Healthy Building

Updated Fall 2021

This post is my overview post on sealers.

I’m starting with oil sealers for wood because these are the only totally pure and natural options. Natural waxes are sometimes used with oil finishes and so those follow.

But what about if you want to add a stain to the wood? Onto looking at both non-toxic water-based wood stains and natural oil stain finishes.

Then an overview of clear zero-VOC water-based wood varnishes – some of these are durable enough for floors and others are only for furniture or walls.

Cabinet paints are next. A notoriously difficult surface that needs a smooth and durable coating without added toxins or VOCs.

Another way of looking at sealers is not just as a protector against water and stains but to seal in an offending chemical or odor. An overview of those sealers is included.

Next are exterior sealants, a category that is almost always higher in VOCs than their interior counterparts, these are the healthier options.

Lastly, an overview of stone and concrete sealers and where you can use each of the non-toxic brands in this category.

If you need assistance choosing the best paints, sealers, and finishes for your sensitivities and project, please contact me for a one-on-one consultation. 

I recommend all of the products here, some products have affiliate programs and some do not. Upon purchase, I earn a small commission through affiliate links at no extra cost to you.

1. Natural Non-Toxic Wood Sealers

i. Natural Oil Wood Finishes

Linseed, tung, refined hemp, soy, and walnut oil are all natural oils that on their own can be used to seal and protect wood. They are called drying oils.

Drying oils penetrate, harden and preserve wood – providing a long-lasting finish that does not turn rancid. 

Coconut oil if refined can be used on wood and won’t go rancid. But it’s not a drying oil, meaning it won’t polymerize and form a durable coating (source).

I wouldn’t recommend using olive or other (non-drying) oils because those can go rancid on wood.

Linseed and Tung Oil

Linseed Oil and Tung Oil are the traditional natural finishing oils for wood.

Although they are natural, legally no-VOC, and technically non-toxic, they do offgas aldehydes (and other compounds), that can be bothersome for the chemically sensitive.

I review tung and linseed in detail in their own dedicated post. That includes a look at Rubio Monocoat and Odies Oil.

I look at additives including possible metals, chemicals added, as well as which compounds they offgas and when they fully cure.

Linseed and/or tung are often labeled as “teak oil” or “danish oil”, though this is a general term that can mean either it’s pure or mixed with additives, as I go over in the post on these oils.

Hemp Oil Finish

Hemp Oil is often my top choice for an all-natural drying oil for wood due to how mild and safe the odor is.

It does have a light aroma, which I would consider pleasant. I would test for your own sensitivities (and allergies) by buying a small amount first.

Hemp oil is the only ingredient in the Milk Paint Company and the Homestead House brands.

I used the Milk Paint brand and was happy with it. If you order it directly through their website you can get 10% off with code mychemicalfreehouse.

I used hemp oil on all the interior wood in my chemical-free tiny home – floors, stairs, interior door, and window sills. The ladder to the loft did get grimy, though the dirt did wipe off easily.

It’s not the most durable of the wood finishes compared to some more conventional options, and it’s not the most durable drying oil for floors but I was very happy with it.

Tung oil is the most durable, followed by linseed oil. If you do well with those oils, they are better suited for hardwood floors.

Make sure it’s refined hemp oil (made for a wood finish) as opposed to the edible oil from the grocery store.

This finish is certainly one of the safest and healthiest options for wooden toys, butcher block countertops, and other food-safe surfaces.

Walnut Oil

Walnut Oil, another drying oil, is used on surfaces like concrete countertops, raw slate, non-glossy marble and granite, soapstone, sandstone, and onyx.

I tested the Milk Paint walnut oil and the odor is very mild, even lighter than hemp. I was extremely happy with its performance on stones.

I go through sealing various stone types more in the countertop post.

You certainly can use it on wood, but it’s not as durable as the above oils, so it’s best suited to cutting boards, toys, bookshelves etc.

You can buy Milk Paint walnut oil on Amazon or on their website. You can use code mychemicalfreehouse for 10% off on the website.

