Friday, May 27, 2011

Try Cork As Toxin-Free Shelf Liner

Before moving into my new house, I started looking for shelf liner because I wanted to protect my cabinet shelves and drawers, especially in the kitchen and under the sinks. Most liners I found were made of some type of plastic. I really wanted something that provided some cushion and was also toxin-free, so my search began.

After some quick searching, I realized this wasn't going to be an easy task. There wasn't a single website that listed their liners as BPA, phthalate, or PVC free. I picked a handful of companies and sent requests for information about the material content in their shelf liners.*

While waiting to hear back, I started thinking about alternative materials. I had noticed that a few sites offered cork shelf liner, but it had adhesive backing which I wasn't thrilled about. Since cork is used for a variety of things, such as bulletin boards and under hardwood floors, I started searching for rolls of cork I could cut myself. The vast number of options surprised me, and after reading more about cork, I ordered a big roll of it.

A bit about cork: Cork comes from a tree. It is naturally toxin-free and considered environmentally friendly. It is also hydrophobic, meaning it repels water, which is perfect for under the sink. Cork also provides the bit of cushion I wanted, and it is easily cleaned. A roll of cork costs significantly less per square foot than cork shelf liner and regular shelf liner. It also doesn't have the adhesive backing which can attract pests.

It took about a week for my cork roll to arrive. It looked huge on my doorstep. It took some time to cut the cork to size, but it would have taken that long with any other shelf liner, too. I'm really happy with the cork on my shelves, and I love how it looks.





Do you use shelf liner? Have you found a great, toxin-free product?


*Of all the companies I emailed, only one company, The Container Store, said they had a few toxin-free natural fiber shelf liners. The woman at customer service went way above and beyond in contacting every company that The Container Store receives shelf liner from to find out the materials used. That right there impressed me very much with their service. However, I had already decided on cork.

7 comments:

  1. Every time one of our rubber grippy shelf liners scrunches into a corner, I envy your cork. It's the best! So clean and solid.

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  2. I loved your last post! Please keep this blog going!!!! The info is so great!

    Emily

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  3. Carissa - We are sitting on the couch laughing as we visualize your description. When you move out, you can have your own cork shelf liner!

    Emily - Thanks for your comment. I really appreciate it. I'm doing my best to keep things going. Hope you are doing well!

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  4. How much did you buy for your home? Also, what brand do you recommend?

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  5. I would like to know where you bought it.. Please. I'm looking for a shelf liner with the characteristics you were looking for too. Please share with us where you bought your roll of cork. Thank you! :)

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  6. I too lined my cabinets and drawers with cork. I ordered it from Manton in Canada. I found the company on Amazon. They emailed me directly and we’re very thorough helpful and quick

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  7. I do want to add that my friend found this post on Pinterest and shared it with me. That is how we came up with the idea

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