Upcycling projects with wooden shipping pallets are ubiquitous and incredibly trendy these days. Everywhere you look in the blogosphere, clever DIYers are crafting sofas, desks, beds, headboards, bookshelves, walls, and even hardwood flooring out of recycled pallets, and turning these old and ugly salvage finds into attractive home decor. But do you really know what you're bringing into your home when you rescue a pallet from the dumpster?
A cabinetmaker and blogger named Nick, who has seen many a pallet come and go through his warehouse, offered a compelling case for why you should not be reusing wooden pallets in your home, no matter how creative or cute.
Among his points listed:
- In the process of loading, transporting, and unloading, pallets often spend some time outdoors and are "exposed to water, all manner of vermin and insects, not to mention bird droppings and other nastiness."
- After last year's E. coli outbreak on romaine lettuce, the National Consumers League called for stricter safety standards for the "unregulated but crucial" pallets used to transport food throughout the United States. NCL tested pallets for foodborne pathogens and found that 10% tested positive for E.coli and 2.9% tested positive for Listeria, one of the most virulent foodborne pathogens with a 20% to 30% rate of mortality.
- You may remember that the year before that, McNeil Consumer Healthcare issued a recall of its Tylenol products based on customer complaints of "moldy, musty or mildew-like odor that was associated with nausea, stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea." The odor was attributed to a chemical called 2,4,6-tribromoanisole (TBA), which is a byproduct of the fungicide used to treat the wooden pallets their products shipped on.
- If your wooden pallets contain low-grade engineered wood or cardboard, they may also contain formaldehyde and harbor all kinds of critters you don't want to know about.
But what if you insist that your pallets are clean and safe? Unfortunately, you never really know where your pallets originated, as they're often recycled or refurbished for multiple use. Many sources advise reusing only pallets stamped with "HT" (meaning "Heat Treated," or kiln-dried), which are generally safer than chemically-treated pallets. But if the pallets are left outside in any amount of humidity or rain before you get your hands on them, that moisture can quickly become a breeding ground for mold. Even if you spend hours scrubbing and sanding down your pallets, bacteria can still linger within that porous piece of wood.
All that said, pallets do make good scavenged materials for outdoor projects like potting benches and compost bins, and perhaps that's their best green purpose when it comes to repurposing. Given the potential risks, is it worth it to reuse a pallet in a more intimate space, like a bedroom?
If you're not deterred and still want to upcycle a wooden pallet for your own DIY project, Funky Junk Interiors offers a few pointers for working safely with pallets — and knowing when to give 'em a pass.
What do you think of the pallet upcycling trend — are you inspired, or have you had enough? Do you think pallets belong in the home, or are they better suited for outside?
Via Cupboards
Related Posts:
• Pallet Pointers: How to Know Which Ones to Leave Behind
• Pallets as Building Material: So Many Options
• The Palettenpavillon: Ultimate Pallet Reuse
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Outside only. I think pallets are something that look really cool, but practically speaking, they are not suitable for interior use.
Don't forget that trees absorb all kinds of air, water and soil pollution, so cutting those down increases the toxins in our natural supplies that we ingest and inhale every day.
I'd think there would be enough need for pallets in outdoor structures that they could all find a home, and that tag sales or repurpoused furniture could fill the indoor need. Anyway, why are all these toxins and contaminants so prevalent in today's modern world? Seems silly.
Ok, I'm all for organic and such, but perhaps a wee bit of perspective in these articles would be useful? In this case, unless you're planning on EATING the pallet, I fail to see how a report on the food-based contaminants in your furniture would help...
I've never seen a project that I would give house room to. They remind me of those tables made of cable spools that cluttered the landscape all through the 1970's.
What Ros said. Let's all go live in bubbles. Sheesh.
The most dangerous compound that many of us are in daily contact with is gasoline. The bit that one whiffs when gassing up is way more dangers that the wood's preservatives!
I've been saying this for years whenever I see these posts. Especially for furniture in kids' rooms!
Unfortunately, the preservatives and chemicals used on wood pallets do make them risky for close daily contact. They are treated with pesticides and fungicides, too.
I wonder why people would worry so much about pesticides in their food and then bring something like a pallet into their home.
Pallets are not bad to build a storage building or even a garage or a house. If you buy them new they are cheaper than the regular materials and even more if you are building it yourself. It is also, less work putting it together when building the structure. I wanted a two storage building from Lowes. They want $16,000.00 for it. That it is ridiculous because the structure is simple. It is outrageous the amount of money companies charge for storage buildings and garages. Everything is over priced and really there is no need for it. Not everybody has money, good credit or great jobs to afford things. I would not use them for furniture, because I don't like them for that, but to build a storage building and a garage and specially if I buy them new instead of getting them for free.