Smoke season is back, and getting more intense every year. Tune into this “Best of” discussion with James Crooks, Ph.D., an environmental epidemiologist with National Jewish Health’s Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics in Denver, who explains his research on the impact of wildfire smoke on the ozone concentrations at ground level in Colorado. Elevated ozone levels contribute to the rising incidence of asthma and diabetes, among other conditions. Dr. Crooks found that while ozone increased only 1% compared to pre-wildfire levels, the impacts are widely felt, especially in Hispanic and historically underserved communities. The advent of annual smoke seasons and rising levels of air pollution globally make this an important conversation. He shares his advice on how to protect family members from air pollution and the prospects for life in a warmer world, when smoke season will be common in many regions.

Smoke season isn’t just unpleasant, it’s killing too many of us. According to a recent study published in the journal The Lancet Planetary Health, air pollution was directly responsible for the death of 4.5 million people around the world in 2019. A McGill University study released in early May reported that people who lived within 31 miles (50 km) of a wildfire over a 10-year period were found to have a 10% higher incidence of brain tumors and 4.9% more lung cancers. You can learn more about Dr. Crooks and National Jewish Health at nationaljewish.org.

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This podcast originally aired on June 15, 2022.

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If you’re looking to finish your kitchen, bar area, or other seating arrangement with a set of sustainable bar stools (or counter stools) then you’ve come to the right place.

How To Source Sustainable Bar Stools and Counter Stools

I was looking for sustainable counter stools last year because my husband and I’s apartment had a large countertop and no room for a kitchen table.

We liked how the layout utilized the small space efficiently, making it feel like we had more space than we really did! However it’s not as easy to find beautiful counter stools as it is to find other sorts of dining chairs!

After borrowing my parent’s barstools for a few months, we came across the perfect set of mid-century modern-esque secondhand counter stools from the peer-to-peer resale app OfferUp.

There are many ways to source sustainable bar stools or counter stools. And which way is right for you depends on your budget and circumstances.

Secondhand Apps

This option is usually the cheapest, but may require a lot of time searching and picking up the items.

We used OfferUp, because we were on a budget, had the ability to wait (since we could borrow stools in the meantime), and weren’t ready to invest in our “forever home” — we don’t know if our future living spaces will require counter stools.

Curated Secondhand Sites

These tend to be the second most affordable option for counter stools, bar stools, or any other piece of furniture. You pay a bit of a premium over something like OfferUp or Facebook Marketplace, because the pieces are more curated, the photography is typically way better, and some places may even handle the shipping and logistics for you!

Here are a couple to check out:

• AptDeco: Advertised as the easiest way to shop secondhand furniture, AptDeco provides a professional delivery service, including pickup, delivery, and assembly within the contiguous U.S.

• Chairish: mecca for vintage furniture (typically more expensive)

New Eco-Friendly Bar Stools and Counter Stools

You may want to shop for new sustainable counter stools and bar stools if you don’t have as much time to hunt for treasures on the secondhand market, want to invest in a long-term piece of furniture, or have a very specific set of aesthetic preferences.

You might also look for new eco-friendly counter stool options if you want to make sure your stools are non-toxic, and made without harmful chemicals. You’ll see some certifications mentioned throughout. Here’s a quick cheatsheet on what they do (and don’t do).

FSC Certified: the wood sourcing was responsibly managed (not a finish, foam, or textile guarantee)

CertiPUR-US®: third-party verification that foam (like cushioned seat padding) is made without ozone depleters, PBDE flame retardants, mercury, lead, or formaldehyde, and meets low VOC emission standards; it’s a foam-specific certification, not a wood or fabric one

OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100: tests the finished textile (like wool or cotton upholstery) for harmful substances against human-ecological safety limits; this is a product-level fabric certification, and does not cover the wood or metal parts of the furniture

Below are some vetted resources for finding sustainable bar and counter stools! Transparency note: this guide contains affiliate links. As always we only feature brands that meet strict criteria for sustainability that we love — and that we think you’ll love too.

My Favorite Places to Find Sustainable Bar Stools & Counter Stools

1. Urban Natural

Best for: wide variety of premium sustainable stools

Materials: Responsibly Sourced Wood, Leather, Metal, Fabric Upholstery

Conscious Qualities: Artisan-Made and USA Made Options; FSC-Certified Options

Price Range: $499 – $2930

Urban Natural is mecca for sustainable furniture, including bar stools and counter stools. The brands they carry prioritize craftsmanship, design, quality, and sustainability. Many of the stools are made with FSC-Certified solid wood and eco-friendly production practices. Ethnicraft, for example, is a brand that uses zero waste production methods, repurposing any would-be wood waste.

