Sofa Detox
QUESTION:
Hi, Debra I have a sofa question.
Can a conventional sofa be made safer by stripping it down and washing it?
Lets say you remove all covers and soak them, maybe in some vinegar, do a double rinse cycle, remove the back cushions and literally wash the whole cushion as long as it fits in washing machine. Take the seat cushions, soak and wash covers and then put seat cushions in drier to bake off the chemicals. Would this help remove some of the chemicals and make it safer?
The rest of the sofa where the fabric can not be removed, could it be wiped down with an organic vinegar and water solution? Would this help? I absolutely know that an organic or natural sofa would be the best, but for us who can not afford this, would what I described help?
We have one organic futon already, but it really hurts our bums. My husband hates it. My kids complain. I have be out numbered, and we purchased new sofas. One stipulation was that all the covers be removable and back cushion could fit in my washing machine. I know that most people would think i was cooky for stripping a new couch and washing the cushions but i am going to. So please tell me what else i can do. One more thing can i put the seat cushions in drier to bake off the chemicals? Thank you.
POSTED BY LINDA :: PENNSYLVANIA USA :: 11/05/2009 12:02 PM
DEBRA'S ANSWER:
This doesn't sound like something I would recommend. It would be better to purchase a used sofa, I think, one that doesn't have cigarette smoke or perfume, than to attempt to remove or outgass chemicals from a new synthetic sofa. It might be an expensive experiment if it fails, or shrinks the fabric so it doesn't look the same.
Debra :-)
Hi again debra, I have just one more question about sofa detox. Can i put the seat cushions in dryer to remove chemicals? Would this work? If so, how long would you think it wood take ? Thanks.Linda
COMMENT FROM DEBRA:
I wouldn't do this. You can't sufficiently detox toxic sofa cushions by putting them in the dryer.
POSTED BY LINDA :: PENNSYLVANIA USA :: 11/09/2009 12:44 PM
Thanks Debra. I wanted to update you on my sofa detox post. I canceled my furniture order.
From the moment I ordered the sofas i felt sick about it. I told my husband how I was feeling and he told me we should not bring it in the house if it will bother me, so I canceled it.
We are gonna make a new couch ourselves. I ordered 4 large organic cushions 24x24 from White Lotus Home and we are going to go buy the wood next week and my husband is going to build a new frame. We are gonna stuff a seat cushion ourselves also. I plan on ordering an organic case and some organic cotton batting and ultracel foam from White Lotus.The 24x24 pillows will be used for the back cushions. I hope by adding some of White Lotus's water based ultracel foam it will make it more comfortable. The ultracel foam does not offgas.
I actually got my pillows buy one get one free from White Lotus, so I saved a lot of money. I ordered 10 organic pillows all together and spent less than $300. We got all new bed pillows and the couch pillows, so quite a good deal from White Lotus. Thanks again for all the good info. Linda
COMMENT FROM DEBRA:
Good decision. Email me a photo when you're done and I'll add it to your post. :-)
POSTED BY LINDA :: PENNSYLVANIA USA :: 11/11/2009 9:55 AM
