Habitude

By MissAllergy

September 22, 2008 3:31 PM | Link to this

Funny you should ask, we’re in the process of getting rid of our upholstered furniture to get leather instead. Read how it harbors dust mites, plus it has had a most unpleasant musty smell from day one, though it was bought new. Wonder if it is some kind of treatment that was applied, anti-mold or something reading about the Chinese-made furniture woes in France? I’m not familiar with leather’s downside, just got one loveseat and it seems comfortable and easy to care for. Anyone know of any negatives to leather sofas?

By Margaret

September 22, 2008 3:48 PM | Link to this

You also need to be wary of leather - tanning processes often involve toxic ingredients (e.g. chrome) that leave a heavy carbon footprint. There are many “eco-friendly” leather choices (e.g. ELMO from Sweden) but be sure and do some research before assuming that leather is a healthier choice than upholstery…. You can also check out the Sustainable Furniture Council website to learn more about “green” upholstery choices.

By MissAllergy

September 22, 2008 4:16 PM | Link to this

Margaret, I didn’t know this - yikes! I have a young child who is also very allergic and asthmatic, I thought this would be a better choice. We did get it from IKEA, I hope this makes it not so bad, I will look into ELMO as well. Thanks for the website, I will check it out too! Who knew sitting on a piece of furniture could bring forth such dilemmas?

By ebaby

September 23, 2008 7:39 AM | Link to this

My husband has terrible allergies so I try to buy things that I can machine wash and frequently. We also use a spray that kills dust mites on key items (mattress, couch, curtains). If I have to start worrying about toxic chemicals too, I feel like we will have to live in a tent and sit on the floor.

I too have considered leather as an option but wonder if I am getting better coverage with the dust-mite spray treatment.

By Fred Millar

September 23, 2008 12:35 PM | Link to this

Some years ago I bought 3 items from IKEA for my child’s bedroom, which items promptly emitted formaldehyde. IKEA told me they could not estimate the levels of formaldehyde in an average size bedroom over the first ten years of off-gassing. But that I could get a refund if I wanted, which I did. Off-gassing toxics from pressed-wood or plywood (remember the Katrina trailers?) is a serious concern — what do IKEA and other retailers of such furniture for homes and schools say these days? You could call that protective government agency about it — oh, that’s right, there is no government watchdog worth anything here, either. And the companies are free to buy the politicians — some way to pretend to have a democracy.

By fburmeister

September 23, 2008 1:20 PM | Link to this

Everything has its downside, as the comments about tanning of leather state. Trying to stay renewable, if not “green,” I recently bought two very expensive “Back Friendly” leather chairs manufactured in Norway. Either a skunk sprayed those chairs, or the reminants of the chemical treatment (tanning/dye/etc) filled the entire house with a pungent “mercaptan-like” odor that did not dissipate. Needless to say, the chairs went back to the store and I am waiting for replacements.

By Jackie

September 23, 2008 7:02 PM | Link to this

There’s this place officedesigns.com that has a “green gallery” for all the eco-aware furniture. The stuff is really nice too and very well-priced. I love where green furniture is going these days :)

By Gwen

September 24, 2008 10:27 AM | Link to this

My mother bought a Lazyboy recliner from Boscov’s in Pittsburgh. Shortly after delivery, she developed allergy symptoms of sneezing, watery eyes, etc. A skin rash soon developed which a dermatologist blamed on her age (80). Recently, my sister-in-law developed hives on her arms after sitting in the same recliner for a few hours. Neither Lazyboy nor the store will do anything other than recommend my mother sell the recliner and buy a new one. When asked about other reports of allergic reacions to their furniture, they did not comment.

By Robert

September 24, 2008 11:29 AM | Link to this

This is not the first case of such reactions. In May 2008, according to published reports, hundreds of consumers in the UK were injured by contact with a similar anti-mold agent that was topically applied to leather furniture. Now, with furniture sales slowing in the US, Chinese leather furniture inventories may be backing up, possibly requiring broader application of similar mold-killing chemicals. If I was shopping for leather furniture, I would look at the manufacturer’s law label (showing origin) and think twice about buying Chinese-made goods. Reference: Daily Mail May 28, 2008 Headline - This baby was burned red raw by a sofa giving off toxic fumes. As our investigation reveals, there are hundreds of other victims.

By maura ohanlon

November 7, 2008 8:36 PM | Link to this

our new leather suiet off 2 days is giving my husband tingely feelings it came fr china bought in classak furniture

By penny

November 19, 2008 10:46 PM | Link to this

I recently bought a leather office/computer chair from Office Maxx,(made in China),then developed blister like rash on the back of my legs and an itchy,bumpy rash on my upper back. I didn;t connect these problems to the chair until a few months later. I reported the problems to Office Maxx at their headquarters and asked if they did any sort of testing on the products they sold that were made in China. They said the manufacturer(in China of course) was the one responsible for the testing. It is appalling that these products enter our country without any testing by our govt. Check your labels,pls nix anything not made completely in USA. Now with Nestle’s recalling Lean Cuisine meals,(oh,by the way Nestle’s buys their milk from China-…melamine anyone?) I look for the made in USA label on EVERYTHING. We are on our own and buyer beware.

By Dale G - Birmingham, AL

February 24, 2009 7:47 PM | Link to this

I also purchased a True Seating Concepts leather executive chair from OfficeMax. From the instant I took it out of the box, my eyes began to water, my throat began stinging and I could taste something weird in the air on my tongue. Passing it off as some of the materials it was packed in, I felt that if I used it, the smell would wear off. Well, that was four months ago and I can still not sit in that chair. I tried sitting in it for a couple of hours today and the burning sensation in my eyes was unbearable. It gets on my clothes and I can still smell it. I had to move the chair outside into the hall and I’ve written the manufacturer and OfficeMax to see if there was ever a recall or other complaints. (If I end up dead somewhere from a mysterious accident please investigate True Seating Concepts and OfficeMax..hahahah). It looks like the Internet is going to be our best regulatory agency in this country for problems such as this. Thanks for writing this article.

By bryan

March 25, 2009 8:29 AM | Link to this

Anyone had any problems with leather furniture from World Market (Cost Plus)? I received a leather recliner for my birthday in Mid January 2009, and have been having skin problems on my legs that I didn’t connect to this problem until recently. I wondered if we had fleas (no animals in house) because my skin would feel like we had bugs crawling on us—never found any bugs, but with some research—it might be this chemical problem. World Market hasn’t gotten back to me (YET), but I expect the same typical comments I’ve read here—“No, no-one has reported a problem”, etc. I, at least, wanted to let them know there was a possible problem.