Browse Urban Natural

2. What We Make

Best for: rustic reclaimed wood stools

Materials: Reclaimed Wood or Solid Hardwood, Steel

Conscious Qualities: VOC-Free Finish, Repurposed Wood, Made to Order in USA

Price Range: $425 – $755

Crafted in Chicgoland from wood harvested from torn down Midwestern barns, What We Make has rustic reclaimed wood or solid hardwood stools with character. Each bar or counter stool is finished with a VOC-free finish.

When selecting your wood on the product you’ll notice reclaimed options as well as solid hardwood options. Due to the nature of reclaimed wood, that option will result in slight variations, but I find that part of the joy of upcycled pieces!

Browse What We Make

3. Medley

Best for: stools made with natural non-toxic materials

Materials: Domestically Sourced FSC-Certified Solid Wood, CertiPUR-US®-certified foam, OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100-Certified Wool, Cotton

Conscious Qualities: Made-to-Order, Crafted in California, Solid Wood, In-Home Trial

Price: $1090

Handcrafted in California to your specifications with quality sustainable materials — like domestic solid alder, walnut, and maple wood — Medley’s sleek modern furniture is as sustainable as it is beautiful. The company has one eco-friendly counter stool available, called the Jasmi Counter Stool as well as other dining chairs.

Browse Medley

4. Emeco

Best for: heirloom quality or commercial grade stools

Materials: Recycled Aluminum, Reclaimed Wood, Sustainably-Sourced Wood

Conscious Qualities: Durable, Repurposed Materials, Suitable For Outdoors

Price Range: $425 – $2120

Emeco has eco-friendly stools designed to last for a lifetime (or several). Their sustainable bar stools and counter stools are made in Pennsylvania from repurposed materials and are designed to commercial-grade standards.

Some options are also suitable for use as outdoor furniture.

Browse Emeco

5. Greenington

Best for: bamboo stools

Materials: Solid Moso Bamboo, Some Leather Upholstery

Conscious Qualities: Tree-Free, Uses Fast-Growing Bamboo

Price: $559 – $938

Greenington is among the most popular sustainable furniture brands for a reason. As a founding member of the Sustainable Furnishings Council, Greenington uses 100% solid Moso bamboo for their furniture — a material they claim is 20% harder than red oak. They offer eco-friendly counter stools and bar stools in a variety of finishes, though there are no stool designs with backs.

Browse Greenington

6. Pottery Barn Sustainably Sourced Collection

Best for: more affordable sustainable stool options

Materials: Reclaimed Wood, Recycled Aluminum, Recycled Plastic

Conscious Qualities: Natural and Repurposed Materials

Price: $249 – $399

Furniture brand Pottery Barn has recently been expanding their sustainably sourced collection, so you may just find your new eco-friendly bar and counter stools there. Their collection features stools made from reclaimed and recycled materials in a range of aesthetics, from farmhouse chic to mid-century modern.

Browse Pottery Barn

7. West Elm Sustainably Sourced Collection

Best for: mid-century modern stools

Materials: Sustainably-Sourced Wood

Conscious Qualities: Quality Products, Use of Some Responsible Materials

Price: $499 – $599

Another larger furniture retailer with a sustainably sourced collection is West Elm. Their selection of sustainably sourced stools is small, but you can find an eco-friendly bar stool / counter stool made from FSC-Certified wood from responsibly managed forests.

Browse West Elm

Looking to complete your eco space?

Check out our full guide to sustainable furniture brands and our guide to non-toxic furniture brands.

The post 7 Sustainable Bar Stools and Counter Stools To Complete Your Space (2026) appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.

7 Sustainable Bar Stools and Counter Stools To Complete Your Space (2026)

A used dog crate can save you $80 and keep a perfectly good piece of gear out of a landfill. A used food bowl with a few hairline scratches can seed your pet’s water with bacteria for months. The difference between a smart secondhand buy and a risky one usually comes down to two questions: what the item is made of, and whether you can actually clean it.