Rosewood Oil

Another oil to check out is Penofin Verde which is Brazilian rosewood oil mixed with other natural oils. They use “vegetable ester solvents” and I would expect a solvent odor and offgassing here.

Oils need to be reapplied to wood every few years or more in high traffic areas.

For information on using natural drying oils on stones (which ones work to protect stone and which ones can discolor them), see my post where I test them all.

ii. Natural Wax Wood Sealers

Beeswax & Carnauba Wax

Wood can then be finished with a beeswax polish for extra durability. Beeswax takes 30 days to fully dry.

I used beeswax on my window sills over the hemp oil to provide a more water-resistant finish and I was really happy with it.

It also works well on counters, cutting boards, and toys.

This Beeswax/Carnauba Polish works well but does have mineral spirits in it. Mineral spirits do evaporate quite quickly and leave the product once cured. I haven’t found odorless mineral spirits to be a very toxic ingredient.

Hemp and beeswax mixed together make a great food-grade finish for cutting boards and other items. I like Fusion brand which is 100% hemp and beeswax with no additives.

Walnut oil with carnauba wax works great as well. I have used this brand on stone and wood.

Wax usually needs to be re-applied every year.

Natural Shellac Resin

Shellac is a resin, and one of my top picks for many different purposes.

Shellac, in the purest version, is just the natural flakes of the resin produced by a beetle, and alcohol.

You can purchase flakes from www.shellac.net or Amazon.

Shellac can be used on many indoor surfaces, including floors, toys, and furniture.

Natural, de-waxed shellac, would be the purest choice for most projects. It does come in a synthetic formula as well, so be sure to check which type it is. Regular (waxed) would be used for some applications.

If you want to buy it ready-made, Zinsser makes one they claim is only shellac and alcohol. (If it’s not available on Amazon, try Walmart)

I discuss this more in the posts on sealing in toxins since this finish is great at sealing in offgassing and odors.

Oils for Earthen Floor Finishes

If you don’t have oxblood on hand, no problem, you can seal your earthen floor with any of the hardening oils we talked about under wood finishes.

I would use Hemp Oil, though a final coat of linseed and possibly wax, may be needed to get it to hard enough. I did find that to be the case on a project I worked on.

Beeswax can also be used in the final coat for extra protection if desired.

iii. Natural Non-Toxic Wood Stains

Natural Oil Wood Stains

Each oil in the section above will tint the wood to some degree, so you should test for the look you want to achieve – you might find that you don’t need a stain at all.

Or you may need a stain to lighten it!

If you do want a stain I prefer the oil and stain in one options:

1. Rubio Monocoat

Rubio is a low odor modified linseed oil finish with many color options. We don’t know a lot about what’s in it other than (modified) linseed and wax. It’s significantly lower odor than pure linseed. It does have a drier, the Part B. I review it in more detail in this post.

It comes in 40 different colors including lightening shades like greys and whites.

They claim zero-VOC, though the MSDS does indicate some VOCs. Despite the unknowns, I really liked this brand for both low odor and performance.

2. Tried and True

Tried and True premixed oil and pigment stains went on beautifully. I tested the Java color on oak.

This is pure polymerized linseed and pigment, nothing else added. This is the most natural option, with no solvents or additives.

It comes in 5 darkening shades.

Legally linseed is zero-VOC, but it does give off natural volatile compounds. I do a deep review of linseed and tung oil in a dedicated post.

4. Osmo

A well-known brand available worldwide. Their stains alone are low odor but they are meant to be used with the top coat of Polyox Oil.

Polyox contains sunflower, soya and thistle oil, with waxes, including paraffin, plus de-aromatized white spirits, siccatives, and polysiloxanes. They declare all of their ingredients.

The Polyox oil had a very noticeable solvent odor for me, the majority of that odor did flash off quickly but the general odor did take more time than I expected to go down. I would not consider this low enough in toxins for me to use.

I did really like the stain colors though. The Wood Wax comes in bright colors (along with the usual wood stain colors and greys and white) which would be fun for art and toys.

The Oil Stain, which is for floors, comes in 10 colors including lightening shades.

They claim very low VOCs.

