Window Coverings
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Window coverings are a great place for dust to accumulate, making washability or wipeability key components for keeping curtains et al clean and Non-Toxic. As there is no direct skin contact, healthy materials are important but not as stringently required as they are for skin contact textiles. What we’re mainly looking for is to avoid offgassing of petrochemical-based textiles, and performance treatments.
Prioritize Natural textiles and materials, cleanly grown and processed and without synthetic backing or performance treatments.
Avoid Synthetic textiles, PVC (polyvinyl chloride) or polyester backings, conventionally grown and processed natural textiles.
Rawganique
100% Organic Cotton, Linen & Hemp curtains, with no PVC or polyester backing. These curtains have a tight weave, allowing low light penetrability, and certain darker colors should perform similar to true (and usually synthetic or toxic) blackout curtains. We love that no conventional or disperse dyes are used - Rawganique instead using natural, clay, and organic fiber-reactive dyes. Machine washable, and can be wax treated to make water-resistant - though this negates the machine washability. Rawganique does not announce any advanced certifications - as per their great customer service team, while their workshop is GOTS certified, they are still working out how to use this certification while making clear that their production standards go above and beyond the certification requirements.
OVERALL SCORE
Best
CERTIFICATIONS
Earthshade
Earthshade has been making window coverings for the chemically sensitive for the past 25 years. Of their current offerings, the HappyShades Roman flagship line is the best option - completely chemical free, made from renewable grasses, reeds, bamboo, and a GOTS certified cotton/hemp blend. No chemical finishes are used, and the shades won’t offgas any VOCs. Customizable to your home and on the more expensive side, wipeable though not washable, the best option we’ve come across for Roman Shades.
OVERALL SCORE
Best
CERTIFICATIONS
Magic Linen
Curtains made out of - you guessed it - Linen (which is made out of European Flax). While Magic Linen wasn’t able to confirm that their flax was grown organically, flax generally doesn't require chemical pesticides for growth or harvesting, and Magic Linen uses OEKO-Tex Standard 100 certified linen - which confirms it was tested for applicable chemicals within this certification’s RSL, and residual levels are all within their permissible standards. While we’re a bit more stringent with OEKO-Tex certifications when it comes to textiles that will have direct skin contact; for window coverings this is sufficient.
OVERALL SCORE
Better
CERTIFICATIONS
Piglet in Bed
Piglet in Bed offers linen/cotton curtains, made in Portugal and machine washable, with a handful of options and an affordable price point. While we weren’t able to get much detail on the processing inputs, we can confirm that while softening agents are used in wet processing, no substances of concern within REACH and OEKO-Tex Standard 100 RSLs are intentionally used. Fiber reactive dyes color the linen/cotton blends, and the final curtains are certified to OEKO-Tex Standard 100 applicable criteria.
OVERALL SCORE
Better
CERTIFICATIONS
Two Sisters (DIY)
Handy with a sewing machine? Fabric can be ordered by the yard (with samples available) from Two Sisters Eco-Textiles. They are our favorite textile company, with how much they care, their attention to detail, and how above and beyond they go to confirm the integrity of their sourcing. Virtually all their textiles are GOTS or OEKO-Tex certified, and (virtually) no synthetic materials anywhere.
OVERALL SCORE
Best
CERTIFICATIONS
