Written by Maia, President
UPDATED: October 2017
When I was on The Dr. Oz Show last month, my co-guest was a toxicologist from Yale. Although we were discussing phthalates in macaroni and cheese , when I asked him what he was MOST worried about in terms of toxins in the home, he said household dust, largely thanks for furniture whose toxic contents constantly shed and accumulate there.
Since sofas are often among the largest pieces of furniture we have in our homes, and ones on which we spend a lot of time, this seems like an important item to get right.
I wrote this post for those of you ready to invest in a truly safe sofa (or upholstered chair). We’ve done the research for you, and I will cover all the (scary) details in this post. Or, if you want a simpler answer–just skip down to the Good Stuff tab, where we’ve identified the manufacturers who make non-toxic upholstered furniture.
(Two of these companies, Medley Furniture and The Organic Mattress, have generously extended discounts to my readers. You’ll see more details on this below!)
My Top Pick for Best Sofa
I recently got a Medley sofa, and I’m obsessed! This is the brand I recommend most, and because I’m an affiliate, my readers get 5% off with code GOODSTUFF5.
You’ve probably read–on this website and elsewhere–that your sofa (and the rest of your furniture) is bad for your health, in large part because of the flame retardant chemicals in which all upholstered items are doused. So here’s the deal with that:
Your sofa, particularly if it’s more than a few years old, almost certainly contains one of the following flame retardant chemicals:
This is huge: the flammability standards enacted in 2014 can be met WITHOUT the use of the toxic chemicals I just described! To be clear–the new law does not BAN the use of the chemicals; it just renders them unnecessary.
My son enjoys his first flame-retardant free sofa, which we bought in 2013.
How to Tell if a Sofa Contains Flame Retardants
The bad news is that this puts us in limbo land–we don’t know for sure which companies are still using treated foam and which have switched over to safer materials. One clue: Look for the TB117-2013 label on sofas and pillows, which suggests that the item meets the standards without fire retardants.
When possible, you should go straight to a furniture’s manufacturer to find out what chemicals they are using, as even knowledgeable-sounding retailers rarely know, as you’ll see in my examples of “The Sneaky Stuff,” below.
For now, I still advise my clients to choose a sofa that they know is untreated with flame retardants, and that typically means either a custom piece of furniture (I work with interior designers to design these, but they are admittedly quite pricey) or a brand that we here at Gimme the Good Stuff have vetted. For these recommended brands, see The Good Stuff, below.
How to Reduce Your Exposure to Flame Retardants
This guide is intended to help you select the safest sofa (or upholstered chairs–all of the Good Stuff below also makes flame-retardant free armchairs). However, if you’re not yet ready to plunk down thousands, here are some other steps to limit your exposure.
- Keep foam enclosed. Be sure to mend any rips in your sofa or chairs that might allow chemically-treated foam to be exposed, and don’t remove cushion casings to launder.
- Upgrade your mattresses. If replacing your own mattress is out of the question,consider upgrading just the mattresses for your children. Many of my clients think their crib mattresses are okay if they are old because they have “already off-gassed.” In fact, as the foam degrades, more PBDEs and other chemicals may be released. Get help choosing a truly non-toxic mattress with our Safe Mattress Guide.
- Ditch your broom. Flame retardants accumulate in household dust, and sweeping puts plumes into the air. Instead, use a vacuum or wet mop to banish dirt and toxins. Invest in a HEPA-sealed vacuum that really traps toxins.
- Invest in a robust air filter. We like (and own) Austin Air filters, which employ HEPA, activated carbon, and zeolite, a mineral with superior ability to trap toxic gases and odors such as formaldehyde, ammonias, and carbon monoxide.
- Eat more plants. Unfortunately, even though these chemicals are being phased out, they will continue to persist in our environment for years. The number one food source of PBDEs is poultry fat. The lowest levels of a variety of toxins–including flame retardants–are found in plant-based foods, so if you substitute beans for chicken a couple of times a week, you’ll reduce your exposure.
Flame retardants are of greatest concern when selecting a sofa, but there are other toxins to consider as well. Anything that is wrinkle or stain-resistant should be avoided (see the box below on Scotch Guard). The glues and finishes on wooden legs can contain formaldehyde. Even without a chemical bath, polyurethane foam is a petroleum-by product that releases VOCs. This said, if you can get a sofa that doesn’t contain flame retardants, the biggest concern is off the table.
A Note on Scotchguard
Many of my clients–particularly those with young children–ask about Scotchguard. Here’s the deal: Scotchguard used to be SUPER toxic because it contained a noxious chemical called PFOS–which is not only terrible for the environment but also linked to cancer, hormone disruption, and immune system dysfunction. Scotchguard agreed to phase out PFOS and has replaced it with PFBS. Overall, PFBS seems safer, as it has a shorter half-life and accumulates in our bodies at a slower pace.
