Wow if it does that to a table, what do you think it would do to a kids skin?

What is it???

Wow - I'm sorry that happened....I had no idea.

OMG Meg that is so funny you mentioned that because the EXACT same thing happened to me.

They gave these glow sticks away at my childrens halloween dance. My son came home but it on my NEW table and in the morning when I was cleaning up there was a perfect melted circle right through many layers of varnish down to the bare wood.

I actually emailed the school about it. I figured if it does that to my table is it really that safe for children.

I got rid of my coffee table yesterday - I just did not have the energy to sand it down and refinish it so I gave it away. I had that table maybe 3 weeks.

Haley

After Trick Or Treating DS2 bit a glow bracelet and got it all in his mouth. DH had tried to clean his mouth out and then had to resort to turning off the kitchen lights and doing it in the dark so that he could make sure he got all of it out. I thought it was pretty funny having to turn the lights off to clean your kid.

I wasn't worried because the guys I served w/ in the Marines thought that it was really cool to break them open and coat the insides of their mouth's w/ glow sticks to make them glow.

My daughter had to call poison control on Halloween night because my 2 year old granddughter broke one open and drank the liquid. Turned out that it is not toxic to children but I guess it is to furniture. I'm sorry that happened.

That's just sad Haley, hope you didn't spend too much on it.

ttodd that is sooo funny about the marines!!! ( our tax dollars at work LOL)and I might have to try it myself someday!! heh heh

I threw ours away Halloween night before bed...I was afraid of our pets chewing on them. Thanks for the heads-up for the furniture. When I was little we'd chew on wintergreen lifesavers in the dark to try to make green sparks.

I have a similar story.

I bought a diffuser set from Pier1. (The one that is shaped like a pumpkin.) I decided to save the cork in case I needed to store it or move it. Since my housecleaner was on the way, I threw the cork and a lot of other odds and ends into a basket and stashed it in my closet. A few weeks later, I remembered the basket. The cork was touching my son's DS (handheld game system) and had eaten a small hole through it! The plastic melted off in gooey chunks.

Yep, Haley, right down to the wood, in two curved segments. It's hard to believe that it can eat through the layers of finish and do nothing to our delicate insides . . . . You do have to wonder what ever happened to those marines! I had been wearing it around my head so I'm glad it didn't leak then! But way too scary to think of your granddaughter drinking it.

I called my friend to see if they have the glow stick packaging, or the name of the company. If I'm going to have the table re-finished, I'll probably need to know what the chemicals are.

Another lesson learned!

Cooperbailey,

Those glowsticks were as good as money in Egypt when I was on a mission there. The male Marines (I was the only female) would barter them w/ the street kids selling stuff. The kids would flock all around us when they saw us coming w/ glow sticks!

Greenthumbfish - thanks - luckily no I didn't spend too much and it wasn't one I was totally in love thank goodness.

Meg your right a lesson learned - they can say they are safe but I personally don't want my kids playing with them anymore. Just to be on the safe side.

Grandson brought his glowstick package from Halloween to me to open tonight, I suggested we "save it" for another night. I had no idea they would cause any harm to objects or people,I thought it was the perfect treat...this forum continues to inform me. thanks

Spitfire:
I had a similar thing happen with a diffuser. My GS had lifted the reeds out and some dripped on my sofa table. By the time I noticed, the finish was damaged.
Dee

Bad for the environment? I know the plastic casing is a throw away. I use a battery operated one, it flashes! (We use it for scuba diving at night)

Here is another item to keep off your furniture. For anyone that uses Frontline plus on their dogs, never place the empty packet on your furniture.My husband did this on our piano and now we have the triangular shape of the packet where it ate through the finish. He always throws it right out but was distracted and placed it there then forgot about it. I was the one that found it!

That alien story is great! Can't you just picture the owners examining the wall trying to figure out what paint/marker/substance causes the glowing!

When DH and I moved into our first apartment in college, we noticed a strange light on the ceiling at night. At first I thought something was reflecting a strip of light onto the ceiling so I tightly closed all the blinds. Then I walked around the room trying to find a watch or other metal object that could bounce light. Finally I climbed onto a chair for a closer look. Apparently someone had a rough night of studying b/c the glowing strip was a highlighter mark on the ceiling.

Wallflower plug-ins from Bath and Bodyworks ate thru the finish on my new tv console. DH had unplugged it to use the outlet and didn't set it upright. It leaked and went thru the stain to the bare wood.

The exact same thing happened to one of my end tables from a glow stick that leaked. It completely took the finish off.When I saw this thread I wondered if it was about something like that happening. I wouldn never buy another one and I bet this happens more often then you think.

I can't believe all these seemingly innocent things that eat through furniture finishes. I think I'm going to start a new thread and, if it's okay with you all, I'll list the other things you have all mentioned (Frontline Plus packet, the cork from a diffuser set, Wallflower plug-ins, etc.)

Thanks everyone for all your comments!

ttodd i bet you all were popular with the kids in Egypt. very cool. and thank you for serving your country. seriously.

This was very informative. Thank you! And my grandson tipped over a reed diffuser I had on my hall table. Before we could get it wiped up it had eaten down to the bare wood. I hope the next time I need to strip the finish off a piece of furniture I can remember to go to the dollar store and get cheap reed diffusers! LOL!

And, ttodd, happy Veteran's Day! Thank you for your service to our country.

Alcohol will eat through many finishes...yet does little to our interiors. (Well, relatively!) My gues is that it's the alcohol that's messing up the finishes.

The stomach pH is between 2 and 1 (neutral is slightly above 7.) Whats in our stomach would eat the finish off your table too:)

When my son was about 3 we had came home from trick or treating and just put him in our bed. (he had got scared), throughout the night I started smelling this really bad smell, but was so tired just kept sleeping. In the morning when I woke, My hubby had left a note on the pillow. Its said the glow stick our son had had broke and was all over the bedding. he went to work and left me and our boy sleeping! Anyway, ruined all our bedding and matress and w took me a month to get the smell out of my hair! I apparently kept rolling over and over in it on my pillow! We trashed the bedding and cleaned the matress. Flipped it over. But the stain is still there! The smell finally left.

That just happen to me and my new table . My grandchildren was here for a few days and I took the glow stick off the table and that is what it left. That is not safe. I was looking online on how or who to complain about this too and I saw this poat. This is not safe I was like what in the world is in this stick to destroy wood