My Chemical-Free House

A Guide to Creating a Healthy Home

Non-Toxic Furniture for the Bedroom, Living Room & Dining Room

Published: April 9, 2024 |

This is a look into non-toxic furniture, starting with specialty brands – those are mostly high-quality solid wood options with zero-VOC finishes.

Then on to simple and affordable furniture made of non-toxic materials like glass, hard plastic, metal, and seagrass.

This post was originally written for those with chemical sensitivity (MCS) as well as those very sensitive to dust and mold.

This article contains affiliate links, upon purchase I earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Table of contents

Tables, Chairs, Bookcases, and Storage

For non-toxic chairs, bookcases, benches, and storage units look for solid wood (with zero-VOC stains and varnishes), and zero or low-VOC adhesives.

Low-odor woods are preferable for some sensitive people.

Avoid particleboard and MDF if you are sensitive to formaldehyde. HDF is another pressed wood product made with formaldehyde which can be found as the backing of many bookcases and storage units.

Plywood made with phenol-formaldehyde is not as high in off-gassing as MDF or particleboard and can work for many sensitive people.

There are some formaldehyde-free engineered wood products like Purebond plywood (though some sensitive folks react to their soy glue).

Some types of furniture are more likely to have a veneer of real wood glued onto a lower-quality wood. In some styles, this is hard to avoid.

Laminate or melamine furniture has particleboard inside.

Non-toxic solid wood bookcases
UrbanNatural

Medley – Has some beautiful solid wood furniture, sealed with WoodShield and made with zero-VOC glues. It’s a favorite brand amongst the chemically sensitive.

Urban Natural – Many lines use either natural oils and a beeswax finish or a zero-VOC water-based catalyzed varnish finish. The glues vary by manufacturer. One brand uses a Cradle-to-Cradle certified (toxicity level yellow) glue.

Viesso – Some lines use ECOS 0-VOC finishes (which are very well tolerated by the chemically sensitive) or natural oil and wax finishes on wooden furniture.

solid wood dining table made of light wood in a mid century style
Medley

Amazon has a good selection of solid wood-framed chairs.

solid wood and rope chair

West Elm also has nice solid wood chairs (dining room).

Simple non-toxic side tables can be found on Amazon. I like this little metal one.

side table made of wood, cloth basket below and plastic top

Non-Toxic Vintage Furniture

Vintage or second-hand wooden furniture might be safe and healthy if you are sure it hasn’t been refinished recently with conventional products, and it has not been exposed to chemical cleaning products, air fresheners, smoke, mold, pesticides, or other chemical substances.

With upholstered items, take extra care to make sure it wasn’t from a time frame when flame retardants were used and were toxic.

The post on flame retardants goes into more detail.

Those with chemical and mold sensitivities are often on a budget so going with some second furniture or even free furniture is usually worth trying.

Solid Wood Amish Furniture

If you can’t find what you are looking for in the eco stores or in big box stores, try Amish furniture-making companies. 

They build solid wood furniture.

They often use linseed oil as a finish but unfinished pieces can usually be requested.

Non-Toxic Desks

solid wood desk with medium stain color
Urban Green Furniture

Vermont Woods makes solid wood desks with a very low-VOC lacquer.

Uplift makes standing desks with solid wood and very low-VOC finishes.

Solid wood desks from specialty stores tend to be pricey.

A dedicated post on non-toxic desks (and desk chairs) can be found here!

On Amazon, you can find simple solid wood desks, like this sturdy solid wood sawhorse-style desk.

Glass and Metal Desk from Amazon

You can also find glass and metal desks on Amazon.

Bedroom Furniture

Non-toxic dresser made with grey wood on the front and white on top and sides
Romina

Green Cradle – This company makes 100% solid wood bedroom furniture, either unfinished or finished with linseed oil. They have dressers, chests, armoires, bookcases, nightstands and cribs.

Romina Furniture – Makes furniture for the bedroom for babies, kids, and teens. They use solid wood only, organic natural glues, and a variety of non-toxic finishes.

Baby Eco Trends – Makes furniture for babies and children. Solid wood, Amish made, with a choice of finishes. 

plain Cabinet that looks like bamboo wood
Medley

Medley – Makes bedroom furniture out of solid wood and bamboo, with all-natural finishes.

