It’s time to start again

Chemical Cocktails and Conventional Furniture

For many of us, our home is where our family and friends spend a lot of time socializing, playing, napping, snuggling, snacking… Would you agree it make sense to buy furnishings that are natural and good for our health? For many people, this concept has not crossed your mind before today, and the following information may be shocking. The question now is WHAT ARE THE INGREDIENTS IN CONVENTIONAL FURNITURE? Did you know most furniture is a toxic chemical cocktail? The health issues are primarily three-fold:

• Foam cushions are made of petroleum-based polyurethane, a highly flammable product. To rectify this, toxic, cancer causing flame retardants are added. This synthetic foam in the cushions breaks down over time. The end result is dust containing fire retardant chemicals polluting the indoor air which you and your family breath. These chemicals have become ubiquitous in the environment. They are found in wildlife tissue samples (both land and sea), breastmilk and other human body fluids.
• Wood used in most conventional furnishings is not solid, but rather particleboard. The manufacturing of particleboard involves the use of formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. Long term studies indicate that significant outgassing of formaldehyde continues for at least five years and possibly longer.
• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from adhesives, dyes, wood stains and spray-on upholstery protectors (ie Scotchgard) carry the unique risk of perfluorochemicals (PFCs). The EPA says that these VOCs outgas and pollute indoor air. Studies of laboratory animals have found that PFCs may affect growth and development, reproduction, and injure the liver.

Some mainstream furniture manufacturers have created a line of eco-friendly furniture, which is clearly a step up from conventional toxic furniture. This is a positive trend for sure! However, while the furniture is fire retardant free and made of sustainably produced materials - and perhaps even organic cotton - it is still a toxic choice from a health perspective. For example, foam and fabric made from recycled materials used in some of these big box “eco-friendly” lines still has the potential to outgas formaldehyde and other chemicals since it may be made from post-consumer waste and VOC containing adhesives and upholstery dyes.

In other words, an environmentally friendly/green product is not necessarily a non-toxic and healthy choice for your family!

Wondering if Your Furniture is Safe?

If all of this information has you wondering about furniture that was purchased before you started greening your lifestyle, take heart. There is something you can do now to make sure your existing furniture is safe for your family.

Duke University’s Superfund Research Center is assisting consumers by offering foam testing services. You simply send in a small sample of foam from your sofa or chairs and their research team will test it to see what fire retardant chemicals are in it and how badly it continues to off gas, if at all.

Additionally, we offer eco-positive non-toxic furnishings for your home, office, restaurant, salon and yacht. Wall units, kitchen cabinetry, upholstered furniture, bathroom vanities, tables, drapes and more…

Any design you imagine; any style you desire - eco-positive for your life!

If you find this article useful, please 'like' and share it on your social media pages. We appreciate the opportunity to help create a comfortable and healthy environment for you and your family!

Sincerely,

Robert Craymer 

www.robertcraymer.life

Living an Eco-Positive Lifestyle

Top 5 Tips for Living an 

Eco-Positive Lifestyle

What do you think of when you hear eco-positive? Probably recycling, sustainable farming, and buying local. Yes? You wouldn’t be alone; most people think of readily available lifestyle choices including organic food, clothing and natural cleaning products. Fortunately, organic options are all around us and have so many benefits. One of the most universally understood benefits is how much healthier eating organic food is for us. Getting rid of toxic pesticides and chemicals in our refrigerators helps us live longer, happier and healthier lives. 

Just as important as the food we eat, are the products we touch and breathe in our homes every day. Choosing eco-positive options whenever possible refocuses our attention to the long-term needs of our children and our grandchildren, rather than the short-term perks gained by corporations profiting from using cheap chemical alternatives.

Here are 5 things you and your family can do to live 

a more eco-positive lifestyle.

1.      Understand Labels and Marketing

Shop with companies who go out of their way to create a sustainable lifestyle and provide only the safest products for you and your family.  

2.      Choose Non-Toxic Furnishings for your home and office

Often overlooked, furnishings can be quite detrimental to our health. Most of our days are spent in the home or office. Most furniture contains formaldehyde, petroleum and other chemicals that can off-gas for years. Hmmm. Not good! There are a handful of companies that specialize in building clean furniture – mostly with limited sizes, colors, and shapes. After reviewing all of them, Robert Craymer Life stands out. What sets them apart is that RC Life creates eco-positive furnishings in ANY design you imagine, ANY material you desire, with NO chemical fire retardants. Robert Craymer genuinely cares about your need for clean furniture, and your desire for specific design elements.

3.      Rid your Home of Chemical Cleaners

Many cleaning supplies are filled with phosphates and phthalates, which are known links to carcinogens. And much worse, those bubbly products are washed down our drains into our water supplies and waterways every day.

4.      Build a Garden

Consider growing some of your own food. Not only does it cut the cost on your favorite vegetables, but it can be a fun hobby for the whole family. Many people find it stress-relieving and rewarding, too!

5.      Shop Local to Cook at Home

Whenever you can, shop local and cook at home. It keeps people providing organic food in business and allows you to help your local community. There is nothing quite like perusing your local farmers market! Preparing meals in the comfort of your own home ensures the quality you are putting in you and your family’s body. Cooking at home also sets the standard of health for everyone in your home.

We would love to hear from you! What simple changes have you made to create an eco-positive lifestyle?

Written by: Kristy Hochberg

Formaldehyde and Petroleum in Furnishings

Would you eat an apple coated with formaldehyde and petroleum? NO! Then don't sit or sleep on these chemicals either! 🌏

ROBERT CRAYMER LIFE designs and manufactures eco-positive furnishings for your home, office, hotel, restaurant and yacht. Our custom pieces are available world-wide and are highly recognizable throughout California. Our products are manufactured in our Los Angeles facility and quality controlled by ROBERT CRAYMER LIFE. We offer sustainable wall units, kitchen cabinetry, upholstered furniture, bathroom vanities, tables, drapes and more. Any design you imagine; any style you desire - eco-positive for your life! Please visit us at www.robertcraymer.life.

Robert Craymer is a world renowned founder and speaker of going green, who, as a result of his passion, is one of the most recognizable faces on the ‘green scene’ today. Known to many as the “Guru of Eco-Greenrooms,” Craymer's Green VIP rooms are behind the scenes at Bravo A-list Awards, Young Hollywood Awards, the Oscars, the Golden Globes, Sundance Film Festival, and former Vice President and Nobel Prize Winner Al Gore’s LiveEarth concert series. He also designs suites and rooms for hotels, such as the Stoli Hotel Hollywood. Robert has been featured in magazines such as Town and Country and New York Times, as well as on Oprah Winfrey’s XM Radio Show hosted by Nate Berkus and television shows on HGTV.

Specialties:

Sustainable interior design, project management, construction and remodeling in conjunction with professional architects and contractors

Design and Manufacturing of Eco-Positive Custom Furnishings

Hurricane Relief - Robert Craymer Life

Affected by the Hurricane? When you are ready, we will help. 

Deep discounts offered to disaster victims.

Robert Craymer Life offers eco-positive furnishings, chemical and fire retardant free.

Any design you imagine, eco-positive for your life! www.robertcraymer.life

Sustainable Furniture Design

ROBERT CRAYMER LIFE is a sustainable design company that specializes in eco-positive furnishings for your home, office, restaurant and yacht. Being a manufacturer of custom furniture, Robert Craymer Life controls all stages of production and its quality. A team of experienced designers, consultants and contractors will make a project run smoothly and look beautiful. We make our clients' dreams come true. Any style you desire, eco-positive for your life. Please contact us to learn more about what Robert Craymer Life can do for you!