Question from deanna96
Debra,
Being the last of my friends to have a baby, I can literally borrow everything I need from cribs to swings to clothing. However, I know none of them bought anything organic or non-toxic. Most of these items are anywhere from 2 – 5 years old so I am wondering how long items offgas. From what I’ve read on your response to older posts it seems that if there is not an odor, it is safe. Is this the guideline I should use? How long do items offgas? Do I need to just start from scratch and buy all of the expensive non-toxic baby items?
Thanks,
Deanna
Debra’s Answer
“If there is not an odor, it is safe,” is usually a good rule to follow, but it’s not 100%. There could be chemicals outgassing that you cannot smell, for one reason or another.
Furniture with particleboard and standard finishes do outgas over time. You can certainly smell the difference between new particleboard furniture and particleboard furniture that has outgassed. How long that takes depends on the conditions of the room where the furniture has been.
Clothing that has been washed many times is likely to be OK, if it hasn’t been washed in highly scented detergent.
I think you need to examine each item and see if it seems OK to you.
But I would be very careful and err on the side of caution. Babies are extremely vulnerable to toxic chemicals as their detoxification systems are not yet fully developed.
