motorharp | This is why I keep a journal (Reply)

I AM ALLERGIC TO FOAM.

I'm not yelling at you all, I'm yelling at me. Apparently, when I got dizzy and a sore throat and felt bad in general during my last project featuring foam and unwashed fabric, that failed to sink in.

During my weekend, I decided I was tired of sitting on my accent pillow to get myself to the right height at my harp, so was going to "quickly throw together a cushion!". Yeah, famous last words.

After getting over the above-mentioned side effects (including a fever, yay!), I did a little digging on alternatives to polyurethane foam that would be less toxic to me, because at some point I'd like to reupholster my couch and would prefer not to have to give myself neurological damage while waiting for it to finish off-gassing. While researching, I discovered that polyurethane foam is considered "solid gasoline" by fire fighters - "[Untreated] Ignited polyurethane foam sofas can reach temperatures over 1400 degrees Fahrenheit within minutes." And the gas produced during burning is lethal. Great.

Some alternatives are:
+ Soy based foam - still full of petrol-chemicals, apparently.
+ Natural latex - minimal off-gassing and not highly flammable, but super expensive. And I may be allergic to that, too.
+ Polyester batting - used it before and not allergic, but what does it do when ignited?
+ Wool/cotton/bamboo batting - Washable, but are these as lofty and resilient as polyester?
+ Blue jeans - probably not the best for a pillow, but might be good for padding applications in upholstery.
+ Mushrooms - Um. Probably not applicable for any project I might have, but... it exists.

What did they use in the old days? They just had really uncomfortable horsehair furniture?

Just out of curiosity, I emailed the Portland Fire Marshal and asked what's the best materials to upholster with from a fire-safety standpoint. I really hope I get an answer.

So my simple project turned into a little bit more than I bargained for, but after a quick trip to the fabric store, initially to purchase more polyester batting and discovering they have a decently wide selection of battings, I came home with wool batting (surprisingly lofty!) and finished up my seat cushion.

I'm breathing just fine.