How To Eliminate Formaldehyde From Your Home With Organic Furniture?

How To Eliminate Formaldehyde From Your Home With Organic Furniture?

What Is Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde has no color, is a toxic chemical used in many common household items. Formaldehyde has been used in a number of industries for various purposes such as: for the manufacturing of building materials – like pressed wood products (mostly as an adhesive resin), fiber board, plywood, cigarette smoke, fuel burning appliances and kerosene space heaters. Formaldehyde becomes a gas at room temperature and becomes a harmful VOC, Volatile organic compound. It is hiding in all areas of your home or apartment. Wood products, flooring, paneling, furniture, foam insulation, paint and wall paper, synthetic fabric that contain permanent press options, even cosmetic and personal hygiene products.

Why Is Formaldehyde Harmful

Formaldehyde has been shown to cause cancer in animals and is listed as "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen". Long term exposure to toxic VOC in formaldehyde can cause serious health issues from headaches, dizziness to coughing and throat irritations, as well as cancer. Cigarettes contain formaldehyde, so keep smokers outside. Allow products to off-gas and air out before bringing them into your home will reduce immediate exposure to products that have been sealed and the formaldehyde contained within. Keep your home cool heat increases formaldehyde seepage.

Although formaldehyde may seem ubiquitous in the environment, there are things that you can do to reduce your exposure to formaldehyde. Below is a list of seven simple things you can do to reduce your exposure to formaldehyde.

How To Eliminate Formaldehyde From Your Home With Organic Furniture?

1. Buy solid wood furniture, or be sure pressed wood products are sealed
To keep emissions low from pressed wood furniture or cabinets, purchase items with a plastic laminate or coating on all sides. Although solid wood furniture may be more expensive than furniture made using particle board, solid wood furniture contains no formaldehyde and will last longer than furniture made using glues.

 

How To Eliminate Formaldehyde From Your Home With Organic Furniture?

2. Let new furniture breathe or off-gas.
Allow products that contain formaldehyde to “air out” before bringing them into your home. Airing out furniture in the sun will speed up this process

 

How To Eliminate Formaldehyde From Your Home With Organic Furniture?

3. Purchase furniture that uses low-VOC paints.
Low-VOC and Zero-VOC paints are now readily available at most paint stores, and these paints have the same or higher quality standards of conventional paints. The EPA minimum requirements for low-VOC rating is 250 grams per liter (gm/l) of VOCs in “low-VOC” latex paints and no more than 380 gm/l for “low-VOC” oil-based paints.

How To Eliminate Formaldehyde From Your Home With Organic Furniture?

4. Ventilate your home regularly and invest in a dehumidifier.
Formaldehyde concentrations are higher indoors than they are outdoors, so you can decrease indoor formaldehyde levels by letting in fresh air. Also, high relative humidity increases formaldehyde emissions, so you can use a dehumidifier to reduce relative humidity to recommended levels of 50% in summer and 30% in winter.

How To Eliminate Formaldehyde From Your Home With Organic Furniture?

5. Quit smoking
Quitting smoking is not just a good idea for lowering formaldehyde in your home, it is good for your health. There are many toxic effects of exposure to cigarette smoke, including exposure to formaldehyde. Evidence continues to mount concerning the health effects associated with cigarette smoke. A fairly recent study released by the New England Journal of Medicine has shown that electronic cigarettes may lead to exposure to formaldehyde 15 times greater than conventional cigarettes. (http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc1413069)

How To Eliminate Formaldehyde From Your Home With Organic Furniture?

6. Keep Chimneys and wood burning stoves clean
Make sure fireplaces and woodstoves are in good working condition to prevent smoke from getting into your living environment. Burn only well-seasoned firewood and keep your chimney clean and clear of obstructions.

 

How To Eliminate Formaldehyde From Your Home With Organic Furniture?

7. Keep idling gas engines away from the home.
Gasoline engine exhaust, such as those from cars, weed eaters, leaf blowers, lawnmowers, contains a number of toxic chemicals, including formaldehyde. Do not leave vehicles other gas powered equipment idle in attached garages or near open doors or windows if near your home. Make sure doors are well sealed if your home is connected to a carport or garage to prevent exhaust fumes from entering the home. Keep windows closed when operating these gas powered machines as the fumes may drift indoors during warmer days when windows may be left open.

Following these simple steps will help keep the indoor levels of formaldehyde and other VOC's low.


 

 

 


How To Eliminate Formaldehyde From Your Home With Organic Furniture?

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