Zin Home – Makes bedroom furniture, much of it out of reclaimed wood, and some with natural finishes. They were not able to tell me what all the finishes were, as the items are made overseas.

Vermont Woods – Solid wood bedroom furniture (some pieces have veneer), with very low-VOC lacquer.

TY Furniture – A focus on non-toxic furniture, this company uses solid woods, non-toxic natural oils, and wax finishes with non-toxic glues.

IKEA – IKEA makes solid wood beds (though the slats are laminated plywood). See a review of the NEIDEN here. They also make other solid wood items.

Alternatives to Wooden Furniture

Solid wood furniture from specialty stores tends to be expensive.

These alternatives would also suit those who don’t do well with the odor of wood or have severe allergies and reactions to mold, dust, and allergens.

Non-porous, low-toxin furniture that can easily be wiped down with a variety of cleaning products is a huge advantage for many.

Many of these options are also less expensive which is well suited to those starting over after a moldy or toxic house.

Glass, Metal, Stone & Plastic Furniture

Metal Furniture

Metal is one of the safest materials for the chemically sensitive.

Metal may need to be washed down in order to remove factory oils, but otherwise, most finishes don’t off-gas.

Powder-coated metal is the safest painted-look finish.

Electroplated finishes are totally safe, along with metals that don’t require any finish like chrome and stainless steel.

Bertoia-style metal chairs, pictured, are popular. There are many metal chairs on Amazon that are very affordable.

all metal chair in a mesh pattern

Other furniture items you can find in metal are cabinets, drawers, even a chest of drawers (though there are some wood products in there), shelves, tables of all sizes, kitchen prep islands, desks, bed frames, TV stands, and more.

I really like this metal console table storage unit.

Storage-Cabinet-Cupboard-Organizer

Glass Furniture

Glass is the most inert material for furniture. It will most often be coupled with metal like this glass and metal coffee table, glass and metal desk, and this bar cart.

It’s possible to find pieces that are pure glass, like this table from Amazon (pictured) which is surprisingly affordable for a glass product.

There are more glass desk options in the article on desks.

a single piece all glass coffee table

Hard Plastic Furniture

Hard plastics are generally safe and are tolerable for most sensitive people.

Almost all furniture made of hard plastic will be a low or no off-gassing plastic like polypropylene.

Sometimes it needs a couple of days to air out.

I have seen many of these mid-century style chairs in person and they were very inert. Some have metal legs if you want to avoid all wood.

four chairs wth a moulded plastic seat in white and wooden legs

Hard polypropylene, ABX, and acrylic are all highly tolerable, low to no off-gassing plastics.

These polypropylene shelves/organizers pictured below could look cool (they come in metal as well).

cubby shelving made of hard plastic

You can also find many items made of clear acrylic like this really neat trunk, coffee tables, side tables, shelves, and other unique storage units on Amazon.

clear acrylic plastic coffee table

Sterilite is a plastic that even the very chemically sensitive usually do well with (a mix of polypropylene and polyethylene). You can find drawers made of Sterilite.

All plastic small drawer unit that can be used with a desk

Outdoor faux rattan is usually made of safer plastics (like polypropylene or polyethylene), like this one, that will work for most folks who are sensitive to chemicals.

Make sure it’s not made of PVC which I have come across (rarely) with outdoor wicker, this does usually off-gas.

Plastic rattan chair with metal legs

Stone Furniture

Marble and other stones can be made into tabletops.

Marble is made with a resin used to fill in the fissures, and a sealer would also be applied to furniture. You will have to reseal it if it gets heavy use.

Faux marble is most often laminate (with particleboard) – not ideal for the chemically sensitive.

Though it could also be a safe hard plastic, or a less safe hard plastic (like cultured marble). It could also be engineered stone which is usually zero-VOC. Be sure to check out what it is made of.

Some have a quartz, which is safe for most people and zero-VOC (but like marble, not cheap).

Sintered stone tables are even safer for sensitive folks.

Rattan, Seagrass, & Banana Leaf Furniture

You might also want to consider furniture made of natural fibers: rattan (a vine), banana leaves (the leaves from banana trees), seagrass (a reed), and bamboo (a grass).

The outdoor “rattan” is usually plastic woven in a wicker style, and works best for outdoor furniture.

Real rattan and similar fibers can be used to make low-toxin and even stylish indoor furniture.

