Question from Anusha
I have going above and beyond with ikea to find out about their bamboo shelves and haven’t got any answers back about if they use veneers or is there any toxicity in they clear lacquer finish , and finally I found the Elfa options on container store but they are Epoxy-bonded steel construction , I am not sure if these are toxic ? its like I cannot find a toxic free storage system
Lisa’s Answer
Neither system will be entirely free of toxics. The epoxy-coated system will offgas. You did not give me enough information about the IKEA system to know what materials are used. If I had to choose one or the other without additional information, I would go with IKEA. They have a chemical management policy that is more stringent than many stores. They limit, but do not eliminate, the use of the most dangerous chemicals. The system you are referring to has veneers and a lacquer so it will have some VOCs but at least they will be kept to a minimal level. The Container Store does not have a similar policy and the levels of toxics in their products are unknown.
Here is a company called Simple Closet that sells solid wood closet systems.
Just an FYI: I looked at the Simple Closet website. If you have problems with turpines this is not for you. They are made from pine.