I remain skeptical as safety studies are still lacking. At this point, there really is no natural alternative to Scotchguard. You can get a good spot stain remover to deal with spills as they happen. You can cover your furniture with slipcovers. You could try this natural stuff called NikWax that’s really made to waterproof clothing but some people use on furniture.
Constructed in their Central Virginia production house, Savvy Rest organic sofas, loveseats, and armchairs are made with quality, safety, and longevity in mind. In all Savvy Rest furniture, you’ll find:
In addition, Savvy Rest furniture avoids all forms of formaldehyde glues, cardboard, metal coils, particle board, plywood, veneer, polyester, polypropylene, polyurethane, toxic stains, dacron batting, feathers, or down.
How to Get Savvy Rest: Savvy Rest furniture is sold through their retail stores, but they are also sold straight from the website. Depending on the piece you select, the price ranges from $3,999 to $5,299.
Note: Savvy Rest generously sent us a love seat, and it’s super, super comfy. The opinions expressed here are of course my own.
I ordered a Medley sofa and ottoman for my own living room, and I love it because it’s both modern and comfortable.
Here’s what else I love about Medley (formerly Stem):
*A note on bamboo plywood: The process used to create the plywood is called a “hot process,” where they heat and attach the layers of bamboo to each other. Some formaldehyde is used, but the amount is below E1 European standards (stricter than the U.S. standards). Medley claims that any off-gasing occurs when the wood is being made, not at the time it is used in their products.
How to Get a Medley Sofa: Medley sofas can be ordered on their website, and most cost around $4,000-$5,000. Medley has generously offered Gimme the Good Stuff readers 5% off of orders (real money considering the price of these sofas!). Please use code GOODSTUFF5 when ordering.
Cisco was the first Good Stuff sofa we ever bought in 2013, and we still have it (now featuring a few marker streaks) in our den. For those of you also living in New York City, you can find Cisco in ABC Carpet & Home, and I liked being able to go sit and test out the sofa before buying. (Now that I also own Medley (formerly Stem) and Savvy Rest sofas, I can vouch that those are comfortable, too).
When I bought my Cisco, not all of their models were free of flame retardants, and I had to pay more for the “Inside Green” option. In addition to the absence of flame retardants, this version of a Cisco sofa is filled with organic down and natural latex instead of polyurethane foam. Because Cisco uses wool in their sofas, they are naturally flame resistant and meet even the old flammability laws. The wood used is FSC certified, and any wooden parts of the sofa are treated with low-VOCs finishes. If you go with a Cisco couch, ask them if anything contains flame retardants (and don’t trust the sales people at ABC–they were unreliable in my experience.)
While we love our sofa, my husband is annoyed by how it constantly leaks feathers.
How to Get a Cisco Sofa: Visit their website for a list of retailers. As I mentioned, ABC Carpet is one place to find Cisco furniture in New York City. Cisco extended me a designer discount on my sofa, and I’m happy to pass this on to my private consulting clients. Otherwise, you’ll pay between $5,000 and $8,000 for most sofas with the Inside Green option.
Furnature is really the purest of the pure, going the extra step across the board. If you buy a sofa from Furnature, you’ll be sitting on:
How to Get a Furnature Sofa: Your best bet is to call 800-326-4895 and speak with the president of Furnature, Fred Shapiro, whose father started the company more than 100 years ago. Sofas cost around $5,000.
These sofas feature cushions made of natural latex and untreated wool, organic cotton covers, and legs and frames made of FSC-certified, kiln-dried solid maple wood. Even the leg stains are zero VOC.
You’ll have to call to place an order, but they are offering Gimme the Good Stuff readers 5% off all orders. Call 978-440-8200 and mention us for your discount.”
We hope you’re enjoying this post! Sign up for our newsletter to be alerted when we publish or update our Safe Product Guides.
Many conventional brands now claim to have removed flame retardants from their furniture. The sofas from the following brands will lack the very bad chemicals listed above, but may contain other questionable materials (polyurethane foams, stain or wrinkle treatments, formaldehyde-containing adhesives and so on): Ikea, Pottery Barn, Room & Board, Crate & Barrel. The best information that we can get out of IKEA is that “some of our upholstered furniture contain flame retardant chemicals around the zippers.” Obviously this is a major improvement, but we can’t quite call these brands Good Stuff.
As for West Elm, they don’t treat their furniture with flame retardants, but their sleeper sofas include mattresses that ARE treated. We received these photos from a reader who ordered a sleeper sofa.
