Question from Stacey
I would like to replace our livingroom furniture which is a leather set from Bernhardt Furniture. I know it contains flame retardents, and hate to see my kids playing on it; however, I can’t afford a new couch made without the chemicals right now. The leather set is about 6 years old. Does furniture get less toxic with time? Is leather better than a synthetic upholstery? Also, I have a couch in my basement about 8 years old that had been coated with Scotchguard. Does this get less toxic with time? Just wondering what really needs to go… Thanks!
Debra’s Answer
Yes, furniture gets less toxic over time, but something like a fire retardant or Scotchguard is designed to last for years. If you buy a piece of furniture and expect it to be flameproof or stain resistant, you would want it to continue to have that protection for the life of the piece of furniture.
So you are asking about
Personally, I think both need to go.
My personal decision has been and continues to be “if I know something is toxic, remove it NOW, and then figure out how to replace it with something less toxic.” Years ago I had an empty house when I couldn’t afford to buy new nontoxic replacements, or I didn’t know what to buy that would be safe.
For me, it’s more important to not expose myself (and especially not children) to toxic chemicals than it is to have anything in my house that is toxic.
But that is my decision. Everyone gets to decide for themselves how much toxic exposure they want to have.
What kind of sofa did you buy?
COMMENT FROM DEBRA:
This was more than 15 years ago, before there were businesses that sell natural sofas. I made my own sofa by purchasing a used sofa at auction. Then I took it to an upholsterer who stripped it bare and then covered it with wool and cotton batting and cotton and linen upholstery fabric that I prewashed, So no fire retardants or stain repellants. I did a wing chair the same way to match. It was not inexpensive, but they still look new after all these years. The cushions are box springs–no foam.