Ecological furniture made of wood. Dangerous eco-furniture The filling of upholstered furniture is fraught with danger

From this article you will learn:

• What harmful substances may be contained in furniture?
• How do they affect the human body?
• What materials are such furniture made from?
• What rules to follow when choosing furniture
• What is remarkable about such furniture for children's rooms?

The home environment is of great importance for maintaining and preserving human health. If floor and wall decoration, furniture or textile materials were made using harmful substances, they can contribute to the exacerbation of chronic diseases and also cause serious complications. This is why environmentally friendly furniture is so popular among health-conscious buyers. Many modern manufacturers focus specifically on the manufacture of safe products, the features of which we will examine in detail in this article.

We don’t scare, but inform about harmful substances in furniture

Almost any wooden furniture that is not environmentally friendly releases a significant amount of free formaldehyde into the environment. Typically, when creating them, raw materials such as chipboard, MDF (fiberboard), and plywood are used. They are manufactured using formaldehyde resins as the internal adhesive.

Another no less toxic substance is phenol. The fact is that in a short time it enters the body through the skin and upper respiratory tract, reaching gastrointestinal tract. After which this dangerous substance accumulates in the kidneys and liver, undermines the immune system, irritates the mucous membranes of the mouth, nose, pharynx and gastrointestinal tract. The result of this negative impact is a runny nose, headaches, dizziness, vomiting, shortness of breath, insomnia.

When phenol is inhaled, the mucous membranes are severely irritated, and its contact with the skin can cause burns. If phenol poisoning occurs regularly, the kidneys and liver are affected, and subsequently a pathogenic change in the blood occurs.

Urea-formaldehyde resins are also very often used in the creation of wood products. They are especially noticeable in items where fiberboard and chipboard are used - the main materials for laying plywood or veneer (in economical options, a paper or plastic-based laminate may be used instead).

The creation of the majority of all wood composite materials for furniture occurs using hot pressing of prepared waste. And in this case, the substance for combining the raw materials is often phenol-formaldehyde alcohol-soluble resin. It is distinguished by a dangerous quality - the release of formaldehyde in free form, called in medicine a “chronic toxin”. This volatile substance has a negative impact on human health.

Inhalation of formaldehyde vapor leads to irritation of the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose and throat, and also has a harmful effect on the skin and provokes a variety of allergic reactions. The result of prolonged inhalation of the fumes of this substance can be:

• Headache.
• Unusual fatigue.
• Insomnia.
• Depression.
• Asthma.

Symptoms of formaldehyde poisoning:

• Dizziness.
• Unnatural thirst.
• Nausea.
• Watery discharge from the nose.
• Cough, salivation.
• Irritation, infection of the nasal sinuses.
• Sore throat.
• Appearance of a rash.
• Diarrhea.
• Nose bleed.
• Menstrual irregularities.
• Chest pain, abdominal pain.

In many residential areas, formaldehyde levels are higher than normal. Instead of the established 0.04 - 0.06 ppm, its concentration reaches 0.07 - 0.09. Installing necessary household items in the bathroom or kitchen alone can increase the level of this substance to 0.10 ppm or more. Therefore, in order to completely protect yourself and your loved ones from such dangerous influences, it is better to buy environmentally friendly furniture.

What are the features of furniture made from environmentally friendly materials?

Environmentally friendly furniture sets are always made from natural wood (birch, ash, oak, pine, beech) using safe PVA-based glue.

The creation of environmentally friendly furniture from solid natural wood occurs through high-quality wood processing.

For furniture upholstery, non-electrifying materials are used from organic fibers of flax, cotton, soy, bamboo, and silk. These plants are grown without the use of pesticides or other chemicals.

Of all the options for environmentally friendly sofas and armchairs, leather products painted with eco-dyes have the longest service life.

Others are quite in demand modern material is a traffic jam. It is light, pleasant to the touch and environmentally friendly. Cork covering It has sound insulation properties and is widely used for floors and walls. Cork makes excellent eco-friendly bedroom furniture.

