What You Need to Know Before Decorating Children’s Garments:
CPSIA Certification
It’s common knowledge that infants and children shouldn’t play with matches, scissors, or strangers. But what about phthalates? Say what? Pronounced th-al-ates, this chemical is used to soften plastic, but several have been banned through the CPSIA Act of 2008 after it was discovered certain phthalates were linked to developmental issues in young children. CPSIA (The Consumer and Product Safety Improvement Act) also put in place more stringent laws on lead content.
It’s vitally important that infant and children’s garments are made with pthalate and lead free materials to not only comply with the law, of course, but also for the safety of your child’s development. Parents Magazine warns parents about the risks of phthalates and lead in their article, Top 10 Chemicals to Avoid.
Fear not, if you’re using a heat transfer vinyl that bears the EasyWeed® name! EasyWeed, EasyWeed Extra, EasyWeed Electric, EasyWeed Stretch, EasyWeed Adhesive, EasyWeed Glow, and EasyWeed Sub Block are all lead and pthalate free making them CPSIA certified.
Almost all Siser® heat transfer vinyls are CPSIA certified. To see if your HTV is certified, go to the product page and look for the symbol pictured above.
Keeping your kids safe, stylish, and chemical free is easy with EasyWeed and other Siser heat transfer materials!
[…] Certifiably Safe […]
Hi so are you saying that your heat transfer vinyl is not made of polyvinyl chloride?
If not then what is it made of?
Hi Rebecca! Most of our heat transfer vinyl is polyurethane (PU.) However, some like CADFlex is PVC. The product composition is noted under the color offerings on each product page of our website.
SO, it is safe for me to use HTV on a baby bib? Knowing babies chew on everything. I want to decorate them for a shower.
Hi Debbie! Yes, it’s safe to use CPSIA compliant HTV on baby bibs. You can double check the HTV you want to use is certified by looking for the badge (pictured in this post) on each product page of our website.
If I am making a ceramic plate with HTV on it, is it safe to have food on it?
Hi Diana! Unfortunately, none of the Siser® products qualify as “food safe.”
I’m a little confused. If Easyweed is not food-safe, how is it safe on baby bibs, knowing babies may suck on the bibs/vinyl?
Hi Jim, good question! The adhesive on HTV is made to adhere to fabrics and is much less likely to come off a bib as opposed to a hard plate that is scratched at with utensils. Most Siser® HTV is CPSIA compliant which means that the lead and phthalate content is within the governments regulated content limits and can be used on children’s fabric items, however it does not certify HTV as Food Safe.
The htv vinyl is bpa free?
Hi Susan! Our PU products are BPA free. To determine if the type of HTV you want to use is PU, please check the “Specifications” listed below the color offerings on each product page of siserna.com
I bought a lot of craft vinyls permanent from cricut are they safe.? I bought also easy weed vinyl from Siser. Do you recommend Siser for permanent and htv vinyl?
Hi Lisa, EasyWeed® and almost all other Siser® HTV are CPSIA certified along with EasyPSV® BlackBoard®. I am not certain if any Cricut product can make the same claims, so I would suggest reaching out to Cricut support for further information.
Can HTV be used on a face mask?
Yes, Siser HTV can be used on a face mask! Please read this post: Tips for Applying Siser HTV to Fabric Face Masks.
So could I use HTV on a soft stuffed baby rattle and not ha e to worry about baby drooling, gumming, sucking, and biting it?
Hi Nicole! Yes, if the HTV is CPSIA compliant, it will be fine applied to a plush baby rattle.
Hi. Would this be safe to use on plush/fabric dog toys?
Hi Natalie! CPSIA certified HTV can also be applied to pet items. Joe decorated a chew toy with HTV in this video.
Hello- I just found out I am pregnant. Is this safe to us during pregnancy?
Hi Amanda! Yes, CPSIA certified products are safe for babies, children, and pregnant women.
So this type of vinyl is safe to put on a face mask?
Hi Tonya! A full list of approved Siser® Heat Transfer Vinyl for fabric face masks can be found in this blog post.
can you use the HTV on glass products (so that it’s free of the bad stuff)?
Hi Jenny! HTV can be applied to glass, however heating glass can be risky so it’s reccomended to be extremely cautious. This blog post from Silhouette School explains the process.
Is Sisser brand vinyl chloride free? Adhesive vinyls specifically?
I recently bought orafol brand, but read that it contains its toxic substances.
I hope you can answer :)
Hi Lupita! Most Siser Heat Transfer Vinyl is PVC free and CPSIA certified (or considered “non-toxic”) however all of the adhesive vinyl, EasyPSV is PVC based except for EasyPSV® Chalkboard. Chalkboard is PVC free.