Water-Based Non-Toxic Wood Stains

The truly non-toxic water-based wood stains are more difficult to apply than the oil-based ones. A water-based stain that does not contain ammonia (the safest kind for the chemically sensitive to apply) is the most finicky type of stain to work with.

If a water-based stain advertises that they don’t raise the grain then it can be assumed to contain ammonia.

1. ECOS Paints stains

ECOS makes the most tolerable finishes in my view. The stains come in 14 different shades (one grey one) and a clear coat of varnish follows.

This was highly tolerable for me when I was at my most sensitive. They also have tinted varnishes.

All of their ingredients are fully declared. These are acrylic-based, which is usually more tolerable than polyurethane.

2. AFM Durotone

A recently improved formula from a popular brand for the chemically sensitive.

It comes in 11 colors including one lightening shade.

A topcoat is required, either water-based or oil.

If you are staining pine, that wood is notoriously tricky, see my dedicated post on sealers for pine.

iv. Clear Water-Based Wood Sealers

1. ECOS varnishes, which are acrylic-based, are super low toxin. In my experience, they are not as durable as the polyurethane alternatives.

I used ECOS sealer on the wood in my kitchen and I was very happy with it. I have not had problems with water marks, but I would not use this on the floors. I would use this on items that don’t require a super durable finish, like wood paneling or bookshelves.

I find this to be a very tolerable brand that I was able to apply myself at a time when I could hardly tolerate any coatings. My post where I test and compare the water-based finishes is here.

2. AFM Polyureseal is liked by many. It is a very tolerable formula by a high-quality brand. This brand is a durable low toxin polyurethane finish for hardwood floors.

3. Vermont Natural Coatings PolyWhey was my top choice for a durable coating that holds up well on floors and was very low odor. It has the best combo of durable and low odor that I have found.

4. Very low odor polyurethane and acrylic also include, BioShield Aqua Resin, Earthpaint Aqualine and Easy Safe 1K, and Vermeisteer. I compare them all in a dedicated post.

I tested and compared all of the clear non-toxic wood finishes – the full post is here.

5. Danish Soap finish. An unusual non-toxic way to finish floors is a Danish process using soap as the finish. You can either use just soap, or soap and lye. Lye is quite toxic while it’s reacting, and I don’t know how long that takes to dissipate.

When used in the making of soap the lye reacts with other components and in the end you just have a safe soap product.

v. Non-Toxic Kitchen Cabinet Finishes

Clear Finish for Cabinets:

• AFM Acrylacq is a clear alternative to conventional lacquer. It is acrylic and siloxane. You can get a matte look by using 2 coats of gloss finished with a coat of matte. Or you can use the gloss or satin. AFM is my top choice in this category. VOC 93 g/l.

• AFM Poly BP This is a polyurethane finish (with a little bit of acrylic). This is another durable finish for cabinets. VOC 93 g/l.

• EarthPaint Easy Safe 1k or NanoTech Clear.

• Vermont Natural Coatings PolyWhey Floor Finish can be used on cabinets. These are polyurethanes that are partially naturally derived. I like this brand for a great mix of durability and low odor.

Water-based cabinet finishes are not as durable as lacquer. However lacquer needs to be professionally applied and is toxic until cured.

My detailed testing of these brands can be found here.

Natural Oil Finish for Cabinets:

• Rubio Monocoat Oil Plus for furniture comes in a lot of cool colors. It is easy to touch up and has been reported to work well on cabinets. If you don’t mind the natural linseed oil and some unknowns with the formula, I really like the quality of this finish. I would be tempted myself to use this on cabinets because this finish is so easy to retouch (something that other non-toxic cabinet finishes cannot claim).

vi. Sealing in Toxins

Sealing in Fungicides

If you are buying new wood-framed windows, the wood will likely have been treated with fungicides and should be sealed with AFM Safe Seal, AFMTransitional Primer, or Zinsser Shellac.

This version of shellac from Zinsser claims that the only ingredients are shellac and alcohol. That’s one you can find at Walmart as well as Amazon. You can also mix the flakes yourself with Everclear alcohol.

Sealing in Formaldehyde

AFM Safeseal is used to seal in formaldehyde in engineered wood products.

