Window Washer To Soap Maker

Larry Plesent of Vermont Soap, whose unofficial slogan is "Replacing yucky stuff with yummy stuff," specializes in formulating natural, organic and nontoxic home and garden products.

Vermont Soap has a Formula for Cleaning Homes the Nontoxic Way - The curing room in Vermont Soap's manufacturing facility in Middlebury may be one of the most fragrant spots in Vermont. As dozens of soap bars cure on drying racks like ageing craft cheeses, the air is laden with the rich aromas of pine, peppermint, lavender, lemongrass and other essential oils.

But, unlike the scents added to most conventionally produced soaps, shampoos, toiletries and home-cleaning products, none of these odors comes from artificial chemicals or toxic ingredients. In fact, the earthy reddish hue of some of the bars is derived from lobster shells.

Vermont Soap, whose unofficial slogan is "Replacing yucky stuff with yummy stuff," specializes in formulating natural, organic and nontoxic home and garden products. Those include underarm deodorants, oral-care products, antiaging creams, pet and horse shampoos, surface cleaners, fruit and vegetable washes, car cleaners, and even yoga-mat cleaners. Most are U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified organic, and all are safe and nontoxic. That makes them ideal for consumers with severe allergies or chemical sensitivities, or those who simply have concerns about the prevalence of hazardous materials in the home.

Larry Plesent, 57, founded Vermont Soap in 1992, after he'd learned the hard way what toxic chemicals can do to your body. In the 1980s, Plesent earned money for college working as a Burlington window washer. In an effort to economize, he concocted his own window washing solution consisting of dish detergent, floor cleaner, windshield-wiper fluid and antifreeze.

For about eight years, Plesent essentially soaked himself in noxious chemicals such as sodium lauryl sulfate, methanol and ethylene glycol, which left him with severe contact dermatitis and multiple chemical sensitivities. Conventional deodorants gave him rashes across his arms and torso that lasted for weeks. Normal shampoos caused his hair to fall out.

He tried one conventional brand after another, but the problems never went away. By 1991, Plesent's "reactive body" was so sensitive, he couldn't touch or be around artificial scents, artificial colors or petrochemical products, including most plastics.

Then, one day at a Vermont craft fair, Plesent picked up a bar of soap made with goat's milk. Just days after he tried it, his eight-year bout of dermatitis disappeared. Realizing that countless other consumers must suffer from similar sensitivities, Plesent decided to turn his disability into a business venture. Thus Vermont Soap was born.

Of course, Vermont Soap isn't the only producer of eco-friendly home-cleaning and personal-care products in the Clean Mountain State. According to Forbes magazine, Burlington behemoth Seventh Generation does more than $300 million in annual retail sales.

Many of Vermont Soap's customers suffer from asthma or chemical sensitivities or have compromised immune systems due to chemotherapy and other medical conditions.

While Vermont Soap hasn't reached that level, it's growing quickly as more consumers seek products labeled organic. The company now has 25 employees and sales in excess of $3 million annually; it recently expanded into Asia and is exploring new markets in Europe. Two-thirds of Vermont Soap's products are now sold under other labels or are added as ingredients to other products.

A June 2015 fire in Vermont Soap's factory on Middlebury's Exchange Street shut down operations for four months but ultimately proved fortuitous: It forced a move into a manufacturing facility more than twice as large just down the road. The company still maintains a discount retail outlet at its original location. There, consumers can find deals on Vermont Soap products and visit its modest soap museum, which features antique washing machines, shaving kits, classic toiletries and, of course, old soaps.

In accordance with Plesent's goal of "doing as little harm as possible," his new and much larger manufacturing space is all electric and at or near zero emissions. Eschewing landscaping that might expose his employees to pesticides and other allergens, he recently planted vegetable gardens for his staff's use.

Consumers who typically buy organic meats and produce can shop online at Vermont Soap for similarly nontoxic alternatives to familiar cleaning products. For example, Produce Magic is an organic cleaner that removes waxes, pesticides, and other dirt and residues from fruits and vegetables. Green Car is an automotive cleaner similar to Armor All, except it's certified organic and contains no petrochemicals.

Liquid Sunshine is an all-purpose spray-and-wipe surface cleaner and concentrate similar to Citra Solv, but it contains all-natural citrus oils. According to Plesent, it can be used safely on cabinets, woodwork and hardwood floors, just like Murphy's Oil Soap, but it's nontoxic and easy on your hands.

Sandy Lincoln, owner of Sandy's Books & Bakery in Rochester, sells organic baked goods and says she uses only Liquid Sunshine on all her countertops, glass surfaces, prep tables and dishes. "So many chemicals on the market leave a chemical, toxic smell behind," she says. "Liquid Sunshine has a really citrusy aroma that our customers love."

In 2014, Delicious Living magazine gave Liquid Sunshine its Editor's Choice Award, noting that the household cleaner contains no volatile organic compounds, which can irritate eyes and cause headaches. "Is it possible to fall in love with a household cleaner?" wrote managing editor Jenna Blumenfeld. "If it's certified organic, eco-friendly and made with a mere five ingredients, it is."

