New Furniture, Rugs & Dust: Off-Gassing and Flame Retardants

The 'new sofa' or new-rug smell in the first days or weeks; foam furniture with a torn cover; a room where fresh paint, new flooring and new furniture all arrived together; dust on low shelves and floors where a baby crawls.

Ventilation is the supported fix. EPA says to increase ventilation when using products that emit VOCs and, when a label is silent, to open windows for the maximum outdoor air possible; unbox and air new furniture, rugs and mattresses on a porch, in a detached garage, or in a room with the windows open for a few days when you can. There is no federal indoor VOC standard to measure against, so this is about lowering exposure, not hitting a number (see VOCs and off-gassing). Flame retardants are a separate, dust-borne issue. CPSC's furniture standard does not require them: materials can pass "with and without added flame-retardant chemicals," so the tag or the maker is how you find out. EPA says flame retardants escape from products and attach to dust that children can breathe or get on their hands, and that practical steps are washing hands often (especially before eating), dusting with a moist cloth, wet-mopping or vacuuming with a HEPA attachment often, and repairing tears in upholstered furniture. EPA says these practical steps can reduce children's exposure, and that it is still assessing the chemicals' health effects.