More About Organic Sofas and Non Toxic Couches

I can’t get an organic upholstery couch because I have kids or pets. What should I do?

5 options, from healthiest to less healthy:

• Consider an organic upholstery, but add a couch pad or cover.

• If you’re committed to getting a performance fabric, look for the Crypton Home brand, which does not use PFAS, and works with Mindful Materials to make healthier products.

• Select an OEKO-TEX certified olefin, polypropylene, or polyester fabric— these materials are plastic-based, relatively safe, and cannot absorb water, making them naturally stain- and water-repellant.

• Choose any olefin, polypropylene, or polyester fabric— even without OEKO TEX certification, they are still much better options than a natural fabric coated in PFAs for stain resistance.

• Sunbrella started phasing out PFAS in late 2023— if you choose one of their couch upholsteries, confirm with the company what year it was made or purchased.

What should I do if I can’t afford a non-toxic couch?

• If you need to keep your current couch, dusting, mopping, and vacuuming weekly can pick up any sVOCs (like Flame Retardants) that come from couches invisibly shedding over time. You can ventilate by opening windows daily to help release any VOCs off-gassing from foam. And, you can consider an organic couch cover which may help protect you from anything nasty underneath.

• If you need a new couch, and can spend a moderate amount:

  • Consider buying a floor model from an organic couch company that sells them at clearance prices. Example of Couch Seattle’s clearance section here.

  • Consider buying a couch made with a mixture of materials— choosing regular foam but an organic or OEKO TEX certified upholstery can save you money.

• If you need to buy the most affordable non toxic couch, consider an IKEA couch and add an organic or natural couch cover to it. A cover may help in three ways: 

  • Reducing foam breakdown by reducing the amount of friction on the foam. Foam degradation releases semi-volatile organic compounds (sVOCs), which are relatively heavy molecules, meaning they don’t vaporize or off-gas into the air. An example of sVOCs are Flame Retardants, a very common foam additive in mattresses, which settle into dust. Having an organic and safe layer between your body’s movements and the couch containing sVOCs may help. 

  • Decreasing body heat in contact with the foam. Body heat in contact with foam is known to speed up off-gassing of VOCs. A couch cover should reduce the amount of heat transfer between your body and the polyurethane foam.

  • Protecting you from fabric finishes. Even IKEA, which is more health-forward than most standard couch companies allow some BPA and formaldehyde in some of their upholstery. An organic cover or pad may protect you from direct skin contact.

• Finally, wait it out and play the long game— keep emailing companies with questions about their materials and asking for less toxic options. Continued consumer pressure on the foam industry and furniture businesses should drive more couch companies to make healthier options with natural materials, driving competition up and prices down, as we’ve seen with the mattress industry, where there are now many natural options at the same price as standard foam.

What does GOTS certified organic mean?

GOTS is short for the Global Organic Textile Standard. It is the gold standard 3rd party certification for organic fabrics made from natural fibers like wool, cotton, linen, and others. Fabric with the GOTS-certified organic label means that at least 95% of the starting fibers are certified organic, and ensures that the fabric remains healthy throughout the entire manufacturing process. This means the dyes and other chemicals used are safer for human and ecological health than standard fabric processing methods. No harmful finishes may be added to the final product.

What is OEKO TEX?

OEKO TEX certification applies to the finished product only, and is for both natural and synthetic textiles. Organic fibers, as well as man-made fabrics like polyester can both qualify, depending on what chemicals, and how much of them, are left in the final product. It does allow for some harmful chemicals, but in much lower quantities than are used in standard textile processing. It bans flame retardants in almost all cases, with exceptions for requirements like being added to clothing for fire fighting). You can see their limits and rules, which are updated annually, here.

What else is in fabric?

Making fabric is a surprisingly chemically-intensive process. For natural curtains, if the fibers are grown conventionally, pesticides and fertilizers are used. Synthetic sheets (polyester, microfiber, etc) come from petroleum. Acids, scouring chemicals, and other processing agents used to wash fibers. Fiber-strengthening chemicals are aded to turn the fibers into sheets of fabric. Detergents, solvents, bleaches, acids, and enzymes are used to remove chemicals from previous steps, make the fabrics lighter, or prepare them to accept dyes in the next step. Pigments, binders, plasticizers, PVC, and other polymers (plastics) are used in this step, to make the dyes stick to the surface of the fabric. Finally, chemical treatments are added to make the fabric perform a certain way. Formaldehyde resins offer wrinkle-resistance, other resins work for anti-pilling, PFAS for stain-resistance, polyglycols for anti-pilling, acrylates or PVC with plasticizers for protective coatings, and flame retardants for fire resistance. Read more about this process and fabric in general in my Textile Rating Guide.