ALLERGY TO FABRICS: USING UNTREATED FABRICS
It is possible to obtain untreated pure cotton furnishing fabrics. These are mostly fabrics from India where chemical treatments are less applied. Sources for these are given below. Some of these fabrics are washable. There is no problem at all about using these untreated fabrics for curtains, soft furnishings or bedding under fire safety regulations. You can also use them for upholstered furniture, but you need to take care to comply with the fire safety regulations.
New upholstery
For new upholstery, untreated pure cotton furnishing fabric does not pass a fire safety test known as the match test; but it can be used to upholster furniture, provided that the furniture on which it is used contains a fire-resistant interliner. This interliner can be of pure cotton fabric but it has to be treated to meet the regulations.
The fire-retardant chemicals used on interliner fabrics are known to be less irritant than Pyrovatex or Proban. Some manufacturers of cotton interliner use water soluble phosphate salts which do not cause sensitivity but can irritate. Others use proprietary chemicals which bind and adhere to the fabric. None of these chemicals is 100 per cent free of reports of reactions, but reports are very rare. The interliner cotton fabric is covered by a layer of upholstery fabric and hence is:
• Not directly in contact with your skin
• Less freely inhaled
Most chemically sensitive people will have no problems with this combination.
For new upholstered furniture, therefore, the best solution to meet fire safety regulations for the chemically sensitive is to use either:
• Wool fabrics since they meet regulations without treatment
• Untreated pure cotton fabric with a fire-resistant interliner underneath
Re-upholstering Old Furniture
The fire safety regulations for fabric fire resistance do not apply to the sale or re-upholstery of furniture made before 1950. You can therefore buy older (pre-1950) or antique furniture covered in totally untreated materials, re-upholster yourself or have such furniture re-upholstered in untreated materials of your choice. Contact the Association of Master Upholsterers for specialists in
upholstery who may be able to help.
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