Non Toxic Furnishings |
Posted: February 4, 2022 |
In the world of non-toxic furnishing, it's consumer pressure that has pushed the industry forward. There are now too many people that will not accept toxins like flame retardants and pesticides added to products. In the last few years we have made progress on a few fronts: 1) Flame retardants We have made major progress on flame retardant reduction in the last few years. It wasn't that long ago that flame retardants were the norm in all polyurethane foam which is used in just about all sofas and beds. There generally isn't any added flame retardant in foam now. 2) PFAS PFAS the so-called "forever chemicals" are the current edge of the movement towards non-toxic homes. They are still the norm in carpet, rugs, and on upholstered furniture. I list out the few brands that do not use PFAS in my posts on sofa, carpets, and rugs. I know we will see a lot of progress here as we push companies to remove PFAS from all household products. I should add PFCS here, a similar class of chemicals used on purses, outdoor gear, and strollers. 3) Antimicrobials There has been a shift lately towards nano-silver antimicrobials, which is an improvement over the chemical antimicrobials which were the norm before. It is probably less harmful to have low levels of silver on and in items. This can be found in countertop sealers, in some countertops themselves, on clothing, in grout, etc I do think that by and large silver antimicrobials are not necessary. In some products, antimicrobials are needed as a preservative - all paint that comes liquid in a can contains a preservative. 4) Pesticides Pesticides are added to wool rugs and wool carpet, specifically permethrin is added to the vast majority of carpets and rugs. I personally have a reaction to permethrin chemicals, and I don't think these are a good idea in a healthy house. There are herbal alternatives which are a much better option.
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