Question from hellokitty
Hello Debra,
Thank you for your blog, health conscious advise and the help you provide to your readers.
We bought an unfinished solid teak bed recently. When the bed arrived it was covered in a fine red dust propably from the wood sanding. It is solid and unfinished so we thought it was perfect. We’ve been cleaning it for the past 4 days with a really mild soap and water, it is better but still it has some red dust and tiny wood chips. Is this dangerous or unhealthy?
Our second option is a solid oak bed but the headborad is made of strips of solid teak glued together with water based glue. It is finished with a waterbased topcoat.
So what is less evil: the unfinished teak with the red dust or the finished headboard with the glued strips of teak?
We are concerned beacuse it is the family bed and our baby will be sleeping in the bed too.
Debra’s Answer
I’m not sure I am understanding about the red dust. You should be able to remove all the dust and tiny wood chips with a damp towel.
In general, unfinished wood is safer than finished wood, however, waterbased glues and finishes are pretty nontoxic once they dry.
Dust can be a problem because it is a particle that can irritate the lungs, to greater or lesser degree. That is why anything in the form of dust can be considered a hazard, whether the material is toxic or not.
Without actually seeing the two bedframes, they seem about equal to me.
