The words "toxic free" are becoming more and more common in our society as we slowly discover more and more harmful things every day. The first place to start cleaning out harmful toxins really should start in the home as that's where we spend most of our time. But where do we start? The World Health Organization recently pointed out that air pollution is one of the biggest dangers to us, and can quite literally ruin our health. Despite the fact that most of us think about outside are pollution first, there are some places in the world where our indoor air pollution can be even more harmful.
This is where Ikea is coming in.
The home store giant that is known worldwide has released a product called Gunrid that is one of their newest tech gadget offerings, based on many years of research that will apply air cleaning technology to everyday life via your curtains. Boom.
How does it work? Similarly to a houseplant, actually. Gunrid will help to destroy indoor air pollution without the use of filtering systems or electric power. For real.
The nitty gritty of it is that the fabric the curtains are made of will be treated with something called a “mineral-based photocatalyst.” This piece of fabric will then become activated whenever light shines on it, thus destroying things like common indoor pollutants, odors and things like formaldehyde which is a known carcinogen (something that can cause cancer.).
The difference between the product that Ikea is releasing and other similar items already on the market is that Ikea's can be activated by both indoor and natural sunlight, not just outdoor light.
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They have shared that, “Successful laboratory tests have been carried out to ensure that the photocatalyst coating works and that it is safe. The next step is chamber tests and home tests to confirm that Gunrid efficiently removes volatile organic compounds in a room.”
As always, Ikea's goal with this product was centered on their belief that things should be simple, convenient and affordable. They have also made it their goal for these curtains to further help break down anything bad that typical air purifiers can easily leave behind.
Even cooler, this technology is being tested on various fabrics, meaning that there could eventually be an entire line made from it - even couches.
Rumor has it that this line will be hitting store shelves in spring of 2020.
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