couldn't find a vein in his arm, and a spinal tap. It was horrible.

You can see where they drew blood- see the bandaid near the mattress?

That whole weekend, I sat in the room with him. We did x-rays, more blood work, etc. But there were never any answers.

We were released a couple days later with no answers and went home. A couple months later, Kayleigh got sick. She had a horrible cough and she complained it hurt to breathe. We took her to the doctor and did breathing treatments. The doctor talked about asthma and prescribed an inhaler. She even sent us home with antibiotics and breathing treatments. Nothing worked. Finally, after a couple weeks of this going on, we had x rays done on her lungs, but they were clear. Another sickness with no answers.

These illnesses went on all summer and Damien ended up having to have emergency surgery to have tubes put in his ears. The doctor told me that they were the worst he has ever seen.

I was so sick of going to the doctor multiple times a week, never getting answers. It wasn't my doctor's fault, she just had no idea what was causing these problems! On the drive home, which was 30 miles, I finally broke down and prayed. I remember pleading, "Please help me! Please let me know what's causing our kids to be so sick." And as if someone was sitting in the seat next to me, I heard, "it's the house."

It made sense. My kids were healthy until we moved into the house. But then I felt sick to my stomach. How did I not know?

I called a friend who built houses and talked to him about what was going on. He told me to call another friend who has worked for a company that took care of fire, water, mold restoration. He came out that day and offered to take a look at the house. On our way into the basement, he stopped and said, "notice that smell?" I always noticed that smell, it was musty, like a basement. But then he said, "have you had any water damage down here?" The whole time we were there, there was never any leaks. But when I toured it, there was a machine down in the basement running, and it was to suck water out of the air. I didn't think anything of it, nor had the property manager.

He walked around and noticed some slight discoloration along the bottom trim and said there had been a water leak  someplace. He went into a bedroom, that my sister happened to be staying in at the time, and underneath a window noticed the color was a little worse. He asked if he could pull back the trim and I said sure. When he did that, there was black mold behind it. He knew that if he was to cut into the wall, that there would be lots more. He had found the problem.

This bedroom was right underneath our kids bedroom and when the air conditioner was on, it blew air up into the kids room, so they were breathing in the air that had mold in it. Luckily, it was during the summer, and we had our windows open alot and the kids were outside most of the day, otherwise, it could have been alot worse.

Our property manager had someone come out and test the mold, as well as the water in the carpet throughout the house. We were told we would hear the results in a couple days. My husband was home during this time and we went to Spokane for the day. When we got home, we had a voicemail and it was our property manager. The results were back and we were told in an urgent voice, "pack a bag of clothes and get out of the house!"

To shorten the story, we were homeless. For a month we stayed at different places; my parents, we went to Seattle to visit family, hotels, etc. Finally a deal was made with the landlord. He would take care of our stuff, getting everything professionally clean, reimburse us for alot of things, pay for us to move, etc. It was either that or head to court.

I know what mold can do to you. I saw it firsthand. Why would you buy a blanket made of corn, beans, or rice and risk the potential risks? Personally, I think it's a waste of money.

I'm not trying to harp on the people that have these types of blankets or lap pads, but PLEASE know the risks.