Upgrading your furniture is a fun part of redecorating your home. It can also be a smart way to protect your health and your loved ones. Read on to learn why replacing old furniture is good for your health and why older pieces may have harmed your family since you bought or inherited them.
1. You’ll Get More Back Support
The daily wear and tear of furniture usage degrade its quality. You’ve likely had to grease the tracks for dresser drawers and tighten handles on your cabinet doors. Things like mattresses, couches and chairs become worn down too, but you won’t notice until you start having back pain.
Cushion fillers get limper after people sit or lay on them daily. Internal springs can flatten too. It’s essential to maintain proper back support while sitting on your couch or laying on your bed. Older furniture won’t help your posture, leading to aches and pains. If you’re sore after waking up or watching a move in the living room, it may be time to upgrade your furniture.
2. You’ll Avoid Flame Retardants
Many people don’t realize that the foam inside old couches typically contains flame retardant chemicals. Foam is easily susceptible to fire, so companies used to coat them to make their furniture safer around candles and other indoor sources of fire.
Unfortunately, the chemicals can also be bad for your health. People with continuous exposure are more likely to develop cancer, have a lower IQ and give birth to affected babies.
Professional junk removal teams can take old furniture and mattresses away alongside recreational items, exercise equipment and electronics you don’t need anymore. You’ll get rid of any furniture pieces that may have retardants on them and make your home a healthier environment.
3. You’ll Banish Harmful Dust
Older furniture with cushions and lining sometimes also contains poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAs) to improve their stain resistance. Although the amount in your home may be low, PFAs could still harm bodily functions like reproductive organs, the thyroid and the liver.
Recently renovated rooms with newer furniture have 78% fewer PFAs because they’re highly regulated now. No matter which furniture replaces your old models, you’ll have a healthier home because they won’t contain PFAs.
4. You’ll Get Rid Of Potential Mold
Mold particles remain in textiles even after spraying cleaning products on upholstery or vacuuming it. It’s difficult to tell when your furniture is clean, especially if it’s been in use for years.
Don’t wait until your furniture has stains or fuzzy growths. You’re likely breathing mold spores that burst from cushions or your mattress every time you sit down. Airborne mold results in short-term symptoms like:
- Nasal irritation
- Watery, itchy eyes
- Trouble breathing
- Coughing
- Headaches
If you have to breathe mold every day for months or years, your symptoms could evolve into asthma or organ damage. Replacing old furniture is good for your health because it immediately takes any existing mold colonies out of your home.
5. You’ll Throw Out Formaldehyde Stains
Wood furniture requires sealant to preserve your furniture’s integrity. Otherwise, water stains and spills would warp the wood, causing it to crack. While sealant stains are an essential feature of high-quality furniture, older furniture production companies used stains with formaldehyde.
Formaldehyde is a classified carcinogen because continual exposure causes cancer. It’s also a volatile organic compound (VOC), which is a breathable chemical that poisons indoor air quality. Getting rid of old furniture will ensure that you don’t have any formaldehyde in your lungs.
Consider Replacing Old Furniture
Replacing old furniture is good for your health in numerous ways. You’ll stop breathing chemicals, avoid pollutants on your skin and save your family’s health from ongoing potential symptoms. A professional removal team will take the furniture to a local facility for proper disposal while you have fun setting up your new couch, bed or other pieces of furniture.
Author Bio
Jane is an environmental writer and the founder and editor-in-chief of Environment.co where she covers sustainability and eco-friendly living.
