The Potential Risks Of Having Stain-Resistant Furniture Or Carpet In Your Home

New carpet and furniture are costly investments, so it's no surprise many are tempted to look for stain-resistant options (also known as performance fabrics), especially if you have kids or pets or you enjoy the occasional glass of red wine in front of the TV. That sounds like a lot of time, effort, and money saved, right? However, there is a hidden cost to many stain-resistant products, and that is because they are made with perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also referred to as PFAS.

PFAS are used in a variety of products due to their ability to resist heat, water, oil, and grease. They're also known as "forever chemicals," because they don't break down in our bodies or the environment. PFAS have been linked to cancers, kidney disease, reproductive issues, thyroid disease, and liver damage, among other conditions, per a review in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. And that's what we know from limited research; PFAS chemicals have been commonly used in consumer products only since the 1950s.

"That's just the tip of the iceberg," Carmen Messerlian, an assistant professor of environmental reproductive, perinatal, and pediatric epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, told Business Insider. "This is only basically what we've been able to study. There's probably a lot more impact. We just haven't been able to do the science to be able to show it."

As the U.S. federal government works to limit the use of PFAS, many industries have shifted away from them on their own. There are several fabric protectors free of PFAS, including the brands protectME and ProofPlus. When it comes to materials that are naturally more stain-resistant, consider polyester and synthetic, which are both durable and easy-to-clean sofa materials.

If you have trouble keeping your rugs pristine, there are also a variety of washable rugs on the market, which can be used instead of or on top of carpeting. A popular brand is Ruggable, which bills its products as "stain-resistant" but doesn't use PFAS. You can also consider furniture and carpeting in a deeper color palette or pattern that will disguise spills more easily. And if all else fails and you live in a household with a lot of stubborn stains, there's nothing wrong with using washable furniture covers; they've come a long way from the plastic ones your grandparents used to use.