For guard flooring and improve the microclimate in the room, you can lay a mat (matting). It is woven from environmentally friendly natural materials such as reed, flax, and coconut fiber.

Popular among environmentally friendly kitchen furniture stone countertops. They are very practical. Such countertops are most often made of marble or granite, sometimes from slate, limestone, travertine, and onyx.

Ceramic, glass tile, as well as mosaic are also environmentally friendly materials.

1. Selection of environmentally friendly products.

Furniture that may contain the word “organic” on its label or description:

• Sofas and chairs upholstered in natural organic fabrics filled with natural latex foam.
• Mattresses made using materials such as organic wool, natural latex, organic cotton. Often organic latex mattresses have a core wrapped in wool (fire retardant) or cotton, or a combination of both. And some of them are completely wrapped in a combination of these materials. The best mattress covers are made from organic wool or organic cotton.

2. Bamboo products.

Although bamboo looks like a tree, it is actually a grass. It grows very quickly, so pesticides are not usually used for it. Eco-friendly bamboo furniture is in great demand.

3. Transportation.

The quality and sustainability of environmentally friendly products also depend on how they were transported.

4. Beware of toxic materials.

The best way to protect yourself from toxins (such as formaldehyde) is to choose eco-friendly furniture made from safe materials that do not contain them. The best option are products made from solid wood, as they contain less paint. And it is better to minimize the number of glass and metal objects in the room.

5. Try to avoid:

• Upholstery labeled "stain resistant": These may be toxic.
• Inflatable and artificial leather products, vinyl covers. They may all contain PVC phthalate.
• Items made from chipboard, fiberboard, plywood - anything that may contain formaldehyde adhesives.
• Furniture made from any tropical hardwood (mahogany and teak) and some western cedar unless certified.

6. Give preference to local production.

Local producers and artisans can be found in newspapers, the Internet, and at theme fairs.

7. Functionality.

Choose eco-friendly items, considering not only their appearance, but also their comfort, functionality and durability.

• Multifunctional products should always be a priority.
• Durability is also important, as well-made items with a long functional shelf life prevent landfills from quickly filling up, thereby supporting the health of the planet.

8. Vintage furniture.

Vintage and antique pieces are two of the most eco-friendly furniture options. There are no hard and fast rules for when items become antique. For some, all well-forgotten old items fit into this category, while others believe that they should be at least 20 years old.

Antiques are those items that were made 100 years ago. Most people include those that were made at the turn of the 20th century.

When choosing antique furniture, consider the following points:

• It must comply with current safety regulations. Make sure the items are not radioactive.
• Vintage painted items made before 1978 may contain lead. An antique from the early 19th century will most likely not have it. The downside to lead paint is that it peels off. At the same time, from varnish coating The appearance as well as the value of the product may be affected. If you have kids in the house, you should think twice before purchasing such things. And the best thing is to postpone buying them until the kids are older.
• Finishing and restoration of antiques should be done by experts. For example, if you want to varnish or repaint 20th century items, you should be aware that the paint may contain lead and you should take the necessary precautions when working with it.

9. Recycling, remanufacturing and repurposing.

You can come up with items and accessories that will be one of a kind if you get creative by reusing various household items. It will also reduce waste going to landfill.

10. Ecology certificate.

When purchasing environmentally friendly furniture, you can ask the seller if there is a certificate. It guarantees that the product does not contain harmful substances (for example, cadmium or lead).

11. New products that emit a pungent odor raise doubts about their environmental friendliness.

According to GOST, such a smell should disappear after a maximum of 2.5 months. However, this purchase may result in an unnecessary headache for you, since your well-being depends largely on the air in your living space.

12. DIY furniture.

Perhaps you enjoy crafting or know crafters. Then you can create exclusive items. It is best to work with wood taken from rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and old buildings. It's even more interesting to use a tree that has its own unique story. Then your furniture will definitely be special.

