Furniture, mattresses and bedclothes

Products must not contain generally irritant or sensitising dyes, padding, upholstery materials, adhesives, varnish, paint, zip fasteners, elastic, etc. Materials data must be declared, with content levels, colour index numbers and formaldehyde data.

Product materials, such as frame and surface materials, must meet low-emission standards, such as the M1 group in the Finnish classification system. Products must also generally be nickel-free, and may not contain natural rubber. In addition, in furniture items with a textile surface, the surface materials must as far as possible be smooth, breathable, and generating and gathering as little dust as possible, must be washable in water, and must withstand wiping with a moist cloth and vacuum cleaning. Textiles must be Ökö-Tex certified.

Padded mattresses and sofa cushions must have a removable upholstery cover that is washable in water at 60°C. Bedclothes are also to be washable in water at 60°C. Mattresses must not be made with the use of finishing agents claimed to prevent dust mites, viruses or bacteria, for example. Neither may the product itself contain any materials that have been treated so as to provide a similar effect to that of various chemical finishing agents. Foam plastic must be CertiPur- or Ökö-Tex certified. Testing criteria for mattress emissions are currently under development, and the impact of the characteristic odour of mattresses on human health is being examined. Silk does not qualify as an Allergy Label material for bedclothes or pillows/cushions, if it is not washable in water at 60°C.

Viscoelastic mattresses and chemical sensitivity

Viscoelastic (memory foam) mattresses are not recommended in the first instance for users with environmental sensitivity (multi-chemical sensitive, fragrance hypersensitive, allergic to mould). This guidance relates to the characteristic odour of the new viscoelastic material, which is more intense than that of other mattress materials. Cases have been observed where for reasons not yet understood the viscoelastic material sometimes has a “new smell” for an indefinite period – ranging from a few days to several weeks. This “new smell” can be at its strongest specifically in the first few days, after the mattress is removed from the plastic protective wrapping used to prevent soiling during transport. 

The viscoelastic material is suitable from the allergic materials perspective, but individuals with environmental sensitivity may experience a more intense “new smell” in the product than with other materials. No fragrance chemicals are used in the product materials, but anyone with environmental sensitivity is advised to consider the entire range of products available, even though memory foam is currently extremely popular as a material for mattress pads, for example. 

At present there is no low emissions test available in Finland for furniture and mattresses. The Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes) and the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira) are aware of this, and are working together to come up with a solution for emissions testing for mattresses.