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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Buying a new sofa

25 replies

sarah00001 · 20/02/2015 13:08

Hi, I'm currently 21 and a half wks pregnant. My current sofa is really old and tatty and I need to buy a new one. I have read that you should be careful when buying new furniture when pregnant due to chemicals, such as fire retardants, and that they apparently off-gas for a period of time. Should I go ahead an purchase one anyway and keep the windows open for a week or so until the 'new furniture smell' disappears, or should I not buy one at all to be on the safe side? I would really appreciate some advice. Thank you, Sarah

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MissTwister · 20/02/2015 13:13

It's a very hard question as no-one knows if they have any effect or not. There is NO EVIDENCE at all that they do any harm but there was a report from the Royal College of Obstetrics saying women 'might want to avoid, just in case.'

This 'just in case' seems to be a theme. It's all ridiculous really. I need all new kitchen equipment and apparently new frying pans are a baby death trap too. It really makes me angry that no-one has any clue so just tell us to avoid things just in case. It makes life very hard and anxiety inducing.

I bought a sofa just before I got pregnant and it did smell for a while but what are you going to do? Wait until the child is grown up and chemicals don't affect them? Me I am going to not fry things for the next 18 years....

Original poster

sarah00001 · 20/02/2015 13:20

Thanks MissTwister. I get so angry too with all the advice on things we are supposed to avoid. It makes day to day living almost impossible.

OP posts:

MissTwister · 20/02/2015 13:24

Sorry I got all ranty on my post! I really do want a new frying pan though and am fretting about it but feel annoyed that I am.

GotToBeInItToWinIt · 20/02/2015 13:39

I didn't even know this was a potential problem, we got a new sofa when I was about 24 weeks pregnant last time round!

Stinkylinky · 20/02/2015 13:59

All the stuff we are told to avoid is crazy! I just use common sense and gut feelings!

33goingon64 · 20/02/2015 14:03

We had a new sofa delivered days before DS was born. I bf-ed him on it every day for 9 months!

LollieLoves · 20/02/2015 14:28

I decided I'd rather get new furniture while pregnant than when there's a newborn in the house. Figured I'd be more worried about fumes and SIDS, than any theoretical risk from me breathing anything in that would then have to cross the placenta. Otherwise I could see us stuck with the same furniture till she went to school......

weeblueberry · 20/02/2015 14:58

Air your living room for a good couple of hours after it arrives if you're worried. But Lollie is right. If it's something that was a concern then walking down the street and inhaling car fumes is much more likely to cause an issue.

PenguinsandtheTantrumofDoom · 20/02/2015 15:10

I wouldn't buy a new sofa when pregnant, but more cos there's a good chance it'll get wrecked in the next few months than anything else. Mmmmmmm baby vomit and leaking nappies

BitchBags · 20/02/2015 15:23

If you're worried could you get a carpet cleaner to clean it with? we moved into our first home together in my last pregnancy and had to buy a second hand sofa due to funds but I spent the afternoon cleaning our big corner sofa with a carpet cleaner as it stunk of cigarettes. Not the same I know but if it worked for cigarette fumes it might work for chemicals?

skinnylegs33 · 20/02/2015 16:05

Hey,
This is interesting as I'm currently set on buying a new sofa before baby arrives (currently 16w). The leather one we have is quite old, no longer comfy to sleep in, takes a lot of space (and we will need all the room we can get) and I find it filthy Dog's hair in places I can't possibly reach and it bothers me a lot. Dh does not agree - he really likes this one - and am trying to persuade him with no success so far.

MissTwister does that apply to ceramic pans as well? I'm currently a big fan of NaturePan, I think they're really well made and last quite a while x

MissTwister · 20/02/2015 16:11

I think it's mostly non-stick frying pans that will kill you and everyone you know.

Will look into NaturePan, thanks!

m33r · 20/02/2015 17:14

I got a sofa delivered a few weeks ago and it has stunk but I didn't realise this was a 'thing'. I have been religious about everything else - would be a shame to be caught out by a sofa when I've avoided goats cheese for nine months!

AnnoyedByAlfieBear · 20/02/2015 17:19

What if your waters broke on the new sofa? helpful

Original poster

sarah00001 · 24/02/2015 02:46

Thanks everyone for your advice. I also emailed a furniture shop and they said it would be fine, although there would be a smell for a while. I'm going to go ahead and buy one and leave the windows open for a bit.