When choosing environmentally friendly furniture for children, the first thing to evaluate is the materials from which it is made. The most environmentally friendly items are created from solid wood. They are large monolithic bars, for the production of which the least number of various toxic adhesives are used. After all, inhaling harmful fumes exposes the child’s body to the risk of developing a number of diseases.

To fasten parts, bolts and screws, manufacturers of environmentally friendly wood products use casein glue, which does not contain poisons. Companies specializing in the manufacture of furniture for children and teenagers do not use substances harmful to health (formaldehyde, phenols, resins) in their work. All the varnishes and paints they cover wooden surfaces, are safe.

Study suppliers' offers, paying attention to the types of wood used in the manufacture of products. The most environmentally friendly furniture for children is considered to be that made of pine, birch, larch, walnut and beech. This wood has tonic and healing properties. For example, pine is the most economical material that will not stand out for any special decorative qualities, but in terms of ecology it is priceless. The unique antiseptic properties of pine can protect your baby from many diseases.

• "BELFAN" is a combination modern classics and the most fashionable trends.

We closely monitor new products in the world of interior design and produce furniture in accordance with the latest trends. What you will see at the Milan exhibition in April can be found in the assortment of our store in the fall.

Furniture from the BELFAN company remains relevant and does not go out of fashion for many years. Our clients do not have to regularly update their interiors. It is enough to add new elements or swap modules (for example, if we are talking about wall-mounted living rooms).

• Furniture from natural wood.

Our products are environmentally friendly and safe, thanks to the natural materials used in production. You and your loved ones will certainly appreciate the care for your health. A pleasant aroma and the energy of natural wood in the apartment will fill it with an atmosphere of comfort and tranquility.

• Wide range of products.

Here you will find furniture for the living room, bedroom, hall, nursery, and you can also choose complementary interior items.

Ready interior solution will save your time. Moreover, with us you don’t have to spend your budget on designer services. Our specialists will be happy to draw up a furniture arrangement plan that will meet all your requirements.

• Comfort every day.

When manufacturing furniture, the BELFAN company uses the best modern fittings. You don't have to force yourself to open or close a drawer or door. Mechanisms produced in Austria will ensure the absence of annoying sounds.

In addition, the inside of the drawers is lined with high-quality velor fabric, so you can carefully store your personal belongings.

• Decent quality at the best price.

We produce furniture at partner factories in Russia and Belarus, so we are ready to offer our customers comfortable prices.

Consider whether you are willing to overpay for furniture foreign production. Our factories produce furniture of such a global scale famous brand, like IKEA, the quality of whose products cannot be doubted.

With us you do not overpay for the brand, but get excellent quality for a reasonable price.

• Availability of most items from our range in stock.

This means that by placing an order today, in just a couple of days you will receive our furniture delivered to your home. You don't have to wait for long weeks.

• The BELFAN company has been successfully operating in the market for 15 years.

We present federal network, which produces furniture under several brands (BELFAN, Velidzh, Loft). The company's products are in great demand, which allows us to expand production even during a crisis. People come back to us and recommend us to friends.

High-quality after-sales service and a guarantee are two more undoubted advantages of cooperation with the BELFAN company!

Looking for the best furniture for your home? – Don’t forget that it should not only be beautiful and comfortable, but also environmentally friendly! After all, only environmentally friendly furniture will benefit your home and preserve the health of your loved ones. This is especially important if you have children growing up at home.

Don't know where to get these home furnishings? – You have already found them. You can buy environmentally friendly furniture from us - at a competitive price and with a quality guarantee. So, you can choose and order from usWiemann bed for only 27.7126 rubles to ensure a healthy environmental environment in your bedroom, or for 29,159 rubles. Most other companies offer such furniture at significantly higher prices.

Why should you choose eco-friendly furniture?

As you know, furniture is made from various wood materials. This can be not only pure wood - very often semi-synthetic materials made from wood chips, including artificial fillers, are used. Such furniture has an attractive appearance and good performance characteristics. However, when kept indoors, it can produce toxic fumes. And even if the percentage of their content in the air inhaled by a person is negligible, over time this can affect the health of those living in the apartment in the most negative way.

