The latest horror stories surrounding cheap leather furniture are a wake up call. Cheap furniture bought on credit deals that seem too good to be true, is cheap for a reason.

It has been reported* today that at least 1,000 people have been burned or suffered severe skin complaints by lying on toxic sofas. The toxic substances are sprayed on leather sofas to stop them going mouldy while in storage, they were made by the Linkwise Furniture factory in southern China and sold by High Street stores such as Argos and Land of Leather.

Both chains stopped selling the toxic sofas in October when these reactions emerged but law-firms are still being flooded with enquires. It has also been claimed that many more people could be experiencing these skin conditions because of the toxins but not know the cause.

Not only has it been reported that many different types of products made in China are of poorer quality, but a series of health issues have now been raised.

Apart from the cheap manufacture of some new suites there is also a profound environmental story that is not being told.

Everyone has heard of food miles but perhaps we should be talking about sofa miles. Cheap furniture travelling across the globe is heavy, bulky and energy expensive. This is compounded by the fact that many people buying cheap new suites are chucking their own furniture onto landfill.

There is a real alternative to be had through reupholstery or loose covers. No matter how tired it looks it is almost certainly better quality than the brand new cheap imports.

*Referrences:
Telegraph.co.uk
Daily Mail