You can also use shellac which is one of the best sealers to seal in odors and VOCs, including formaldehyde.

I have tested these side by side on formaldehyde offgassing, they both performed very well. Shellac beats Safeseal.

Safeseal is made with acrylic polymers. It works quite well.

Sealing in Wood Odor/Terpenes

Clear Coat Options

Shellac is the best sealer for sealing in the odor of wood. Depending on where the wood is, you may need to go over that with another sealer that can take water better.

That shellac is dewaxed, it’s thinner, but it’s easier to paint or coat over. You can go over dewaxed shellac with AFM Acrylacq.

Acrylacq can also be used on its own. The vendors estimate that it seals in the odor on its own by about 80-90%.

Painted Options

Paint on it’s own also seals in a good amount of wood odor and is usually sufficient for most sensitive folks.

Paints with good sealing properties include AFM Safecoat Paint. Higher gloss options seal in more. This is a better seal than other “green” brands like ECOS, but all acrylic paint seals wood odor to some degree.

Adding their transitional primer will be an even better seal.

The other option is to use shellac followed by paint. I like Bullseye (waxed) shellac followed by Annie Sloan Chalk Paint or Rustoleum Chalked.

For more on this topic, see my posts on Sealing in New Offgassing and Sealing in Fragrance, Smoke, and Related Chemicals.

You can always contact me for one-on-one help so we can find the best product for your application.

vii. Exterior Wood Sealers

Natural Oils

To protect exterior wood like decks, siding, fences, and outdoor furniture against the elements, you could use more potent oils than you might use inside – oils based on linseed oil or tung oil are durable.

1. Rubio Monocoat Exterior Oil, like the interior oil, is lInseed oil based but doesn’t declare all of its ingredients. I was quite happy with it.
2. AFM Penetrating Oil is made from polymerized linseed oil, organic flaxseed oil, isoaliphate, modified soybean oil, hemp oil, carboxylate metallic salts of calcium, manganese & zirconium.
3. I like Milk Paint Company tung oil, pine oil and zinc called Outdoor Defense Oil. It contains no other additives. If you do well with tung and pine oil, this could work for you.

Water-Based Sealants

1. Vermont Natural Coatings Exterior PolyWhey is the best of the water-based synthetic coatings and it can hold up as well as a toxic sealant on decks and other outdoor wood.
2. AFM has a new exterior clear sealer called Polyureseal EXT which is an acrylic/polyurethane. It can be used on outdoor funiture. It can be applied to raw wood or wood stained with Safecoat wood stains, and concrete or previously painted surfaces that are properly prepared.

For more options and details on these sealants see my dedicated post on deck, fence, and outdoor furniture stains and sealers.

2. Non-Toxic Tile, Concrete & Stone Sealers

i. Stone, Concrete and Brick Sealers

For a detailed look at concrete floor finishes, see this dedicated post.

1. AFM Mexeseal is a surface coating for masonry/stone. It is for unpolished marble, limestone, granite, sandstone, slate, fireclay (brick, tile, terra cotta, pavers), and concrete. Mostly for honed stones – though it can work on some polished stone (you would have to test it). Good for slate floors, and concrete floors. In sum, use on porous interior tile or masonry surfaces where oil and water repellency are desired. Not for use outside. Not for interior showers. The product is polyurethane and acrylic. Very low VOC.

2. ECOS sealer/stain is for concrete, masonry, brickwork, and plaster. They make a solid color concrete sealer and semi-transparent concrete sealer. These are acrylic coatings with a little bit of silicone in there.

3. ECOS clear sealer is acrylic, just like the stains with pigment. You can use it on concrete floors.

4. AFM Penetrating Water Stop (zero-VOC) for porous, mineral containing surfaces such as brick, pavers, concrete block, and other cementitious materials, stone, and stucco. I used it on my concrete bathroom tiles and on the clay plaster in my kitchen. The only components listed on the SDS are silicone and lye. This product does not create a film on top of the surface, it is like a densifier.