Such factors have a particularly detrimental effect on the health of children, causing them allergies and a tendency to diseases of the upper respiratory tract. And therefore, it is better to refuse to purchase such furniture in favor of options that are more suitable for a person.

Features of eco-friendly furniture

Eco-friendly furniture is produced using natural materials, mainly pure wood. However, in the production of furniture, in any case, it is necessary to use various adhesives and varnishes - otherwise the products will not have an attractive appearance. appearance. In the production of environmentally friendly furniture, the use of such substances is permitted, but with great restrictions. Thus, only those materials can be used that do not produce toxic fumes and cannot otherwise harm human health under normal operating conditions.

We only sell this type of furniture. A considerable part of our German-made samples have a Blue Angel certificate, which indicates highest degree its environmental friendliness and suitability for use in any apartment and children's rooms. Such furniture has not only good external qualities– under no circumstances will it harm your health or the health of the younger generation of your family.

Furniture – with health benefits!

You may not believe it, but using good, eco-friendly furniture can help improve your well-being, and even your overall health. If you use just such furniture in the interior of your home and get rid of the old one, the content of harmful substances in the air will sharply decrease, and you will very quickly feel how much easier it has become to breathe in the apartment. You will no longer be tormented by allergy attacks, headaches will stop, and you will even catch colds less often. Your children will delight you with increased academic performance and physical activity. After all, they will receive more oxygen and significantly fewer harmful substances. And this is very important for their full development, both mental and physical. With such furniture, your children will grow up healthy, and you will not have to constantly take them to doctors and look for the causes of their next ailment.

Eco-friendly children's furniture is really important!

When caring for the well-being and harmonious development of children, it is important not to lose sight of providing them with a healthy, environmentally friendly environment at home. Especially in the children's room. By purchasing eco-friendly furniture for your child, you will provide him with the opportunity to breathe clean air, and harmful substances will not enter his body. But if we talk about children, it is important to mention not only the fact that there are no toxic fumes, but also the safety of the material itself. After all, kids can allow food to come into contact with pieces of furniture, and even just try to taste them. At the same time, eco-friendly furniture will not harm them at all.

In addition, perhaps you yourself have repeatedly felt that products made from natural materials have their own warm aura, good energy. Children feel this too, but even more acutely than adults. They feel that such furniture is truly alive, that it breathes and does not get cold. The child feels in a comfortable environment, feels a beneficial atmosphere, and can develop harmoniously.

The best furniture

Thus, eco-friendly furniture is superior to conventional furniture in many respects. And it will be useful in any apartment, bringing joy to life to both children and adults.

The environment at home plays a significant role in maintaining and preserving human health. Wall and floor decoration, furniture, and textile materials can cause serious complications and exacerbations of chronic diseases if harmful components were used in their production. IN modern world many manufacturers focus on production environmentally friendly furniture, which is in increasing demand among buyers who prefer a healthy environment in their home.

Pieces of furniture are purchased for more than one year, so even a slight content of harmful impurities in the materials, varnishes and paints that were used in their manufacture can cause harm during prolonged contact with a person. One of the most dangerous substances used in furniture production, is formaldehyde. Even a small concentration of it in the air can provoke allergies and asthma. Therefore, when buying furniture, especially for a child’s room or bedroom, it is important to purchase environmentally friendly products.

Why you should choose wooden furniture

Give preference to furniture made of natural wood - right choice, because wood contains beneficial phytoncides that are released even when the product has been in use for several years. In addition, it is no secret that trees have positive energy. Do not think that solid wood furniture is not affordable for everyone. Domestic manufacturers make excellent products from inexpensive species - birch and pine.

In addition, the tree fits perfectly not only into, but also into almost any.

Furniture made from wicker - an eco-furniture option for home and garden

Beautiful and practical furniture wicker from wicker is in increasing demand. Originally intended for country houses, it has successfully taken root in city apartments. Elegant tables, cabinets, armchairs and especially beloved rocking chairs are made from rattan, willow or bamboo. There are also combined options with glass or steel. Such items, despite their elegance and apparent fragility, can last up to 25 years. They do not require special care, are easy to clean with a vacuum cleaner, and their only drawback is that they are afraid of rain.