Bonjour Puis je utiliser votre vinyle pour des pochoirs sérigraphie à cookies ?
Salut Abed ! Nous ne recommandons pas d’utiliser le vinyle Siser pour tout projet qui entre en contact direct avec des aliments.
Is Siser vinyls also considered safe to breathe in the fumes while heat pressing? I’m usually a chemical sensitive person so wondering if its safe for me to use htv.
Hi Lynn! We’ve performed testing and the amount of chemicals that are released during heat application is negligible.
Can you elaborate on this? What do you mean when you say “the amount of chemicals that are released during heat application is negligible?” Is it possible to see the data from those tests?
Hi Summer! It means the amount of chemicals that are released during heat application are so small or unimportant as to be not worth considering/ they are insignificant enough for the material to pass CPSIA standards. We are able to provide CPSIA documentation for products that qualify. Please reach out to our Support Team at Support@SiserNA.com or 586.203.8171 for supporting documents.
Which Siser material is/is not safe with a CO2 laser machine?
Hi Sandra! Laser friendly materials are marked with a burst in our brochure and an icon on the website product pages.
Is your permanent easypsv vinyl CPSIA certified?
Hi Emily! EasyPSV® Permanent is not CPSIA certified, but EasyPSV® Removable Chalkboard is.
Hi, since all adhesive Vinyl contain pvc, is there what would you suggest if someone would would like to decorate only the outside of a plastic party cup with guest names.
I don’t want to use anything toxic since it will be indirectly along side food. Maybe another product of yours or a technique I may want to explore?
By the way, I’m sooo happy to know that your htv is non toxic…I wish I could use it, but I’m decorating plastic birthday cups. Urg…
Please help.
Thanks
P.s.
Are you all planning on releasing a non toxic adhesive Vinyl, there really is a need for it…hint… : )
As of Jan 2023
Hi Doni! Cups are frequently decorated with adhesive vinyl. As long as the vinyl is applied in an area that would not come into direct contact with food or the mouth area, then you can have peace of mind.
If we could offer a non-toxic adhesive vinyl that would be cost-effective we would, but unfortunately it would be a price-y product.
Can this vinyl be cut using a CO2 laser such as glowforge?
Hi Dan! Yes, you can use your Glowforge to cut most Siser® HTV. Look for the “laser friendly” symbol on the product pages of our website to be certain the HTV you’re using will be compatible. This video from Lisa Potts shows how to cut Siser HTV with a Glowforge.
Is Siser HTV flammable please? The only reason I ask – it’s for labelling purposes for my clothing..for example, my wholesale clothing supplier states on their label ‘keep away from fire’, but I don’t know if applying HTV will increase the fire risk or not? Kind regards, Su
Hi Sooz! Siser materials are neither flame resistant nor flame retardant.
Hello! Is it okay to share the link to this page on a website FAQ page, to show a source for safety information? I thought it could go under, “is HTV safe for pet toys?” Or, “is HTV safe for baby blankets?” Or would you prefer more research be done and we use a different link? We are considering selling things using your EasyWeed HTV (fabulous product by the way!) Should we additionally look into using the safety badge, or is that specific to your site? I’m aiming to do everything by the book/law and don’t want to use information that is copyrighted. Thank you so much for your time!
Hi Bee, thanks for reading the Siser Blog! There isn’t an official badge for CPSIA compliance, ours was created for the website. The best way to show a source for this info on your website would be to call out that the products are CPSIA compliant and have CPSIA documents available to provide to your customers. You can download the EasyWeed® document here. If you need documentation for any other CPSIA compliant products, please email Support@SiserNA.com and they will provide what is available.
Thank you so much for your time, help with my inquiry Lily! This was really helpful; and I think your blog is fantastic! Take care :)
Is htv food safe for serving tray after being sealed with non toxic sealer? As in placing food directly on the tray without any paper, etc. between food and tray.
Hi BJ! HTV is not food safe and would not be considered so even with a non-toxic sealant on top.
I would like to make snack bags and cover the fabric with a clear vinyl and then quilt the bags.
So my grandkids have food safe snack bags with zippers made by their grandmother. Will your vinyl work on cotton fabric to make a snack bag.
Hi Pam! Siser® HTV loves cotton. As long as the HTV is on the outside of the bag, you should be good to go. I would suggest using Clear Sparkle as it’s the closest material we have to a fully clear vinyl.
I am making labels for inside of ball caps. Is the siser vinyl safe on skin? I have a few customers that are bald, and the vinyl will be against their heads during the time they are wearing the hats.
Yes, the vinyl is safe but being in a cap, next to skin might make them sweat more as the material doesn’t absorb water.