Dh and I bought a beautiful cherry sleighbed bedroom suite in Dec,and now we are having to get rid of it because of my allergies.I know that probably sounds strange,but I have very severe allergies.And what is bothering me is the chemicals that was used to preserve the wood,and also the stain or varnish.It bothers dh's sinuses,and makes his throat sore.But I get asthma,HORRINDUS headache's,horrible burning in my lungs.I am so upset.I almost don't go anywhere because I'm so allergic to everything;colonge,hair products,room air fresheners,etc.But,since I haven't bought new furniture in so long,I just didn't expect this.And the store owner that we bought this from told us repeatedly that if we had any problems at all with it ,he would take care of it.But now he want even return our calls!!We finally went back to the store,and he lied and said he had been calling Vaughn-Bassett EVERY day,but he couldn't" get through" to them.My Dh reminded him of what he said about being able to bring it back if we had any problems and he said,almost sarcastically,"I've never heard of anyone being allergic to a bedroom set before!" I don't mean to feel sorry for myself,but I'm so tired of having such weird allergies.People treat me like I"m lieing when things start to effect me,but they can't smell it !!!Everybody always says the exact same thing"well,I don't smell anything" and gives me a look that says they think I'm faking.We've run an ad in the paper to try and sell it,but in the meantime,dh and I can't even sleep in the same bed together(I've been sleeping on a miserablly uncomfortable twin bed in the guest room).Does anyone else out there suffer from strange allergies,too?

By Kim on Saturday, March 19, 2005 - 08:03 pm:

Yes, my mother does and so do I but not to the same extreme. New carpet is bad for her, fresh paint, new furniture and others you listed. Formaldahyde (sp) is one of her main problems as it is a preserver on new clothes even and in some hair sprays. I am sure furniture also. She is also allergic to yellow dyes. Yes, people tend to not believe a lot, but I have seen the hives and reactions and had some myself.

I would complain to the manufacturer or something! Maybe have a doctor write a letter of explanation or send some articles that explain the condition?


I'm sorry you have to deal with this issue. It can be a nightmare. My Mom cannot even go into new stores or buildings, she has to wait until its been around a while and the new smells wear off.

By Ginny~moderator on Saturday, March 19, 2005 - 08:09 pm:

I agree. Write to the manufacturer. And if the store is a chain store, find out who the regional manager and CEO are and write to them. And yes, get a letter from your doctor.

And, in the end, if you need to take a big loss on the bed, keep good records. You may be able to use it as a tax deduction, though I don't know much about that.

By Heaventree on Saturday, March 19, 2005 - 08:39 pm:

I'm so sorry you are going through this. We don't suffer from allergies although I've done a bit of reading on environment pollutants and new furniture can be a big problem. Many people are affected and don't even realize it, they may suffer from headaches and don't know why.

We try really hard to keep a "Green" house but it is difficult at times and not to mention expensive.

I agree with calling the manufacturer as well. It just sucks that this guy was so accommodating before the sale and now he's being a big jerk. You also might want to try and call your local newspaper or television station and get them to do a feature on indoor environmental pollutants and how you suffer from the effects. This might draw some unwanted attention to the place where you bought your furniture. You'd be surprised how after a little bit of negative publicity he might just become a nice guy again.

Good luck with your situation, let us know how it all turns out.