The term “paper rope” is not a natural grass or reed, but rather paper mixed with glue and “sizing” chemical twisted together. It resembles rattan. If you are looking for real rattan, be sure to double-check.

Rattan can look stylish inside, despite being very simple:

Are Rattan, Banana Leaves, and Seagrass Treated?

Many very sensitive folks do well with these fibers.

Though it’s possible the plants were sprayed while they were growing or sprayed with pesticides in transit if they are coming from tropical countries as an import (source).

Rattan

Rattan is a vine that is technically a wood product. Amazon carries a selection of natural rattan chairs, most of them $100 – $200.

IKEA carries real rattan chairs from $50 – $180.

You can also find rattan headboards (IKEA has one with a wireframe), trays, baskets, stools, coffee tables, storage pieces, and even mirrors.

For a full run through of non-toxic furniture from IKEA, see this post.

More bed frames in my article on bed frames for the chemically sensitive and bed frames from IKEA.

Real rattan chairs made of organic natural reeds with wooden legs at a table

Banana Fiber

Banana leaves or banana fiber are the leaves from banana trees. You can find it made into stools or poufs.

IKEA has a banana fiber stool and Amazon has a cat tail grass stool.

Seagrass

The terms seagrass and water hyacinth are used interchangeably in the furniture industry.

The leaves and stems are made into furniture like this storage basket.

You can also find bulrush coffee tables, seagrass rugs (more in my post on non-toxic rugs), and various types and styles of storage baskets.

Seagrass stool/storage bin made of natural materials
a banner that says new course on non toxic building materials on demand course by my chemical free house get it now with images of a computer with the course on the screen

Corinne Segura is an InterNACHI-certified Healthy Homes Inspector with certifications in Building Biology, Healthier Materials and Sustainable Buildings, and more. She has 10 years of experience helping others create healthy homes. You can book a consult here.

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Comments

    • Corinne Segura, Building Biologist

      yeah looks pretty good. low VOC finishes, could be 0 but still might be good. The term low VOC can be quite broad.

      Reply

  2. DKI

    While very basic looking, I have used the ECR4Kids furniture in my house (shelving units, book rack) and they did not have a smell. I think their furniture is greenguard certified, but I am not certain — it should be on their website. I had other furniture brands in mind but I was tired of researching and went with the kid-safe brand.

    Over the years I have used a couple of Sterilite drawer systems for some clothes and other things (dog supplies, storage of clutter) — I got them from Target, and I don’t remember them having a smell when I used them. They did not make the room smell or the things inside them smell.

    However, while not furniture, the Sterilite totes (with the purple handles that lock) I find are very unpleasantly smelly now. And they take a long time to off-gas — I have had one in my garage for almost 2 months and it still smells! Bought from a Target store. I’m not sure if they changed what plastic they use for those, as I bought a bunch of smaller Sterilite purple handled totes about a year and a half ago that I don’t recall smelling so strongly. I had no issues with Rubbermaid’s grey storage totes (also bought at Target where they probably off-gassed for a while on the shelf) which I kept emergency supplies in. The Target brand grey totes were quite smelly in the store so Rubbermaid grey totes were the best/least smelly option at Target. (Hefty totes also smell pretty strong initially too…but the smell goes away MUCH faster than Sterilite in my experience. The polypropylene Y-weave basket totes at Target don’t smell at all to me, I have used them for years for my dog’s stuff and to organize some supplies in my bathroom

    Reply

  3. Sarah

    Regarding vintage furniture: While it may have off-gassed (and may also have a kind of charm that’s hard to find in new furniture that, these days, often looks very industrial), there are risks that come with buying something used as it related to not knowing anything about the environment it’s been in which could mean importing something undesirable into your home:

    ~ It could have mold that may or may not be visibly evident, as well as having a high spore count. Regarding the latter, I would suggest thoroughly vacuuming every surface of the piece. You could also query the seller as to where the piece has been used/stored, but they may not be honest and forthcoming with you. If stored in an attic, garage, or basement, I would be cautious.

    ~ You don’t know if the piece has had more than one home and the current owner/seller may know very little about the place where the furniture was before they bought it.

    ~ There could be issues with biohazard waste on the upholstery and/or cushioning.

    ~ You could be importing critters like fleas, bedbugs, woodworms (if the piece has wood), etc.

