Vinyl Vs Fabric Decals & Wallpaper - A scary comparison!

Vinyl Vs Fabric Decals & Wallpaper - A scary comparison!

When the time comes to decorate your kids room, baby nursery or playroom, fingers all over the world cringe at the thought of scrolling through the saturated market of kid’s bedroom décor. Parents question where to start? and how to make the biggest impact visually, without purchasing multiple pieces designed to pull a room together.

One product in particular has been a popular kids wall décor option for parents, and that is kids room wallpaper and wall decals. These products have the ability to easily transform a space into something aesthetically beautiful, whilst creating a safe, magical place that ignites imagination in your little one. However, are these wall décor options really safe? Unfortunately, not all wall stickers and wallpaper are made equally, therefore it is important to understand the difference between vinyl and fabric products, and what effect they have on your child, your home and the environment.

Photo credit featuring Misty Mountain Wallpaper - instagram.com/taliahmccarthy

Vinyl Wallpaper and Wall Decals

Did you know that cheaper products such as vinyl wallpaper or a vinyl decal, contain harmful toxic chemicals? Vinyl products are a source of phthalates and contain volatile organic compounds that are associated with neurological conditions in children.

So why are they on our walls? Well, the majority of companies produce decals using vinyl as they’re more cost effective (allowing for larger margins). Sadly, this means that polyvinyl chloride plastic (PVC), sometimes referred to as the most toxic plastic, end up on the walls of our children’s rooms with no information around what they contain and the effects they have on our families health and the environment.

Fabric Wallpaper and Wall Decals

Unlike Vinyl products, fabric wall decals and wall paper are classified as Green (Non-Toxic) products. They contain no dangerous chemicals such as PVC, BPA, and phthalates found in vinyl PVC plastics. Fable and Fawn’s fabric products use a high-grade 100% fabric with water-based inks, meaning safer for your children and your home. Additionally, the product is biodegradable over time when disposed of, a much safer option for the environment.

Some of their additional perks are:

  • They're designed for anyone to apply! #easydiy
  • They’re safe for walls as they do not contain glue, their low tack self-adhesive backing means you can remove them and reposition them on your walls if you don't like their positioning, or even transfer them to a different house.
  • Our fabric products are perfect for all weather conditions and will not curl or shrink in humid, dry or cold conditions.
  • Designed to not rip or wrinkle and can be pulled apart if accidentally folded over during installation. (Vinyl products will rip when removed from walls.) 

Credit (Olivers Room) Featuring Shark Wall Stickers - instagram.com/spepps

The Environment

The National Waste Report 2020, disclosed Australia’s generation of 3.5 million tonnes of plastic waste in 2018 and 2019, with only a small 13% of this number being recycled, and 84% ended up in landfills. Vinyl products contribute to these numbers by breaking down into tiny pieces of micro-plastics once disposed of, and ultimately polluting our waterways and land.

It is therefore more important than ever to educate ourselves on alternative products on the market that decrease our environmental footprint. This is why the team at Fable and Fawn have pledged to only use fabric for their removable wallpaper and wall decal products. We choose to take responsibility for what we produce for our customers and what impact we have in this world. 

Looking for products you can trust? Shop our range of art print illustrations, modern wall decals and kids wallpaper at www.fableandfawn.com.au

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