6. AFM Watershield is a clear, penetrating sealer that repels water, grease, and oils. For use on porous surfaces such as concrete, stucco, brick, and stone. This can be used over American Clay Plaster. This can also be used outdoors on vertical wood surfaces e.g. under eaves that are raw wood or those stained with water-based stains such as AFM Durotone. Not for use on decks or horizontal fence railing. This is an acrylic sealant so it will be at least in part, a surface coating.

7. Milk Paint Soapstone Sealer is walnut oil and beeswax. It works well on interior soapstone, concrete, raw slate, honed marble, granite, sandstone, and onyx. You can buy this from the Milk Paint store and Amazon. I have used this sealer on many stone surfaces and I have been really happy with it. It’s all-natural and low odor. It needs some time to cure, but all natural oils do. You can get 10% off with the code mychemicalfreehouse.

8. Hemp Oil is also a drying oil, and like walnut oil, it does work on most stone and concrete (as well as wood). It can change the color of some stones, so test it first. It passed my tests, but it can yellow or green just a little, depending on the base color of the stone. It’s for interior use.

9. Metacreme is a synthetic water-based low odor sealer for natural stones and concrete. I have tested this one on stone countertops and found it quite good. It has a chemical odor that is fairly mild. It works on marble, in wet areas, and goes over the grout as well. This could be used on light colored stone countertops if walnut oil is changing the color of stone too much, though in my tests it did not hold up as well as the oil.

10. Acri-soy is a concrete sealer that can also be used on stone as well. This is an acrylic made from natural sources. This page explains what that means. This is a nice concrete floor finish (more in my post on concrete floors).

11. Tung oil also makes a good finish for concrete and many stones. It can be used on concrete floors as well. It is often preferable to other oils in outdoor conditions. The odor is higher than the other natural oils and even the synthetic sealers (I review the offgassing odors of tung and linseed in a dedicated post). Though some might prefer this oil and not be bothered by the natural odor. Tung oil forms a very durable film.

For a detailed look at my testing of natural sealers on stone surfaces see my dedicated post.

ii. Concrete-Based Grout Sealer

For sealing grout there are a number of good options, I discuss grout sealers options in my post on grout and thinset.

Corinne Segura is a Building Biologist Practitioner with 6 years of experience helping others create healthy homes.

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Here are the most common certifications for VOC levels and what they really tell us about the offgassing and toxicity of the products.

GreenGuard and GreenGuard Gold Certifications

GreenGuard has two levels of certification that measure VOC levels in products.

GreenGuard allows – 500 μg/m3 total VOCs.

GreenGuard Gold allows – 220 μg/m3 total VOCs.

(GreenGuard Children and Schools which also measured for phthalates as well as VOCs, no longer exists). 

For reference, the average house has a total VOC level of about 200 μg/m3, and the outdoor or “background rate” is about 1/10th of that (20 μg/m3).

GreenGuard Gold certification is the most useful of all the healthy product certifications out there for VOCs.

What Does GreenGuard Gold Certified Indicate for Formaldehyde Levels?

If you look through the individual levels of VOCs and their limits you can dig in even deeper.

The formaldehyde level allowed in GreenGuard Gold certified products is extremely low – just 9 μg/m3 or 7.3 ppb (parts per billion).

I have a post that contains a reference level table for formaldehyde. Outdoor urban air contains 1.5- 47 ppb. GreenGuard Gold formaldehyde levels are lower than the outdoor air in many places.

If you are looking at something like laminate or engineered flooring or cabinets and they meet Gold levels, that is a great indicator for low formaldehyde.

Formaldehyde levels allowed with standard GreenGuard are significantly higher at 50 ppb (parts per billion) or 61.3 μg/m3 (Compared to GreenGuard Gold 0.0073 ppm).

What Does GreenGuard Mean for Assessing Safety?

GreenGuard levels keep overall VOCs below limits that would adversely affect the health (of non-compromised individuals) based on the current state of knowledge.

However, for extremely sensitive people who are already compromised by toxin exposure, the level of VOCs in an average house is unacceptable, so even GreenGuard Gold levels may not be tolerable, especially when at the upper limits. Laminate flooring for example is not suitable for most people with chemical sensitivities, but engineered wood is.

