Blackout Shades and Curtains

October 22, 2019 by Lisa Powers

Question from Deborah

I’m looking for advice on a few toxic free items such as blackout shades and curtains and couches. My husband died from leukemia so I’m very concerned about toxins in the home. I’ve searched but have been unable to find zero VOC blackout shades and curtains.

 

Lisa’s Answer

If you are looking for entirely natural shades with no chemicals you could have them custom made. Two Sisters Ecotextiles sells a great variety of chemical-free fabrics. I'm sure they could help you find the appropriate materials for your needs. Earthshade is the only pre-made shade that I am aware of that is free of VOCs. Hunter Douglas, which is a leading brand of shades, is GREENGUARD Certified, which means they have low VOCs, but not no VOCs. There are more options on Debra's List but note that not all products from some of these companies are entirely VOC-free.

There are many options for couches on Debra's List.

Toxic-Free Q&A

These are archives of Q&A asked by readers and answered by Debra Lynn Dadd (from 2005-2019) or Lisa Powers (from 2019-2020). Answers have been edited and updated as of December, 2020.