Many of Vermont Soap's customers suffer from asthma or chemical sensitivities or have compromised immune systems due to chemotherapy and other medical conditions. Over the years, some have reached out to Plesent to seek his advice or thank him for the products he's created.

In response, Plesent published a downloadable 68-page book, The Reactive Body Handbook, which instructs people with chemical sensitivities, asthma and other environmental triggers on how to become a "Sherlock Holmes to unravel the mysteries of your own body."

"One of the first comments I ever got on our website was from a woman who wrote, 'Thank goodness you wrote this, Larry. I thought I was the only one,'" he says. "No, you're not. There are millions of us."

Save Your Skin: Dermatitis An Itchy Fact Of Life

The second type, contact dermatitis, results from exposure to a skin irritant like detergent.

Save your skin: Dermatitis an itchy fact of life in Southern Colorado - Red, swollen and itchy is unpleasant skin to be in. Inflammation of the skin, or dermatitis, can have many causes and occur in many forms. It can make life miserable but isn’t contagious and usually isn’t life-threatening. It’s a scourge that plagues dry-skinned people — which is just about everybody at this time of year in arid Southern Colorado.

Dermatitis occurs in two basic types, says Dr. Sharon Kessler, a Pueblo dermatologist. There’s atopic, from the Greek for “hypersensitivity,” and there’s contact. “Atopic dermatitis is also called eczema; it’s exactly the same disease,” Kessler says. “It tends to be genetic, tends to cluster in families. There are three genes for it, all closely linked on the same chromosome.” People with atopic dermatitis often have asthma or hay fever as well. While there’s a genetic predisposition, exposure to environmental factors such as dryness, dust and pets, especially cats, can trigger atopic dermatitis.

The second type, contact dermatitis, results from exposure to a skin irritant like detergent or an allergen like poison ivy. Again, it’s not totally clear-cut, Kessler says, as some people may be genetically predetermined to be sensitive to nickel, for example, and break out in a rash if they wear nickel-containing jewellery.

Harsh climate a factor

Dr. Michael Babcock, a dermatologist who practices both in Pueblo and Colorado Springs, says he sees more people with atopic and dry skin dermatitis than contact dermatitis. “A lot of people who relocate here from elsewhere, from the South or the coasts, come in with a weird rash that’s a form of eczema. They’ve been susceptible to it all along but it didn’t appear until they were here” in Colorado’s harsh climate.

For people with mild eczema, some education and over-the-counter products often are the answer, he says. More severe cases may require medication. Babcock says he likes to joke with patients that he has a cure for their dermatitis: a first-class trip to Hawaii once a month.

Skin is a good barrier. If intact, it keeps out toxic agents, but if it’s broken, “all sorts of things can be a problem.”

Skin as barrier

Kessler says the three main offenders in contact dermatitis are grease-cutting dish detergent, furniture polish with lemon oil and window cleaner with ammonia.

“I see a lot of hand dermatitis, usually in women and particularly in winter before Christmas when they’ve been cleaning house like crazy,” Kessler says. “I always ask them if they’re using (brand name) detergent or any lemon-scented products or ones with ammonia. These change the environment so much it allows the skin to crack.”

Skin is a good barrier. If intact, it keeps out toxic agents, but if it’s broken, “all sorts of things can be a problem,” she says.

So what’s a person to do? Keep the skin from getting excessively dry. Kessler advises drinking lots of water; taking cooler showers — even though hot water may feel soothing to irritated skin; minimizing the use of soap — “Water is the universal solvent”; and applying a good-quality moisturizer right after bath or shower while the skin is still well-hydrated. She recommends using a thick cream rather than a thin lotion and choosing a product that contains alpha hydroxy acids.

Preservatives a problem

Babcock says people have become more aware that chemicals in products can cause skin problems, but they always think it’s the fragrance or because they changed products. “The most common cause of contact dermatitis is preservatives — parabens and formaldehyde derivatives,” he says. “Fragrance is the next most common.”

Antibiotic ointments also can cause problems. “One of the things everyone says is, ‘I’ve used X, Y or Z product forever.’ What you have to remember is a company can change its product ingredients at any time, and a person can develop sensitivity over time. You have to have exposure in order to have sensitivity.”

Dermatitis data

Atopic dermatitis or eczema is a chronic skin disease that’s most common in babies and children but can occur at any age. This red, itchy rash occurs on the face, scalp, hands and feet in infants, and where the skin flexes inside the elbows or behind the knees in older people. Skin changes can include blisters that ooze and crust, dry skin all over, raw skin from scratching, and leathery areas that occur after long-term irritation and scratching. Atopic dermatitis can be caused by both genetic and environmental factors. It can get worse, improve and then flare up again.

Contact dermatitis is caused by exposure to an irritant or an allergen and it causes red, sore or inflamed skin. Itching — sometimes severe — is common and a rash can occur; the rash may have bumps that become blisters. It often shows up on the hands, although hair products, cosmetics and perfumes can lead to reactions on the face, head and neck. Skin may become inflamed with long-term exposure to an irritant.

Also see: Dry, Cracked & Chapped Window Cleaners Hands, Fingers & Skin