My posts provide guides on the most important areas to focus on in a healthy house: Flooring, Cabinets, Insulation, Glues & Caulks, Paint, and Sealers.

Products, of course, are cumulative in a space. So it is important, especially when building new, to keep each material as low in offgassing as possible.

The GreenGuard tests attempt to show “real life” levels of VOCs, that might be expected in a regular-sized room after 7 days. (Source)

I recommend GreenGuard Gold as the best certification for people who are healthy, but I would always aim for outdoor levels of VOCs for those who are health compromised.

Downsides of GreenGuard Certification for Products

One tricky aspect of GreenGuard is that because it states that the levels are below the given threshold, you don’t know if the product is 220 or 0 μg/m3.

You still have to contact the companies to find out what the VOC level is – the problem is once they have this certification they don’t disclose the exact levels.

Many products like quartz countertops which claimed zero VOC before they were certified (and are probably very close to zero), now have GreenGuard Gold certification, and therefore we can’t know their exact offgassing levels.

Although this is the best certification right now for VOCs, it’s made things a little more difficult for very sensitive folks. We need to advocate for companies to release the actual results of the testing and not hide behind certifications.

The certification does not limit sem-VOCs, like phthalates, biocides, and flame retardants. Nor heavy metals.

Note: GreenGuard measures the emissions and not the content in the material so these numbers cannot be converted to g/l (grams per liter).

For help making sense of the greenwashing and choosing the best products for your home, you can contact me here to book a one-on-one consult.

Floorscore Certification

Floorscore – Floorscore has two tiers that you will see on the certificates: ≤0.5 mg/m3 (500 μg/m3), or 0.5 – 5 mg/m3 Total VOCs.

Floorscore certificates will indicate which range the product falls under.

There is no upper limit for total VOCs, they go by upper limits on each of the 35 Volatile Organic Compounds specified by the California Standard Method for VOC Emissions Testing and Evaluation (Standard Method V1.2), otherwise known as CA Section 01350.

The allowable limits of each VOC can be seen in the table on page 37 here.

What Floorscore Doesn’t Include

Chemical substances (on the CREL or other lists) that are not VOCs (e.g., metals, acids, semi-VOC plasticizers (eg phthalates), semi-VOC pesticides/biocides) are not required to be analyzed under this Standard Method.

Only 35 VOCs are tested for.

In other words, Floorscore only complies with the legally allowable VOC limits in California.

How Does Floorscore Compare to GreenGuard

When a Floorscore certificate indicates total VOCs (TVOC) of 0.5 mg/m3, this is the same level as standard GreenGuard (not Gold).

Therefore, if a product has GreenGuard Gold instead of Floorscore 0.5 mg/m3, the certification could indicate it offgasses a significantly lower level of VOCs.

If a company uses Floorscore they will use this across the board. It doesn’t help to differentiate which products are lower in offgassing.

You can see this dilemma in action when Mohawk bought Pergo floors and the laminates went from GreenGuard Gold to Floorscore certified (when I very much doubt the product itself changed).

Mohawk makes many other flooring lines that I doubt would meet GreenGuard Gold; I suspect that’s why they use Floorscore across the board.

All major flooring brands sold in the US and Canada likely meets the legal VOC limits in California and therefore meet Floorscore.

A flooring should certainly be able to achieve the lowest tier of less than 0.5 mg/m3, in my opinion. And most floors do.

Green Label Plus

Green Label Plus – Certifies “very low” emissions on carpets, according to what they think is very low.

They test for 35 compounds listed under California Department of Public Health’s Section 1350.

Each product category also includes additional compounds for certification, six for carpet, two for carpet pad, and seven for adhesives.

They meet or exceed California’s indoor quality standards for low-emitting products used in commercial settings such as schools and office buildings. 

Is Green Label Plus a Useful Certification?

Here is the list of their levels of VOCs. I would find these upper limit levels to be too high for people with chemical sensitivities.

And, you would be hardpressed to find a carpet in North America that can’t meet these limits.

This certification is made by the industry and is not helpful to me personally.

Here is my list of carpets that can do better than this.

