Pick your Poison — New Furniture Off-Gassing or Dryer Sheets? A Dubious Choice!

This past weekend my wife and I were confronted with the option of purchasing a brand new (still in the box) kitchen table and chairs — or purchasing the floor model. Doesn’t sound like a big deal, does it? However, for someone like my wife who lives each day with MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity) it is actually a HUGE deal — and, unfortunately, a dubious choice. On the one hand, the brand new kitchen table and chairs likely hasn’t had adequate time to effectively off-gas. There is no doubt that the chemicals in the “rich parquet veneer” would create a reaction you and I (unless you also battle MCS) would likely not completely understand. On the other hand, the table and padded seats on the floor model reeked — even to my untrained nose — of dryer sheets and fabric softener.

Dryer Sheets, Fabric Softener and Scented Detergent Make for Very Toxic Laundry!

It’s amazing how the smell of dryer sheets and fabric softener gets completely transferred from one’s clothing onto the padded seats. Incidentally, this is a significant reason why we can’t do a lot of hosting at our house — toxic laundry detergent, dryer sheets and fabric softener leach to the furniture for weeks — if not months!

This particular table and chair set was sold in a store which also sells dryer sheets and fabric softener. Even though the items weren’t located next to each other, it’s amazing how those toxic chemicals leach on everything else in the same environment.

The Purchasing Decision

For those curious, we did buy the floor model, in part because we got a good deal and there weren’t going to be any more in stock for a couple of months. We were thankful to not to have to deal with the off-gassing from a new piece of furniture; however, we now have to deal with trying to remove the dryer sheet and fabric softener residue. Off to scrub each of the five pieces with vinegar and baking soda multiple times!

Living Natural Today Wants to Know

• What is the best way you have found to remove the residues of dryer sheets and fabric softener from furniture?