Should you buy leather furniture?

What would we do without armchairs and sofas, especially now that the lifestyle is becoming more rigid and harsh! In their arms we can relax and take a break from the hustle and bustle of the day, listen to music or dream in silence. A favorite sofa, as a rule, is something more for us than just a piece of furniture: it becomes close and dear, symbolizing the warmth and comfort of the hearth. But to stay that way for a long time, it must meet at least three criteria: be soft, not fade and easy to clean..

And here a problem awaits us. How to fulfill all these conditions without endangering your health and the environment? Indeed, it is only thanks to a special chemical treatment that the furniture upholstery does not get greasy or fade. And can the upholstery material be considered natural by right if it is made of wool or cotton without any synthetic impurities? And leather sofas and armchairs – are they really that safe? So, what are we still sitting on??

Let’s start with the skin. This is an animal product. Only this is where all his naturalness ends – and do not believe the advertisements claiming otherwise.. Before the leather becomes the upholstery of a sofa or armchair, it must undergo an intensive, mainly chemical treatment.. Without this treatment, called tanning, leather upholstery will not last long – soon it will simply start to rot..

The main tannins are various chromium compounds. They penetrate deeply into the structure of the skin and remain in it forever, without escaping into the atmosphere and thus, for the time being, without harming a person. But the environmental safety of any product or product should be considered from different angles: not only its use, but also its production and disposal should be harmless. And with chrome leather, everything is just not all right here..

So it’s time to remember the experience of previous generations, an ancient, environmentally friendly way of processing leather – tanning with vegetable extracts. Furniture made of materials that do not contain harmful substances are offered to their customers, as a rule, by some of the largest companies: in France it is “Ligne Roset”, in Germany – “Rolf Benz”, “Bruhl & Sippold “,” WK “and” deSede “.

Some firms use today tanning solutions obtained by extracting only the leaves and fruits of trees, which does not damage green spaces. According to experts, the waste tanning solution of plant origin is not toxic and practically does not pose a threat to the environment. At the same time, many furniture manufacturers, for example the German firms “Bruhl & Sippold “and” deSede “begin to appreciate the advantages of environmentally-treated leather, considering that it is almost as good as chrome-plated and differs from the latter only in a slightly lower lightfastness. And their compatriot, the Wasa company, completely refused its production from chrome-plated raw materials.

Another problem is skin coloration

Regardless of the way it was processed, synthetic aniline dyes are usually used., because the range of natural dyes is limited to only a few colors (beige, brown and black), and the dyes themselves are not highly lightfast and fade quickly. True, the name “aniline” is now used only out of habit. Toxic aniline, once used for the production of synthetic dyes, has long been replaced by more harmless substances. Dyeing is carried out using a special technology, due to which the paint does not cover the surface with a continuous impermeable layer. On the contrary, it penetrates the skin through the pores, leaving them open and not disturbing the texture of the material, so that the skin pattern is preserved. This quality of processing is not only not a disadvantage, but is even considered the main advantage of leather coverings: it is enough to run your hand over a soft rough surface to feel a pleasant warmth.

And what about the cleaning of leather furniture?? Firms using traditional technologies impregnate the leather with special chemical compounds, thanks to which the upholstery becomes less of a brand. How harmful they are to health is anyone’s guess. If you do not want to take risks, contact the manufacturers of environmentally friendly furniture, for example, the company “Wasa”. Just keep in mind that in this case you will have to keep red wine, coffee and fruit juices away from your sofa, as it is very difficult to remove stains from them from such furniture. If the trouble still happened and you spilled juice or coffee on the sofa – did not rub a minute, try to wash off the stain. Maybe you get lucky.

For those who have upholstered furniture upholstered in Alcantara, it is easier: a little cleaning agent for the upholstery – and no stains or traces of dirt. You can even wash this upholstery in the car if you wish. Externally, Alcantara is very similar to velor, only it is easier to care for it. True, there is one “but” here as well: ecologists treat it with obvious distrust. Alcantara is 100 percent synthetic. In its production, various types of plastics are used, which undergo long-term chemical and mechanical processing, turning into a microfiber material. More specific details are trade secrets of the Italian manufacturer. However, many experts do not recommend using this material for furniture covers or upholstery..

Upholstery fabric: remove and wash

Some people refuse leather furniture for moral reasons: after all, only a small two-seater sofa requires the skins of at least four animals! Well, besides leather, there is a huge selection of upholstery fabrics. And it is better, of course, to prefer natural materials to synthetic materials: wool, cotton, linen, silk are good already because they have a low electrostatic charge, which means they attract less dust. True, now, unfortunately, many materials can be called natural only with a reservation. For example, sheep are no longer sheared by hand, as they used to be, but sprayed with special chemicals, thereby causing wool to fall out. They also began to collect cotton using chemistry: twenty-five pesticide showers – and the leaves fall off by themselves. The textile industry uses a total of about 8,000 different chemicals designed to prevent fabrics from wrinkling, rubbing, greasing, washable and shrinkage..

True, some European textile companies have taken a different path, completely abandoning chemicals in their production: raw materials are either not bleached at all, or bleached without the use of chlorine, fabrics are dyed only with natural plant dyes. Colored cotton, grown and harvested in an environmentally friendly way, is also used. Yes, yes, there is one. Several years ago, a variety of colored cotton was bred in Arizona: it is naturally colored beige, yellowish, greenish or orange..

In the West, the special brand “Green Cotton” has been spread over the past few years.. It is placed on cotton fabrics, for which cotton was grown and harvested without the use of pesticides and bleached without chlorine, and for dyeing substances that do not contain heavy metals were used. Environmentally friendly products are produced by the Swiss company “Rohner”, which is a supplier of fabrics for such furniture manufacturers as “Giroflex”, “Vitra”, “Wilkhan”. In addition to them, we should also mention the Austrian company Grune Erde, the French company Ligne Roset, the German companies Schluter, WK Wohnen, Gemay, and Wolkenweich. All of them produce upholstered furniture upholstered with environmentally friendly materials..

A number of companies are currently developing upholstered furniture of a new design that allows you to remove the upholstery and wash it at home. This innovation is convenient for many reasons. For example, there is no need to treat furniture fabrics with special chemical impregnations that protect them from contamination. In addition, you do not have to part with frayed, but still favorite furniture – just replace the upholstery. And for a change and a change of scenery, you can choose a material of a different color.