Critics have targeted IKEA for years on issues ranging from its amorphous profit and non-profit corporate (and tax) structure, its questionable sourcing of wood for its product line, and even the background of its founder, Ingvar Kamprad. A debate over IKEA’s business practices and environmental impact raises passions on both sides. In fairness, the company has made some solid environmental choices: they’ve eliminated plastic bags from its check-out aisles, eliminated polyvinylchloride (PVC) from almost all of its products, and reduced packaging overall. Now the’ve announced another solid move: the company is phasing out a toxic flame retardant from its furniture.The flame retardant problems is a difficult one for IKEA to solve. Despite the fact that flame retardants contain a skin-absorbable carcinogenic, manufacturers who wish to sell in California must include them in order to comply with state laws. Interestingly, IKEA’s announcement comes just one day after a scathing article in Slate Magazine that questions why furniture contains such high levels of these chemicals in the first place.
The trouble started when Slate reporter Florence Williams tore the packaging of a new IKEA futon that she ordered online, only to be bowled over by the noxious smell that permeated her basement. Williams started researching the smell and found out that the substance was chlorinated tris, the dreaded carcinogen that was once in children’s pajamas until studies shown that it could be absorbed by skin.Despite this danger to human health the American chemical industry has lobbied Congress and state legislatures to mandate fireproofing of furniture and other consumer products for years. The results are long lasting, and not in a good way: years after some carcinogens were banned, they still persist in the food chain and in may even cause chronic disease. (As this went to press, we cannot confirm or deny that any chemical residue can be found in the famous Swedish meatballs that IKEA serves in its brightly lit cafeterias.)The upshot is that when Williams contacted IKEA, the company’s representatives explained that chlorinated tris will be phased by August 2010.
The replacement: “an organo-phosphorous compound which gets incorporated into the polymer matrix of the foam filling.” If you think that term is difficult to decipher, then imagine how safe that replacement may be.IKEA is boxed in by regulations that lawmakers may have been passed with good intentions, but of course are backed by industries who benefit from such a mandate—which is especially absurd because those fire retardants do not stop fire, they delay it—by a few minutes. It is easy to slam big box stores on issues like this one, but IKEA has been taking additional steps in helping their customers achieve energy efficiency and a smaller environmental impact, including last week’s announcement that the retailer will no longer sell incandescent bulbs—which practically eliminates one of its product lines, those sleek lamps that are in many a living room and office.So what is the solution? An old-fashioned letter-writing (or email-sending) campaign may just need to start.
If we cannot find a solution to replace a chemical which does more harm than good, maybe laws passed over 30 years ago need to be repealed. Remember that the BP crisis has an effect far beyond the environment and energy needs: so many of the chemicals that are in homes come from petroleum, giving us another reason to rethink our dependence on oil.Here's how to clean a mattress and remove vomit, urine and their smell. You CAN save your expensive soiled memory foam bed or pad. Here's quick & easy step by step instructions to eliminate stinky stains and restore your sanity.If you're reading this you are probably facing a pee or puke panic or a spill situation. If it's an old stain and you're looking for one last thing to try before you throw out a stinky, soiled memory foam bed or topper link over to "How to Clean a Mattress - Part 2". Don't go through this again! Buy two of these waterproof mattress protectors now. Click on image below, get it tomorrow.One to go on the bed after you finish cleaning up.
And one for the closet in case your child or cat is sick several times in a night! This is the best selling one on Amazon. Your child just peed on your memory foam mattress...and the cat. Your feline was so scared that it projectile vomited before running off to hide under the bed. What do you do first?If you've got a good mattress cover, you've got nothing to worry about. But you're in a panic so... Do not scream or yell. The most important thing you need to know about how to clean a mattress is to work quickly. So save your breath and run to the kitchen and grab: Step 1) Fill half the bowl with vinegar and fill the other half with water. Get back to the mattress without spilling the vinegar/water mix or dropping the other items.Step 2) Gently dab up the liquid mess with the paper towel. Carefully remove any sheets and mattress covers for later laundering. Press firmly with fresh towels to absorb more liquid. Do not squeeze or twist the foam.Step 3) Wet a paper towel with the vinegar/water solution and dab it where the urine and vomit were.
Press in gently, then immediately use a fresh towel to dry it up. Keep this up until you've covered the entire stained area.Step 4) Then open the box of baking soda and pour it on top of the stain. Yes, the whole box. Spread it out so that you get a generous layer that extends a couple of inches beyond the stain(s).Step 5) Let the baking soda sit there for a couple of hours. Then vacuum it up. Warning: This will cause the cat to fly out from under the bed like a miniature clawed tornado, which might scare the pee out of you. With any luck you'll have caught the spill in time and you won't have to do anything else. And your bed will smell clean and fresh.If this didn't work, go to "How to Clean a Mattress - Part 2" for the last thing you should try before throwing your memory foam mattress or topper away and buying a new one. How Did You Clean Your Memory Foam Mattress or Topper? Please tell us how you cleaned your memory foam. and will help others with emergency mattress messes for many years to come.