Green Seal

Green Seal – Follows CARB (legal limits in California) levels of VOCs. More on CARB below.

For example, on paint, this is between 100-300 g/l (grams per liter) depending on the type of paint.

This is not a low enough level for most people with chemical sensitivities.

OSHA

OSHA is a Government Guideline – CA OSHA has the strictest government guidelines for VOCs in buildings. Here are their limits on VOCs.

While CARB and OSHA are definitely steps in the right direction, they promote levels of VOCs that will not cause adverse effects in healthy people.

These levels may not be acceptable for the extremely sensitive.

CARB

CARB – The California Air Resource Board establishes legally allowable levels of VOCs for California (which usually get adopted in any nationally distributed product).

They establish a maximum VOC content for consumer products sold in California. These are not necessarily “low VOC” in my definition.

For example, low-VOC paint means less than 50g/l, while CARB legal allowable levels for paint are 100-300 g/l. (Note: zero-VOC means less than 5g/l).

CARB II formaldehyde levels are as follows:

Products measured include those containing hardwood plywood, medium-density fiberboard (MDF), and particleboard (like furniture and cabinets) – these are pressed wood products sold for indoor use. It does not include exterior sheathing products like exterior plywood and OSB.

CARB II Formaldehyde Limits are:

• Hardwood Plywood – 0.05 ppm (parts per million)
• Medium-Density Fiberboard (MDF) 0.11 ppm
• Thin MDF 0.13 ppm
• Particleboard 0.09 ppm

My post on pressed wood goes more into levels of formaldehyde and has a table that provides reference levels.

When a product says they meet CARB II all they are saying is they are complying with the law in California.

CARB limits have been extremely useful in mostly eliminating the use of the more toxic urea-formaldehyde in household wood products. A major shift to phenol-formaldehyde which offgasses faster and at lower levels was a huge accomplishment.

TSCA Tile IV formaldehyde levels are the same as CARB levels.

CertiPUR

CertiPUR – This certification was created by the polyurethane industry to certify polyurethane foam.

All polyurethane foam should be able to meet this level of 0.5 ppm (or 500 μg/m3 total VOCs).

This level may be too high for most chemically sensitive people.

They would not give out info on how long polyurethane foam takes to completely offgas. Though I have to say, I don’t find basic polyurethanes to offgas very much, or for very long.

Most people are OK with a regular foam camping mat (my top picks reviewed here), mattress or couch after some offgassing time.

Memory foam is higher in VOCs than basic polyurethane foam. My post on Mattresses goes into more detail.

While this certification provides a maximum level of VOCs (500 μg/m3), some polyurethane foam products can be as low as 72 μg/m3, which would be an acceptable level for many people.

I actually prefer polyurethane over natural latex which I explain in my posts on beds.

What Else is Regulated by CertiPUR?

Flame Retardants

This originally certified that foam is made without PBDE flame retardants (even when those were already banned).

Later they added that they are also made without TDCPP or TCEP (Tris) when those starting being removed from most foam.

They really should lead the way to eliminate all toxic flame retardants, which I discuss in my post on Flame Retardants).

Formaldehyde

They say they are “made without formaldehyde” but the allowable limit for formaldehyde in the final foam product is actually 100 μg/m3 (compared to the GreenGaurd Gold limit of 9 μg/m3).

Yet polyurethane is not made with formaldehyde. It’s possible they are allowing for formaldehyde donors, and that in some cases, such as when biocides are added, the final product could still contain formaldehyde up to 100 μg/m3!

Other VOCs

Other VOCs that are measured in the testing (and therefore are likely to be in at least some foam used in mattresses and furniture) include benzene, toluene, styrene, and aromatic hydrocarbons.

Phthalates

They say made without prohibited phthalates (not free of all phthalates), and mercury, lead, and heavy metals (metals were not a component in making foam).

GOTS Certified

GOTS Certified Organic is a great certification to identify fabrics that are not only organic but safe from chemical processing.

Whenever possible I go for GOTS certified products. This certification was definitely a step in the right direction.

