My Chemical-Free House
A Guide to Creating a Healthy Home
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 …
Achieving a natural or non-toxic finish that is durable enough for a table or desk top is only possible with a few select brands and products. We can’t quite get to the same level of durability as an oil-based polyurethane, but we can get quite a good level of durability with either of these options. …
The type of non-toxic paint you will choose for wood depends on how durable you need it to be, how safe you need it to be (is it going in a child’s mouth for example), what kind of wood it is, and what kind of paint or stain is on it already. Some of the …
This is a collection of pillows, sheets, and blankets that are well-liked by the chemically sensitive. The list was gathered over the last decade of being in community with chemically sensitive folks as well as being chemically sensitive myself and trying out some of the options.
This post covers bed frame options for the chemically sensitive. Metal and metal finishes, solid wood and laminated wood.
What Gives Wood its Odor? The majority of the identified odorants in wood from one study were 1) fatty acid degradation products 2) terpenoic substances and 3) odorous substances resulting from the degradation of lignin. (Source) 1. Fatty acid degradation products (69% of the odor of wood!) These include alkenals, ketones, alkylic acids and intramolecular …
The Least Toxic Wood Varnish? I tested all of the “eco” or, healthy low-VOC, floor finishes. I was looking first at the odor and VOC levels as the main comparison point for those sensitive to chemicals. (None of the polyurethanes are odorless when wet, though they are when dried or cured). Some water-based floor finishes …
Updated in 2026 The only leather I can personally fully endorse as eco-friendly and non-toxic is chrome-free, vegetable-dyed leather. This is made without the toxic metals and other harmful chemicals used in conventional leather. The second best option is leather that is at least chrome-free. Only a few brands in North America meet these standards. …