How to check if furniture is environmentally friendly

• When purchasing, ask the sellers for an environmental certificate. The presence of a certificate guarantees that the product does not contain, for example, cadmium, used in paints, or lead.
• If new furniture emits a pungent odor, you should think about its environmental friendliness. Despite the fact that, according to GOST, the smell should disappear in no more than 2.5 months, such a purchase can result in an unnecessary headache. After all, your well-being largely depends on the air in your apartment.
• When choosing a bed or sofa, avoid products with foam rubber - over time it decomposes, which leads to the release of harmful substances.
• Give preference to upholstery made from natural, non-electric fabrics.

By buying very expensive things, or household goods that are completely free of harmful impurities, you automatically become an eco-consumer. Eco-furniture – is it really safe? Which upholstery is better to buy and which to refuse?

It is useful to purchase things that are safe for both the buyer and the manufacturer; only then can they be considered completely environmentally friendly.

Eco-friendly furniture: truth and myths

Wooden furniture has always been considered environmentally friendly. Is it really? It turns out that the cleanest array is treated with oil or wax.

But natural solid wood will not always be an environmentally friendly material. You should not purchase a bleached array, since chlorine-containing substances are used during processing to achieve this effect.

MDF or chipboard, what to choose? Is chipboard really that dangerous?

• Chipboard should not be placed in the sun or near heat sources - on a heated floor or near a radiator; it can emit harmful substances.
• You should also be afraid of chips and scratches.

In all other cases, chipboard is quite safe, but it cannot be classified as an environmentally friendly material.

MDF is safer, but not ideal, because it is not a natural material. Both materials must be varnished or laminated. Here it is important to pay attention to what kind of varnish or composition the MDF is coated with.

Only water-based varnishes do not emit harmful substances, but they will also last less.

Is the filling of upholstered furniture fraught with danger?

Do you know what your sofa, pillow, chair is filled with? Is your mattress dangerous? Do not know? And completely in vain! can be dangerous, and the pillow can cause allergies and various diseases. How to determine what to buy?

Let's start with polyurethane foam, the most common material in everyday life today.

You can only buy polyurethane foam without freon, which should be written on the product tag. This means that the inside is made of synthetic fibers, or processed down or feathers. But even here there are skeletons in the closet; some manufacturers treat down and feathers with chemicals. So that dust mites do not settle in them. It is better when processing is done using sterilization. Such goods are marked with a green tag.

Dangerous cotton - non-hazardous flax

Are you sure that cotton is an environmentally friendly and safe material? Do you know how it is assembled? Even during harvest, cotton is exposed to chemicals. To make the leaves fall off and expose the cotton boll, the plant is sprinkled with detergents. But that’s not all - the cotton is then processed using bleaching, lightening and dyeing with synthetic dyes.

But flax is not afraid of insects, it is easier to collect - flax is not treated with chemicals. Are you looking for a completely safe, eco-friendly material? Choose unbleached linen.

What clothes are safe for health?

Choose clothes that wrinkle. Uncomfortable? Be prepared for an unpleasant filling: to prevent the upholstery from becoming wrinkled, it is treated with a mixture of resins that contain a very unpleasant cocktail of formaldehyde and glyoxal. To make cotton white, it is impregnated with special substances that contain dioxins. Alas, environmentally friendly products are available only in the elite segment; everything else is fiction. For such products, raw materials are collected by hand, without the use of chemicals. And then they cover beeswax, paraffin or oil. How do you know if a product is safe?

Look for a tag with the "Green Cotton" icon

Upholstery with a surprise

If your sofa upholstery or mattress cover is washable, don't be happy - it contains chemicals that help the cover not shrink, and is often treated with artificial resins, which can easily contain formaldehyde.

So, in order not to be afraid of your own sofa and upholstery, choose upholstery that can only be dry cleaned.

