We might be a little biased, but we love how popular pallet-style platform beds are exploding in popularity. Pallet platform beds blend seamlessly with lots of styles from bohemian to modern, and they're stylish and practical. However, traditional pallet furniture made from reclaimed pallet wood can be dangerous. Many people who want the pallet look may be unaware of the health risks coming from the very wood on which they sleep.
Whether you're starting a DIY project or purchasing completed furniture from a crafter, pallet wood has a whole life before it becomes furniture. Pallets spend most of their life sitting on the floor of trucks, construction sites, or factories. These pallets frequently coming into contact with water, insects, mold, animal droppings, and other icky things you certainly don't want in your home or around your family.
In fact, Following the 2010 recall of romaine lettuce infected with E.coli, the National Consumers League conducted a few exploratory tests on pallets to check if they could be potential carriers of disease-causing bacteria. Results showed that ten percent of the pallets tested positive for E.coli. 2.9 percent of the tested pallets had a highly aggressive foodborne pathogen, Listeria, on them.
It gets even worse when you factor in the dangers of off-gassing. Off-gassing or out-gassing is a phenomenon in which trapped volatile organic compounds are released into the environment, where they can adversely affect humans and pets' health. Reclaimed wood in your homes used in pallet beds can leach these volatile organic compounds in the air, thus affecting your family's health.
Even if the wood has not come into contact with mold and insects, reclaimed pallet wood is usually low quality. Typically, recycled pallets have not been sanded down or finished, so the outer surface is rough. This rough surface makes it very easy to get splinters if you brush against the side of the pallet – certainly not what you want for a bed you need to get in and out of every day, or worse. Some reclaimed pallet beds come with nails sticking out, splinters, and cracks in the wood. These issues make it dangerous for use and minimize the quality, thus decreasing its overall life. Depending on the pallet, the wood may also not be completely straight and consistent. You could end up with an uneven platform, leading to uncomfortable spots and back pain.
Luckily, there is a safe option for people who love the pallet style: Pallet Bed! We build our platform beds out of reclaimed cedarwood. We use reclaimed wood, making each bed eco-friendly, but without reusing hazardous materials. Cedar is also an excellent choice for bedroom furniture; it is naturally fragrant and repels insects.
Our pallet beds are constructed and finished by expert craftsmen. Each bed is sanded by hand and then finished in your choice of stain, ranging from natural cedar to farmhouse-ready white to deep espresso. The stain options let you customize your pallet bed to suit your unique style and décor.
For worry-free pallet beds, visit our site https://palletbeds.com/ and don't forget to follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/palletbedz/