    Reply

    • Nicole

      Another wood I have been having no problem with is black locust. It is a hard wood which withstands aging and rot outside. Termites don’t like it. My foundation was built from it.

      Reply

  4. Jaycie

    What are your thoughts on acrylic as a material? specifically acrylic for book ledges for a nursery/child’s room?

    I am trying to decide between an unfinished solid hardwood maple book ledge (on etsy) or acrylic book ledge. I am sensitive to smells but ultimately want what is the safest for my baby and air quality. I am unsure what would be best, I am leaning towards the solid hardwood but also unsure of how they compare or if they are about equal.

    Thank you!

    Reply

  5. Susan

    Hello Corinne,
    My husband has severe MCS. We need to buy some living room furniture. In addition, we need to buy a new mattress (King) and bedding. Could you give us some suggestions of the best resources that makes products for someone with such a severe case of MCS? I realize that you can’t guarantee it will work, but you must know of a resource(s) that can help us. We are desperate for some help. Thank you, Susan

    Reply

    • Corinne Segura, Building Biologist

      I have a few articles on furniture and one on mattresses for the chemically sensitive. there is also one on sheets and blankets

      Reply

  6. Violet

    Corinne, I haven’t seen any posts on your website yet for outdoor furniture, unless I am missing something. I’m looking at buying some black powder coated/painted cast aluminum patio furniture, but I’ve read that cast aluminum can contain lead and cadmium. Is this true? Should this type of metal furniture be avoided, and what is a good, safer alternative that can still withstand rain or shine? Thanks.

    Reply

  7. Yuliya

    https://edloefinch.com/collections/sectional-sofas/products/albany-corner-sectional-distressed-vegan-leather?_gl=1*96tps6*_up*MQ..&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsZLLs52uhgMVFkH_AR04-wlJEAAYASAAEgKNAfD_BwE

    Is this how the wooden one you mentioned on amazon is non toxic? It looks different in the picture displayed above in your post – there’s no wood now – maybe they changed it but it’s the same link? Would you still approve this one? What is the coating on top – does it off gas? Wanting this for my sons bedroom, as a nightstand.

    Reply

  8. Kes

    Hi I had my baby’s dresser built with the Titebond Hide glue but now it’s cracking, so you know if the cyanide and ammonia components to the glue can be particles in the air now and affect my baby’s health? Should I get it out of the room?

    Reply

    • Corinne Segura

      I wouldnt expect that to become dustborne, unless it’s crumbling and becoming dust. It does not contain cyanide it contains ammonium thiocyanate. The ammonia part of that will offgas.

      Reply

  9. Sarah

    Fantastic list of options!!! Would also add Etsy as another resource. There are a lot of wildly talented people selling custom furniture on Etsy. And many will work with you if you ask for a FRESHLY stained sample so you can see how strong the wood and/or finish may smell. Some are willing to work with you to use a different kind of stain or finish. Some are willing to make the piece and ship it as an unfinished piece so you can finish it as you like.

    Reply

  10. Nicole

    Hi Corrine.

    Looking for a non toxic, round kitchen table and chairs- 36 yo 40 inches…….any suggestions?

    Love your blog by the way, thank you!

    Nicole

    Reply

  11. Fiona

    Hello, this is great info but I just wonder if it’s ok to buy these different materials would it not be of importance to know if these contain glues or varnishes too?

    Reply

  12. Evelina Yung

    Hi Corinne

    I have a couple of antique (over 100 years old) Korean medicine chests in my bedroom and wonder whether they could emit toxic substances. In other words,
    I wonder whether they are safe.

    Evelina

    Reply

    • Corinne

      They wouldn’t be emitting and gasses but there is likely to be lead somewhere in it. It could be in the varnish, in the paint if there are painted parts, and in the brass for sure.

      Reply

  13. Alie

    Hi Corinne, I have found some lovely Amish furniture for my nursery but they all say the use conversion varnish which is VERY high in VOC. When I spoke with the company (archibald furniture) they said that is offgasses mostly during production. Do you think that would be true or have you had any experience with conversion varnish?

    Reply

  15. Ashley Cossé

    Hi Corrine,

    Do you have any post on outdoor furniture? Most of the patio sets are made of PE wicker. Does this type of material off gas? According to your post it should be ok. Also many of the cushions are made with harmful chemicals to make them weather resistant. Any guidance would be appreciated!

    Thank you,
    Ashley

    Reply