Question from TA
Hi Debra,
I just came across this dish drying rack on Ikea’s website. www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80213173. It comes in this darker color and in a silver color that is listed as nickel plated with clear lacquer. That seems more likely to be potentially toxic (what is the lacquer, etc), so I’m just looking at the darker colored one. The product description says “Steel, galvanized” — but this seems to pertain to the water-catching tray rather than the wire rack.
I clicked over to this related product, and it identifies the black wire part as steel with powder coating and the “shelf” (I’d call it a tray) as galvanized steel. That seems more accurate and appears to be the same as the dish rack. www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10238148
Would you consider this powder-coated steel rack and galvanized tray to be safe?
On a side note, I also noticed on Ikea’s site that they have been in the process of using “more sustainable” cotton in their products. Not organic, but grown in ways that use less water, less chemical fertilizer, less pesticide. It seems like a good step, especially for those of us who can’t get organic everything. www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/this-is-ikea/people-and-planet/energy-and-resources/index.html#cotton
Debra’s Answer
Powder-coated steel and galvanized steel are both materials I consider to be safe for their intended uses. Neither outgas toxic vapors into the air and they wouldn’t leave toxic residues on dishes. I wouldn’t eat it however, and it’s probably not designed for continuous skin contact.
That’s great that IKEA is moving in the direction of more sustainable cotton. Every step toward reducing toxics helps!