Americans spent $158 billion on their pets in 2025, and a growing share are looking for ways to spend less; the American Pet Products Association found roughly 22% of owners cut back on pet spending last year. Reused pet gear sits right at the intersection of saving money and cutting waste. But pets add a wrinkle that used furniture or clothing doesn’t: some of the germs that ride along on old bowls, beds, and toys are remarkably hard to kill, and the popular vinegar-and-soap cleaning advice doesn’t do what most people think it does.

This article contains affiliate links. If you purchase an item through one of these links, we receive a small commission that helps fund our Recycling Directory.

Why Buying Used Makes Sense

The resale habit that reshaped clothing is spreading to durable goods. Pet supplies are a natural fit: crates, carriers, and hard toys are built to last far longer than one animal’s use of them.

Keeping those items in circulation matters, because pet gear leans heavily on plastic. Pet products generate an estimated 300 million pounds of plastic waste a year in North America, according to Earth.Org, and most worn-out toys and beds aren’t recyclable through curbside programs. Every crate or bowl bought secondhand is one that didn’t have to be manufactured, and one that isn’t clogging a landfill.

A few manufacturers are building reuse into the product itself. West Paw runs a closed-loop reuse program called Join the Loop,  which grinds down worn Zogoflex toys and remakes them, and Petmate now makes kennels from roughly 95% recycled polypropylene. When you can’t find a safe used version of what you need, durable, recycled-content, take-back-eligible gear is the next-best circular choice.

Start With the Material, Not the Price Tag

The single most useful rule for secondhand pet shopping is this: hard, nonporous items can be cleaned and disinfected; soft, porous ones often can’t. Stainless steel, glass, glazed ceramic, and smooth hard plastic have surfaces you can scrub and sanitize down to bare material. Fabric, foam, wood, rope, and sisal soak up saliva, urine, and whatever lived in them before, and no amount of wiping reaches all the way in.

Use this as a quick field guide when you’re standing over a yard-sale table:

Food and Water Bowls

Stainless steel, glass, and glazed ceramic bowls are ideal secondhand buys because they’re durable, and boiling water or a dishwasher cycle sanitizes them completely. Just check ceramic for cracks, chips, and crazing (that fine web of surface cracks in old glaze), any of which can trap bacteria and, in some imported glazes, leach lead.

Skip used plastic bowls entirely. Even hairline scratches in plastic harbor bacteria that can’t be removed by routine washing, and the bacteria that live in a pet’s mouth recolonize those grooves fast. For example, the Cornell Feline Health Center notes that 70–90% of cats carry Pasteurella multocida, a pathogen which can cause wound infections in people.

A new stainless bowl costs a few dollars and lasts for years, so this is one place not to economize.

Crates and Carriers

Metal and hard-plastic crates are among the best secondhand values in pet care. Inspect your options for cracks, sharp edges, missing screws, weak joints, and a carrying handle that’s loose or damaged. On wire crates, check that the door latches securely and the pan slides in flush.

Fabric crates need intact seams and zippers that fasten smoothly; a failed zipper on the road can lead to a lost pet. One firm exception: don’t buy a used airline travel crate. Most carriers require a new, IATA-compliant crate for animals flying as cargo, and a secondhand one may not meet current standards.

Beds, Clothing, and Soft Toys

Fabric items can be great buys if, and only if, you can launder them properly. Wash on the hottest setting the fabric allows and dry on high heat; a full hot wash-and-dry cycle kills fleas at every life stage, along with their eggs. Use a plant-based, pet-safe detergent so you’re not leaving fragrance and residue against your pet’s skin.

Inspect for rips and loose parts that could become choking hazards and be realistic about foam beds; if you can’t remove and wash the cover and you can’t wash the core, you can’t truly clean it.

Plush and rope toys are the least recommended soft items to buy used, because their fibers can hold saliva-borne bacteria and even worm eggs that laundering doesn’t fully kill.

Cat Trees, Scratchers, and the Scent Problem

Cats and dogs mark territory with scent, and a secondhand scratching post or cat tree can come pre-loaded with another animal’s signature. Some cats respond by refusing the item; others try to overwrite it, sometimes by urine-marking. Carpet- and sisal-covered posts are also porous and nearly impossible to disinfect.

Give any soft-covered item the sniff tests a cat would give it. If you can smell the previous animal, your pet certainly will. A better secondhand strategy is to buy a solid frame you can wipe down and add fresh sisal rope or replaceable cardboard inserts yourself.

