The most dangerous furniture you can have in your home

When purchasing new furniture, we try to select products that will match the overall style of the room. At the same time, few people think that a new headset can cause significant harm to health.

A situation often arises when, after arranging new furniture, its owner begins to feel a headache, sore throat or itchy skin. This is how the body reacts to the harmful effects of chemicals.

To protect yourself, you should know which furniture is hazardous to health.

Chipboard furniture

Chipboard is a wood panel made by pressing chips. Chipboard is one of the most inexpensive and popular materials, which is used to make sofas, armchairs and other products.

If low-quality raw materials were used in the manufacturing process of the slab, then it will result in furniture that can be harmful to health. Thus, the glue and resins that make up chipboard contain formaldehyde and carcinogenic substances.

In addition, products made from chipboard emit phenolphthalein, which is a poisonous and toxic substance.

The greatest amount of harmful substances is released when the surface has cracks, scratches and other damage.

Attention! If the product has an unpleasant odor, then there is no need to buy it!

Cushioned furniture

Throughout the day we come into repeated contact with sofas and armchairs.This can lead to the development of dermatitis. The cause of allergic skin irritations is aniline. This substance is contained in the dye used to color upholstery fabric. Products containing aniline fade when washed.

Reference! To test a product for aniline content, heat a small piece of upholstery. If you smell an unpleasant chemical smell, it means that harmful chemicals were used in the manufacture of the upholstery.

Children's furniture

As a rule, products for children undergo additional safety testing. Therefore, they do not cause suspicion and are considered completely safe for health.

In reality, children's furniture often leads to various respiratory diseases, such as asthma.

Products for children are always colorful and bright. But often low-quality dyes containing toxic toluene are used to color them. The vapors of this substance irritate the mucous membranes of the eyes and upper respiratory tract.

Attention! Determining the presence of toluene in furniture is simple: you need to wet a cotton pad with acetone and wipe a small area of ​​the surface. If there is no paint on the disc, the product is safe and can be purchased.

How to protect yourself from harmful effects

There are certain standards for the presence of harmful substances in the atmosphere. Thus, the content of formaldehyde in the air should not exceed 0.06 ppm. In fact, its actual amount in most residential premises is several times higher.

To find out the exact content of formaldehyde and other harmful substances in the apartment, you can use the services of specialized organizations. But it costs a lot of money.And few people would agree to throw away all the furniture, so you can protect yourself from harmful effects on your own:

1. The easiest way to protect yourself is to buy furniture made from natural wood. This is especially true in the bedroom.
2. You need to carefully inspect all the furniture. If there are cracks, chips and other coating defects, they should be treated with varnish or PVA glue. This way you can prevent the release of toxic substances.
3. Products made from chipboard should be covered with something. For example, a sofa and armchairs can be covered with a blanket, and chairs can be covered with natural fabric.
4. Do not allow accumulation of chipboard products in one place. If they are close to each other, this significantly increases the concentration of toxic and harmful substances in the air of a living space.
5. The apartment and house must be ventilated every day. This way you can protect yourself and your loved ones from excessive inhalation of chemicals.
6. You need to purchase furniture made from high-quality chipboard. This material has a hazard class of E1. This is the safest type of chipboard. Products marked E2, E3 may contain increased amounts of harmful substances. An alternative option would be MDF. This material is safe for the human body.
7. For a children's room, you should purchase products made from natural wood.
8. When purchasing furniture, you should ask the seller for a quality certificate, as well as a hygienic certificate. It is necessary to ensure that the level of release of harmful substances does not exceed the standards established by GOST.

What furniture undergoes safety testing?

All furniture sold in Russia is subject to mandatory testing for compliance with the technical regulations “On the safety of furniture products.”

When checking, the manufacturer is obliged to provide reports of tests performed, certificates for the materials used and other documents.

The information provided is verified by an accredited organization. In addition to issuing certificates, it exercises control over all certified products.

All types of household furniture and products for industrial premises are subject to mandatory control. Furniture for children and educational institutions is certified.

It is worth considering that the issued certificate is valid only for three years.

Finding furniture that is completely safe for health is almost impossible. If possible, you should purchase products made from natural wood. Otherwise, you must follow the recommendations given and protect yourself from toxic emissions yourself.