Is Formaldehyde Actually Dangerous?

Sometime back, we covered a video / blog on what you should know about formaldehyde - that strong carpentry smell that became the new buzzword in recent times.

And this was one of the comment replies.

Watch our tiktok channel if you lazy to read.

We guarantee you this reply is from an ID, and this is what 80% of IDs / contractors / carpenters think but they probably won’t tell you upfront HAHA.

“If formaldehyde is so toxic, every carpenter die already.”

Before dismissing this reply, we do think there is some merit in this statement, and that we should share objectively.

If you think about it, carpenters have been working for decades with the same carpentry, same risks of formaldehyde. Even your parents’ generation, the house you grew up living in, was probably using that same formaldehyde carpentry.

Not too bad wasn’t it?

That’s why I think it is important that we look at things objectively, and understand that media can blow things out of proportion (unintentionally).

Is formaldehyde really that toxic that we should avoid it like a plague?

Or is it something we should deal with in moderation?

We definitely think it is the latter, but of course, prevention is always better than cure.

The sun might or might not cause sunburn, and it doesn’t mean the sun is bad, but doesn’t mean you can’t put sunblock right?

While it’s true that many people won’t be that affected by it, some people are more sensitive to formaldehyde than others.

So strip away all the marketing fads, remember these 2 things.

2 Key Takeaways

1) It’s not just the wood

• Formaldehyde comes from the glue too. If you want to be as safe and formaldehyde-free as possible, you need to make sure both the board, and the adhesives, are low‑VOC or formaldehyde‑free.

• Furniture have formaldehyde as well, especially especially your taobao purchases.
  

2) Do Post-Reno Deep Cleaning

My preference? Once all your furniture and carpentry are in, do a formaldehyde cleaning session. Most cleaning services also show you quantitatively with a sensor the before and after cleaning, giving you greater piece of mind.

It’s the most practical way to reduce exposure.

And you avoid all the “use xxx carpentry with zero formaldehyde but let me mark up 100%” marketing fear-mongering stuff.

If you are looking to shortlist reliable IDs/contractors for your reno, feel free to enquire here, or check out our blog for other important tips!!