When it comes to sofas, the bad stuff is anything that doesn’t specify that it is completely free of fire retardants.
ABC Carpet & Home’s Cobble Hill Line. Multiple salespeople in ABC told me their Cobble Hill furniture was completely free of flame retardants. I dug deeper and discovered that they do use chemical fire retardants, but they are proprietary. Fail.
Pottery Barn’s “green” line of furniture uses FSC-certified wood. And that’s it. Nothing about the foam/fabric treatment is any different from their standard furniture. Fail again.
Dania claims that they will “continue to develop new ways of upholding an “eco-friendly” standards in everything we do.” While recycling 100% of their paper and using solar power is great, they use conventional foams and flame retardants.
Want a less expensive sofa? One alternative is a futon. Here’s the one I like.
If you liked this post, sign up for our newsletter to be alerted when we publish new content like this!
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bobbie. All thoughts and…
Once again, December is chugging along with Covid cases ticking upwards across the country. A…
Happy holidays! We hope this toy guide is helpful for those of you looking to…
UPDATED: November 2021 Written by Maia & John Finding a non-toxic mattress is super-important, but…
This year, because of delayed delivery times from most stores, we are publishing our gift…
We've partnered with three of our favorite brands to reward our early-bird holiday shoppers. The…
View Comments
Hey Maia! I looked for a date on this post and couldn't find one. I'm guessing it's more than a year old. Time to update! Since California ceased requiring an open flame test on all upholstered furniture, the furniture industry has quickly removed flame retardants from the foam supplies used for residential furniture. So furniture at every price point now is available with NO ADDED FR ... and, of course, the required TB 117-2013 label will make that clear for shoppers. Now we are working to make the California standard a FEDERAL standard -- so manufacturers who don't sell into California (and, therefore, do not have to use the FR content label) would also have to label their products. There aren't too many of those, but it still makes sense to have everyone on the same page.
Hi! I have been confused about this, so thanks for commenting. To clarify--if you see a TB 117-2013 label does that guarantee the foam within that product does not contain any FR? I was under the impression is just meant it met the latest standards, which don't ban the use of FR, just renders them unnecessary.
Hi Maia
What can I get in Canada that's Okay stuff? I cannot afford the Good Stuff unfortunately. Also what's your recommendation on carpets are there any wool ones or anything that not so bad? Where can I get them?
Thanks a lot
If I could post photos I would but I have been suffering from intense giant hives, and I allergic welling and chemical burns as a result of the long term effect of sleeping on a tempurpedic bed. Now I have a severe polyurethane tdi allergy and even sitting on my couch results in giant welts. Many trips to the doctors for fast acting injections of steroids and pills. This allergy is now consuming my life
Unfortunately, when consumers who are concerned about toxicity in buying furniture CONSTANTLY pay outrageous prices for these organic pieces, these companies continue to make a HUGE profit and the majority of Americans cannot afford it. PLEASE write to these companies and let them know their prices are RIDICULOUS so that they will lower them. There is no need for these companies to get rich off of people who are concerned about carcinogens. And I personally hate dealing with so-called "save the planet" companies who are just as capitalistic as the big corporations. I have never understood this finger pointing when the nontoxic companies are also making huge profits. "Green" people, here's a little update for you (ugh, I hate that title). : Most Americans DO NOT HAVE FIVE TO TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS TO SPEND ON A COUCH!! So, please, if you really care about toxicity, stop paying that much and their prices will be forced to go down and then EVERYBODY can have a nontoxic, organic couch.
Amen! Thank you for that comment! I have cancer and I guess I have no options because I can't afford these prices. It really stinks.
AMEN!!!!!
I'm late to this post but anyone have luck finding an affordable alternative?
Amen! I have cancer so I guess I have no options for a safe sofa since I cannot afford these outrageous prices. It is such a struggle to get all of the chemicals out of your house. I have been shopping for a new sofa and I don't know what I'm going to do. :-(
The latest I just came across today from dwell magazine is an online only company called Article.com classy looking - looks better made than IKEA sofas all around $1000-1400 ish CAD Canadian dollars they ship for $49 to us or Canada from either Seattle or Vancouver. I think I might order one this week. I called customer service and she said no flame retardants or toxic glues and products mostly made in Vietnam a few things in china.
Or, they might go out of business. I don't think boycotting eco-friendly companies is the right strategy. Unfortunately, until more people become aware of the issue only a select few companies will offer these products and prices will stay high. Vegetarian/vegan food used to be more expensive and less available but as its popularity has increased more companies have gotten into the business and prices have come down as selections have increased.
A better idea might be to push for legislation against flame retardants and other chemicals or to get the word out about how harmful they are.