Another option is to purchase sofas upholstered in organic wool; look for the following inscription on the tag: Wolle organic wool. Organic wool is not subject to any impact. But you should know that the price of such wool is enormous, as it is rare.

Silk upholstery is quite safe for humans, but since chemicals are used to speed up growth, formaldehyde and substances that disinfect can sometimes be found in it. To make silk heavier, solutions of metal salts and silicates are used. It is not dangerous to humans, but when disposed of it is very harmful to environment, which is why silk is not considered a completely eco-product.

Eco-style often uses cheaper materials made from primary raw materials; usually on the tag you can see three twisted ribbons.

Can leather be called an eco-friendly material? Yes, leather is completely environmentally friendly, even though natural acids and chromium salts are used during processing - all these substances are safe for humans. But colored leather can be dangerous, because it is not clear what dyes were used.

My home is my castle! This phrase can often be heard from people trying to make their home as safe as possible from external enemies. However, we do not always think about the internal security of our home. Meanwhile, invisible enemies can easily attack us and harm our health. We are talking about toxic chemicals in our internal environment, which do not contribute to our health.

The fact is that at the moment there is a wide variety of furniture on sale that is beautiful and comfortable. However, in the process of a competitive race, manufacturers often do not focus on the safety of their products, but rather think more about how to sell them better and faster due to beauty, functionality, and a cheap price. In such cases, the consumer has to learn to navigate the peculiarities of the furniture market on his own.

Let's figure out what materials it's made from. modern furniture and determine the most suitable ones for use in our home.

Solid wood.

It is usually considered the most environmentally friendly furniture. Such furniture is made from pine, birch, oak, walnut, mahogany, alder, etc. It is the most expensive on the market and often lacks trendy appeal (in the form of print, color, design), and in order to to meet your needs - most often made individually, to order. It is more durable and safer from the point of view of releasing hazardous substances. However, even in it there may be some danger from the point of view of the environmental friendliness of the adhesives used in its manufacture, varnishes, paints, as well as special additives for treating surfaces against pests and water ingress. Such furniture must be ordered only from reliable manufacturers with quality certificates for their products.

Chipboard.

Chipboard is made from sawdust and shavings, which are glued together with special resins, which, alas, most often contain formaldehyde, then sanded and painted with enamels that may contain phenol. After the production of the boards, they are usually laminated - covered with a paper-resin film, and then the material acquires the name laminated chipboard.

Typically, such a film prevents the release of harmful aldehydes into the air. Therefore, if you have furniture made of chipboard, then check its integrity on the surfaces, and, if necessary, seal these places with PVA or varnish. Also ensure that all edges and seams exposing chipboard material were intact, this will reduce the concentration of dangerous resins that may be released through them.

Fiberboard.

Fiberboard is made by pressing wood fibers with the addition of binding elements, which also most often contain phenol and formaldehyde, etc.

MDF.

Medium-density fiberboard is made by dry pressing fibers and gluing them together using paraffin and lingin (natural wood glue). Thus, MDF boards safer for our health, but only if they high quality workmanship, since manufacturers can use instead of natural adhesives epoxy resins, chemical adhesives that also release formaldehyde.

Plastic.

Plastic furniture is safe only if it is made in accordance with quality standards and is used in rooms without temperature changes, away from exposure to sunlight and heat (batteries, near gas stoves, etc.) In this case, the risk of release of polymer compounds (styrene) is quite high short. However, you should not abuse its quantity in the interior, because over time, the outer covering layer is imperceptibly destroyed and harmful substances are released.

Furniture made from other natural materials

: vine (branches of shrubby willows), rattan - palm vines, reeds meet all environmental requirements and will add pleasant variety to your interior.

Whatever furniture you choose, always ask for an environmental safety certificate from the seller, which will indicate the formaldehyde emission coefficient: E 0- perfect option, E1 is an acceptable option, E2 is average level, E3 is a dangerous option.

Thus, the safest for furniture are natural materials and MDF, provided they are made of high quality.