Image by chaquetadepollo via Flickr
My family room furniture is old. Like 14 years old. When we moved to our first house after we had our baby, we lived without furniture for a year so we can save money to buy good great quality furniture that lasts. Well, time has come to replace them because the fabric is fraying and the cushions have seen better days.
But I’ve been hesitant because of the chemicals they treat the upholstered furniture with. When we bought them 14 years ago, flame retardants or stain resistant chemicals were reported as being safe, not harmful. We thought those chemicals protected us from harm. But instead, flame retardants have been linked to cancer, birth defects, disrupt hormones, and other health problems. To check what other health problems flame retardants cause, check out these posts by Safer Chemicals Healthy Families (SCHF).
SCHF has been urging the furniture industry to remove flame retardants for years since learning about the dangers of flame retardants. And the good news is, the pressure on the industry is working. Check out this list of furniture makers that are making changes. Maybe your furniture maker is on the list.
Chicago Tribune reported that major furniture retailers including Crate and Barrel, Room & Board, and Williams-Sonoma (Pottery Barn, West Elm) all say they have mostly eliminated the chemicals from their products. IKEA, La-Z-Boy, The Futon Shop, Scandinavian Designs, and Wal-Mart also said they have told vendors to stop adding flame retardants to furniture.
Furniture Retailers Eliminate Flame Retardants
This month, the largest furniture manufacturer, Ashley Furniture will phase out of toxic flame retardant chemicals! They didn’t indicate “WHEN” but they indicated that they will phase out flame retardants from their upholstered furniture.
When I heard this great news, I wanted to ask my furniture maker, Ethan Allen, if they are planning to do the same. So I tweeted them. And this is the response I got. You gotta love social media.
People reading this great news were also happy and retweeted. I’m sure they CARE about being healthy and toxic free! Don’t you?
If you are in the market for new furniture, make sure to check this list of stores that eliminated flame retardants from their furniture. If you are reupholstering your existing furniture, make sure to ask for flame retardant free fabric.
I’m so happy I can replace my old family room set now!
I didn’t actually know that they put flame retardant in old furniture. I guess that would make sense why my grandpas couch didn’t catch on fire when his barn burnt down. No one used that couch anyway. That’s why it was in the barn. But for some reason he still might try and replace it with some used furniture. http://www.wertzbrothers.com
When in the store or buying online is there something that clearly shows the date of manufacturer? Being this close to the Jan 1 date I would guess that a lot of the inventory would still contain these chemicals, unless being custom made at time of order.
They should ask for flame retardant foam as well. When I re-upholestered I paid for natural latex since foam as it ages off-gasses.