The Cleaning Advice Most Guides Get Wrong

Here’s the part worth slowing down for. Soap and water, including natural Castile soap, and vinegar are fine for everyday grime and routine bacteria. Physically scrubbing an item removes most of what’s on it, and for gear coming from a healthy household, that plus a hot wash and sunlight is usually enough.

But vinegar is not a disinfectant against the pathogens that matter most in used pet gear. The viruses of real concern, including canine parvovirus and feline panleukopenia, are nonenveloped, meaning they lack the fatty outer coat that makes other germs easy to kill. That structure lets them resist most common cleaners, including vinegar and quaternary ammonium products, and survive in the environment for a long time.

The good news for anyone who came to secondhand shopping for environmental reasons: the most effective option is also one of the greenest. Accelerated hydrogen peroxide (AHP), which is sold to shelters and vets under the brand Rescue, kills parvovirus yet breaks down into water and oxygen, carries Green Seal and GREENGUARD Gold certifications, and doesn’t require the ventilation and skin protection bleach does. It’s the rare case where the responsible choice and the effective choice are the same bottle.

How Long Germs Actually Linger

Older advice often says viruses and parasites survive on secondhand items for “up to a month.” For the tough ones, that’s a serious underestimate. Canine parvovirus can persist in a contaminated environment for as long as seven months, according to the Indiana State Board of Animal Health, and veterinary sources put its outdoor survival at up to a year under cool, shaded conditions. Fleas and their eggs can stay viable in bedding for weeks. That long tail infection potential is why an effective disinfection method, not just “give it a wash,” matters.

When to Skip Secondhand Altogether

A few situations tilt the math toward buying new, or passing entirely:

• You have an unvaccinated puppy or kitten. Young animals are most vulnerable to exactly the viruses that resist cleaning. Until vaccinations are complete, favor new, easily sanitized gear.
• The item comes from a home with a known illness. If a previous pet had parvo, panleukopenia, ringworm, or a flea infestation, skip any porous item and disinfect hard ones with an AHP or bleach solution.
• You can’t clean it to the core. Foam beds, saturated cat trees, and gouged chew toys can’t be reliably disinfected. When in doubt, they go.
• The damage is structural. Cracked crates, frayed harness webbing, failing tank seals, and chipped ceramic aren’t bargains, they’re hazards that can harm your pet.

Products Worth Knowing About

A short, practical kit makes secondhand pet shopping safe without much fuss.

• Accelerated hydrogen peroxide disinfectant (e.g., Rescue). The eco-forward way to kill parvovirus and panleukopenia on hard, nonporous gear.
• Enzymatic odor cleaner. Breaks down the proteins in urine and scent marks that plain soap leaves behind, which is useful for reclaiming a lightly-marked crate or hard scratcher frame.
• Stainless steel bowls. When a used bowl is plastic or questionable, a new stainless set is inexpensive, dishwasher-safe, and effectively permanent.
• A fine-tooth flea comb. A dollar-store tool that tells you fast whether a secondhand bed or blanket is carrying hitchhikers.
• Durable, recycled-content toys (e.g., West Paw Zogoflex). For the soft-toy gap secondhand can’t safely fill, and they’re take-back recyclable at end of life.

What You Can Do

1. Shop by material first. Reach for stainless steel, glass, glazed ceramic, and smooth hard plastic; be cautious with fabric, foam, wood, rope, and sisal.
2. Inspect before you buy. Check for cracks, sharp edges, frayed webbing, failed zippers, and chewed-through spots. Structural damage is a dealbreaker.
3. Match the cleaning method to the risk. Hot wash and dry for fabric; scrub-and-sanitize for hard items. For anything from a home with illness, use an AHP or bleach solution at full contact time.
4. Know when to buy new. Airline crates, food bowls to replace plastic, and gear for unvaccinated young animals are worth buying new.
5. Close the loop at the other end. When your own pet gear wears out, donate what’s still usable, and check Earth911’s recycling search for options on what isn’t.

Related Reading

• A Guide to Safe and Sustainable Pet Products
• Eco-Friendly Laundry Detergents
• Reduce Rover’s CO2 Pawprint: Fruits and Veggies Dogs Enjoy

Editor’s Note: Originally published by Tammi Avallone, a writer and managing editor of FiveBarks.com, on June 30, 2022, this article was substantially updated in July 2026.

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