I agree completely with all you say. I have a lot of allergies and sensitivities, and need a more non-toxic sofa. However, we can not afford these brands of sofas.
What about replacing the foam in your old couch?
Hi, I was also wondering about this post...I am considering a couch right now. I was looking at the Viesso sofas and according to their CertiPur certification, http://certipur.us/about-our-seal/, the polyurethane foam does not contain flame retardants. So even if you go with a sofa with foam filling, it doesn't seem like it would be a concern. Also, from my understanding, polyurethane is inert after being cured. What were the reasons for not recommending all of the Viesso sofas? I'm wondering if I am missing something or if perhaps the blog post was written a while ago. Thanks.
Hi Sara-
If Viesso's foam is certified as free of all flame retardant chemicals now, then yes I would consider it safe (although I still would argue polyurethane isn't a great ingredient--petroleum based, etc.)
Maia, I don't think it can be considered safe at all. Polyurethane foam is a gasoline time-bomb made from petroleum. I would NOT buy a sofa with this extremely toxic foam. No way!
Polyurethane oxidizes, and it creates “fluff” (dust) which is released into the air and eventually settles in and around your home and yes, you breathe in this dust. Some of the chemicals in use in polyurethane foam include formaldehyde, styrene, toluene di-isocyanate (TDI), antimony…none of which you want to breathe in. CertiPUR foams are advertised as being made without PBDEs, TDCPP or TCEP - TDCPP and TCEP are known as "tris" and they are banned in several states) and PBDEs are being replaced by DecaBDE, which CertiPUR doesn't mention. Leigh Anne Van Dusen, Two Sisters Ecotextiles (www.twosistersecotextiles.com)
What's the name of your sofa and where is it from? Love the color and style.
The one pictured here is a Cisco Brothers, but I don't think they make that one anymore. I just bought a Stem, which I'll post pictures of soon!
Is your Viesso coupon code correct, because I got an error when I tried it.
Hi Stephanie-
Are you trying to combine the code with another coupon? Otherwise it should work!
What about ikea sofas? I read in an article from the EWG that starting in 2015, all ikea couches would be flame retardant free. I also went to their website and while they didn't mention this, they did state that since 2000 they have had a ban on certain flame retardants in compliance with the EU reach standards.
Hi Sam-
Like you, we have been unable to get a clear answer from Ikea about what (if anything) they are using as FRs (it's all proprietary). For ow, we aren't recommending them.
Hi! Thanks for this! Your mattress guide was a GREAT help. And now I'm sitting here on our IKEA couch and feel uncomfortable. So I guess that will have to go when we can... I was wondering i you were familiar with this company: http://www.greensofas.com/
And if you had any thoughts about their products?
Thanks!
I'm glad you've found the guides helpful! I don't know about this company, but I will add them to the list for the updated sofa guide!
Hello Maia,
We've just purchased sectional from Scandinavian Designs (Dania). The label on the couch states that there is no added flame retardants in the upholstery. Would you suggest that we shouldn't trust the labeling when it comes to Dania?
Thank you!
Hi Susanna-
If it says there aren't any FRs anywhere in the sofa, that's great. But if it's just referring to the upholstery on the outside, I would still want to check about the foam within the sofa. But they may have phased out the use of FRs since this guide was written!
The term, "no added" scares me. It's as if saying that there are flame retardants inherent in the sofa somewhere, BUT, we haven't added any extra! Ew! Not sure I'm going with that... :-)) plus, as you said, chk. the fabric... What about Scotchguard? Also, people get caught up in the F.R issue while avoiding the issue of all the other toxic ingredients in sofas, etc.
See box above on Scotch Guard!
Hello again,
One more question, why do you think Dania still uses flame retardants? If the label states that there is no flame retardants, can their sofa possibly contain some FRs anyway?
Thank you!
I went to the furniture.com site and they had nice looking sectionals for $1000. I was shocked by the price also they did not mention being green at all. Is all their stuff green? Has there been changes with this company?
I don't think they are nontoxic or eco-friendly. But you can certainly ask them!
You noted furniture as the purest of sofas. Is that not furniture.com. Who is the furniture brand and do they have a website?
http://www.furnature.com/
I found some mold in my sofa .What happens to the family that just don't have the money for these non toxic furniture?Is there anything they can do?
The good news is that the laws have changed and you can now get a flame-retardant free sofa from lots of bigger companies (IKEA, Pottery Barn, West Elm, etc.). There are other not-so-great things in conventional sofas, but the biggest concern is the FRs. Just be sure to check with manufacturers.
I received an email from Pottery Barn two days ago and the representative advised me that ALL upholstered furniture still has chemical flame retardants.
Hmm. I was speaking with them in September and I was told no flame retardant.