Comments on: Formaldehyde-Free Baby and Children’s Clothing Companies

By: Krista

Krista — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 18:03:43 +0000

Crystal,
I have never been able to shop in the Gap as the smell of the store makes me nauseous.

More replies from companies:

Baby’s Own:
Our garments are formaldehyde and fire retardant free.

Sears Baby:
Please be advised that our buyer has indicated that none of our infants clothing is treated with chemicals such as fire retardants & formaldehyde.

Please Mum:
We only use fabrics that are safe for children; we do not use fire retardants or hazardous chemicals in our products.

By: Crystal

Crystal — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 19:08:26 +0000

Thanks!! The smell is just horrible. I really don’t see how people can continue to shop there, and then to find out that it doesn’t matter whether you buy online or in the store, it is all the same. I actually thought it must be something in the stores themselves but when I received those clothes today, it was glaringly obvious that the stuff is on the clothing itself. There is no way that I could work there. I cannot bring myself to ever go back into another one of their stores.

By: safbaby

safbaby — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 18:42:57 +0000

Did you see Pam’s comment about Gap&Old Navy clothes?

Here is what she wrote:
“Hi all, I just wanted to let you know that Old Navy, Gap, Etc. Do Have a lot of icky stuff on them. I worked at an Old Navy on the shipment team, and when they opened the boxes, the smell was horrendous! I asked my boss about it and she said there were a lot of chemicals(including formaldehyde) to keep the bugs off during the shipment. I hope this helps some who are wondering about the gap brand.”

By: Crystal

Crystal — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 18:01:23 +0000

It’s interesting to read the Gap’s comment on their use of formaldehyde. I have recently noticed strong chemical smells while in 2 different Old Navy stores and actually had to leave because it was overpowering to the point of making my eyes burn and water. You could smell it the minute you walked in. I recently purchased some clothing for my daughter at the Old Navy online site and bought her some Gap jeans online. The same chemical smell was on the clothing that I bought online. I had to get rid of the bags that they came in and immediately threw the clothing in the washer. Have washed twice now and with baking soda added, so we’ll see if it comes out or not. I still have one shirt to wash and it is smelling up the whole bedroom, so I am going to have to put it outside until I can get it in the washer. This smell is so so strong and until I received these clothes today in the mail and associated it with the same strong smell that is in their stores, I did not realize that it was possibly formaldehyde until I started doing research. Again, it is interesting to see the comment that the Gap company made, when I just received a pair of little girl’s jeans today from them that smelled like it had been soaked in the stuff.

By: Krista

Krista — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 22:01:14 +0000

I have a full wardrobe of hand-me-downs for my son, but after reading this decided to stick with these companies. However, it also seem ssilly to buy a whole new wardrobe when I already have more than I need. So I have emailed a bunch of other companies and will post the answers here as I get them. I asked about formaldehyde and fire retardents. Are there any otehrs I should be asking about?

The first is from Tommy Hilfiger. The answer:

Thank you for contacting Tommy Hilfiger!

These products are not used in our clothing.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact us via phone or email.

Sincerely,
Sarah B.
Tommy Hilfiger USA

By: Krista

Krista — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 20:26:38 +0000

Alysha, I had the same question about Just One Year & Child of Mine (by Carter’s) and Genuine Kids (by Osh Kosh), so I emailed them to find out if it was safe to assume that these were also chemical free. They got back to me (the same day!) with this:

Hello,

Thank you for contacting Carters. Yes, you are correct, none of the products manufactured under the Carters/Oshkosh brand have any chemicals used in the production.

Linda
Consumer Affairs

By: safbaby

safbaby — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:50:52 +0000

I got this comment back from Carter’s today:

We can’t find a record of a contact from Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie. Can you let us know who they talked to at Carter’s?

We use clean polyester on all FR garments which is naturally flame resistant. All styles are tested and pass federal requirements. There is a polyester that has additives to improve the characteristics but we do not use.

Sincerely,
Mary
Consumer Affairs
Carter’s

By: Kimberly

Kimberly — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 03:29:23 +0000

According to “Slow Death by Rubber Duck” by Rick Smith & Bruce Lourie:
“…most polyester in sleepwear is now infused with a few different kinds of flame retardants……bonded right into the fabric.” When they asked Carter’s about their pjs, they didn’t get a straight answer.

By: Terri

Terri — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:58:47 +0000

What about “fire retardant” sleepwear from Carter’s? No chemicals in that? I would also like to hear about Kohl’s Jumping Beans–I think I will email them.

By: Alysha

Alysha — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:02:33 +0000

In response to the questions RE: does it wash out?

From a chemical perspective, recycled and used clothing is often healthier than new, chemical clothing. If you really, really must have that new synthetic disco outfit, avoid all easy care fabrics and finishes. Remember, it takes a long time and many washings to deplete most of the formaldehyde resins in those easy care finishes. That “permanent” is in “permanent press” for more than one reason.

http://organicclothing.blogs.com/my_weblog/2006/04/wakeup_and_smel.html