GOTS certified means (quoted from their website):

“A textile product carrying the GOTS label grade ‘organic’ must contain a minimum of 95% certified organic fibers whereas a product with the label grade ‘made with organic’ must contain a minimum of 70% certified organic fibers.

At all processing stages, organic fiber products must be separated from conventional fiber products and must be clearly identified.

All chemical inputs (e.g. dyes, auxiliaries, and process chemicals) must be evaluated and meet basic requirements on toxicity and biodegradability.

Ban on toxic heavy metals, formaldehyde, aromatic solvents, functional nano particles, genetically modified organisms (GMO) and their enzymes.

The use of synthetic sizing agents is restricted; knitting and weaving oils must not contain heavy metals.

Bleaches must be based on oxygen (no chlorine bleaching).

Azo dyes that release carcinogenic amine compounds are prohibited.

Discharge printing methods using aromatic solvents and plastisol printing methods using phthalates and PVC are prohibited.

Restrictions for accessories (e.g. no PVC, nickel or chrome permitted, all polyester must be post-consumer recycled from 2014 onwards).

Packaging material must not contain PVC. From 1 January 2014 onwards, any paper or cardboard used in packaging material, hang tags, swing tags etc. must be post-consumer recycled or certified in accordance with FSC or PEFC.”

All PFCs are prohibited.

OEKO-TEX Standard 100 Certified

Oeko-Tex is the next best certification for textiles after GOTS.

The levels of chemicals allowed in Oeko-Tex certified products depends on what type of product it is.

There are different limits for household products versus clothes. The strictest standard is for baby clothes.

• Formaldehyde must be undetectable in clothes made for babies. (But is allowed to some level in other textiles).
• Heavy metals, pesticide residue, chloronated phenols, phthalates, organic tin, other harmful chemical residues, harmful dyes, PAHs, solvent residues, are all limited.
• PFOA and PFOS are limiated (but thousands of others in the PFAS family are unaccounted for).
• Certain flame retardant chemicals are not allowed – from Tris to Boric Acid (Annex 5, page 32).

GOLS Certified

GOLS certification means a product must contain more than 95% certified organic raw natural latex.

The GOLS standard features permissible limits for harmful substances, emission test requirements, and polymer and filler percentages.

It prohibits polyurethane foam and some flame retardants, colorants, and allergenic dyes. It requires low emission of VOCs including formaldehyde.

I’m not a big fan of natural latex in general, which I explain in this post.

Why no Certification is Useful for Vinyl Flooring

Vinyl plank flooring offgases some aldehydes and a few other VOCs, all in very low amounts.

But the main concern in vinyl flooring is the plasticizers. None of the above certifications are measuring or limiting plasticizers by volume, by type/toxicity, or by how stable they are in their chemical bond in the material.

Recycled vinyl can also contain toxic metals and toxic flame retardants – also not accounted for in any flooring certification. Virgin vinyl limits this problem. My post on flooring goes into more detail.

What Should the Chemically Sensitive Look For?

Zero-VOC

I like to see products close to 0-VOC for most applications – there are exceptions because there are exempt VOCs (though not that many), and some VOCs flash off so fast that we don’t need to worry about them.

No Flame Retardants

I would like to see a ban on ALL toxic flame retardants – I discuss flame retardants and which products you still find them in in this post. Flame retardants are not classified as VOCs.

No Toxic Metals

I would like to see toxic metals declared and reduced to the most minimal trace level (that is inevitable in natural products and minerals). Many products are actually moving towards toxic metals used as “safer” flame retardants like aluminum-based chemicals or antimicrobials (silver or copper), which is a problem in my opinion.

Regulations on Chemicals That Are Not VOCs

Phthalates should be eliminated from household products. Replacement plasticizers need to be disclosed, and we need to know more about their toxicity and leaching from the products.

Most biocides should be disclosed and avoided.

Products I Recommend

I always choose zero-VOC materials when available. You can find zero-VOC options for wallboards, insulation, siding, sheathing, flooring, paints, sealers, caulking, grout, thin set, tiles, beds, furniture, flashing, windows, roofing, and underlayments.

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Corinne Segura is a Building Biologist Practitioner with 6 years of experience helping others create healthy homes.

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