OP posts:

jennymor123 · 20/06/2016 16:34

Coming to this late. However, it is not true to say there is no evidence that the chemicals in sofas can be damaging to health. There is tons of evidence. The government itself published links to lots of research showing this in its consultation on changing the flammability laws (in August 2014). You can't easily avoid flame retardants in sofas altogether but if you want to dodge the worst kinds, go for IKEA or leather. And if you want a completely chemical-free mattress or sofa bed (sofas to come soon) try Cambridge Natural Mattress: cambridgenaturalmattress.co.uk/ I don't work for them! But I have a background in furniture testing and can vouch for the authenticity of their products.

WSand · 21/03/2018 10:57

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Igletpiglet · 28/03/2018 21:55

jennymor123
Are there any other brands apart from ikea and cambridgenaturalmattress that you found scored well in voc and fire retardent emission emissions and in being slow to burn? Thanks

jennymor123 · 29/03/2018 10:16

Igletpiglet:

It's very complicated! The legislation around mattresses in particular is so confusing that very few fully understand it. The Department for Business started to sort it all out 8 years ago but appear to have decided to let everything slide until Brexit.

Probably, most organic mattress/sofa makers are avoiding most flame retardant chemicals, but it's not guaranteed. For example, cotton mattress covers are unlikely to pass the fire test without FRs or without cheating. By cheating, I mean one way or another you may get an FR-free mattress but it will be more flammable than it should be. The problem is, you can't of course ask the manufacturer which way they are cheating!

Things change, too. I'm not sure I'd recommend IKEA so much now. Even if they are still not using FRs in their sofa covers, they do use an interliner which almost certainly contains FRs.

Here's a guide to buying furniture from someone who used to work for the Department for Business before becoming a whistle-blower:www.toxicsofa.com/consumer-guide-to-buying-furniture.html

You'll see that he advised buying abroad. This is because few if any other EU countries put flame retardants in their sofas or mattresses. Germany and Sweden are particularly opposed to them. Okay, it might cost you a bit more in postage but if you're going for cheaper models anyway, your overall costs should be lower than buying a UK 'organic', 'natural' product.

QueenAravisOfArchenland · 29/03/2018 11:20

We ordered a leather sofa shortly before the birth because our current sofa is a totally impractical velvet chesterfield. As things turned out the baby turned up several weeks before the sofa, but I can't say I'm worried about the fumes. Babies will inevitably be exposed briefly to all sorts of stuff which in theory might harm them, but short of keeping them in a hypoallergenic bubble you just have to keep away the proven risks, like cigarette smoke, and crack on.

jennymor123 · 29/03/2018 11:39

Sorry, but the harm to babies from flame retardants in our homes is not 'theory'. There are hundreds if not thousands of papers which show the damage increasingly done to our health, and babies in particular by these chemicals. A good summary, if not a shocking one, is in 'Toxic Cocktail' by Barbara Demeneix. UK homes have the highest levels of FR dust in the world. Furniture is a major contributor (around 3KG per sofa and more in mattresses) but the FR industry, working closely with insurers and pliable fire sector officials, has also managed to get them into items that do not even have any flammability requirements, such as carpets, curtains and bedding.

A leather sofa is slightly less toxic in that the cover will pass the ignition test without flame retardants. However, there are still loads of FRs in the fillings which unfortunately do get into house dust and then your blood.

Bluebirdsky · 29/03/2018 13:04

No advice on the chemical side of things but a friend of mine said she really regrets buying a new sofa just before having her baby as there have been numerous vomits, spills etc. And it no longer looks very new despite only being a few months old!

jennymor123 · 29/03/2018 14:04

Which reminds me, retailers will often pressure you into paying extra to have your sofa Scotchgarded, so that it repels stains. What they won't tell is that this not only adds more chemicals into the fabric, it also makes your sofa flammable again! The government told industry that this is in effect an illegal act, but they're still doing it.

RiverBetty · 25/07/2018 17:13

I was buying a new sofa like 2 months ago and decided to try something else than ikea or argos store. I found my sofa and chairs on the deine moebel 24 website and ordered them. I don't want to praise this store but I think it's worth to give a chance to other stores.

FlatWhiteThanks · 04/11/2018 11:16

Hi, I need to buy a new fabric sofa and have just had to return my first attempt because it stank the house out with the chemical new furniture smell. I didn't even know that was a thing. Slight smell because it's new, maybe, but this offgassing business is news to me. I'm currently without any lounge furniture (we're sitting on deckchairs!) so I need to get it sorted, but I'm scared I'll pick another smelly sofa. Does anyone have any recommendations of where you've successfully bought non-smelly fabric sofas from? Any help gratefully appreciated. Thanks.

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