You may not realize it, but your home’s furniture is probably toxic. Most furniture is manufactured using a wide range of chemicals, many of which are toxic. They may only be toxic when they outgas or when they burn, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t dangerous.
There are two basic areas where toxins are introduced into the furniture-making process. The first and largest is the upholstery. Between fire-retardant chemicals mandated by law and chemicals added to prevent pests from eating the fabric and stuffing, there are usually a number of toxic chemicals in the upholstery of most furniture. The second is the finish used for the glue, which can contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Those VOCs can also be toxic.
Some of the more common toxins used in furniture include:
Acetaldehyde is used in polyester resins and dyes. It is this chemical, more than any other, which produces the “new furniture” smell
Benzene – contained in detergents and dyes
Formaldehyde – often used in the manufacture of plywood and particle board
Hexabromocyclododecane – fire retardants
Perfluorooctanoic acid – helps make fabrics stain-resistant and waterproof
Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers – More Flame Retardants
Trichloroethylene – used as a solvent in metal degreasing and dry cleaning
Vinyl Acetate – used in the production of polyvinyl, paints, films, lacquers, and adhesives
Some of those are a real mouthful to say, although you wouldn’t want to fill your mouth with them for any other reason. I suppose the same wisdom used for food ingredients can be applied here; that is, if you can’t pronounce it, you don’t want to eat it… or in this case, you don’t want to be breathing it in.
What to do About Those Chemicals?
Since these chemicals are used in furniture manufacture, they will be the strongest in new furniture. So, older furniture or used furniture you buy is less likely to have any issues with toxic outgassing from these chemicals. However, you need to be concerned about new furniture.
For that new furniture, there are a number of different things you can do to neutralize, absorb, or eliminate the vapors from these chemicals.
Air filters—Several different home air filters are designed to remove dust and pollen from the air. Most will also remove airborne chemicals, such as those in your furniture.
Baking soda – VOCs tend to be acidic, so using baking soda as a base is a good way of entrapping those airborne chemicals. Just sprinkle it onto your furniture and work it in with a brush. Let it sit for a couple of hours, then suck out the baking soda with a vacuum cleaner.
Charcoal filters—Replace the standard air conditioning filters in your home’s HVAC system with charcoal-impregnated ones. Activated charcoal absorbs many chemicals and traps viruses and bacteria.
Off-gassing: Allow new furniture to sit outdoors or in the garage for several days so that the VOCs can evaporate in an environment that will not affect your family.
Plants—Plants in your home are a great way to clean the air. Plants absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen, the opposite of animals. However, houseplants also absorb many other airborne chemicals.
Does Non-Toxic Furniture Exist?
A number of furniture manufacturers, including some of the biggest in the world, are now producing non-toxic furniture. They have replaced the chemicals used in the manufacture of their furniture with others that have no toxic properties and minimal VOCs in the finishes.
Domestically manufactured furniture, as opposed to furniture that is manufactured overseas, is much more likely to be non-toxic. Low-cost furniture, especially that made in China and other countries in the Far East, is much more likely to employ the chemicals mentioned above.
High-quality furniture made from hardwoods rather than plywood or particle board is much more likely to be non-toxic. Even if furniture made of plywood uses low-VOC finishes, the manufacturing process for the plywood itself involves toxic chemicals. Likewise, furniture made from plastics is likely to have toxic chemicals used in its manufacture.
You can recognize furniture manufactured with low-VOC finishes in that it will be labeled as such. Check the informational label on the furniture to see if it lists low-VOC finishes. The same label will also tell you if the furniture’s upholstery is made with non-toxic chemicals. Suppose the label doesn’t expressly state non-toxic chemicals and low-VOC finishes. In that case, you should assume that the toxic chemicals we are talking about were used in its manufacture.
While you have little control over the chemicals used in manufacturing upholstery fabric and padding, you have a choice over which ones you buy. While it might be challenging to find upholstery fabrics and padding that don’t use any of those chemicals, you should be able to find them online if you check.
But even if you don’t find them online, the simple solution is to buy the materials you need, hem the fabric, and then wash the fabric and padding in the washing machine, using everyday detergent. This will remove almost all of the chemicals from the fabric, making it much safer.
For your furniture’s framework, avoid using plywood and particle board, opting for solid wood instead. That wood can be finished with low-VOC finishes, vastly reducing the frame’s toxicity level. Paint and finish manufacturers have been working for years to produce lower-VOC products in response to tightening environmental regulations.
Water-based finishes, as opposed to oil–, alcohol, or lacquer-based finishes, are generally much lower in VOCs. The solvents used in those other finishes provide the VOCs. Choosing to use a water-based finish almost guarantees a low-VOC product.
Low-VOC finishes have come a long way in the last few decades. Whereas previously, they couldn’t provide nearly as good a finish quality as their higher-VOC cousins, they are much better now. While the finish may not look the same, in many cases, it is close enough that the average person can’t tell the difference. If you are unsure, do a finish test on a piece of scrap before you finish your furniture.
