Editorial

Sources we read

Every quotation on this site comes from a document we opened and read on the date given. Nothing is quoted from memory.

We quote federal agencies where a piece of furniture touches safety or health: the rule about bunk beds, the smolder standard for upholstered furniture, the wind scale we design outdoor pieces against, and what the Forest Service says about the cedar we use. We do not quote to decorate a page. Each passage below is checked character for character against the saved text of its source every time the site is built.

A bunk bed is a bed with the bottom of its mattress foundation more than 30 inches above the floor.

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Bunk Beds Business Guidance. Read 23 August 2026. Source

This rule seeks to prevent the risk of deaths and injuries of children from being trapped between an upper bunk and a wall, in openings below the guardrails, or in openings in the ends of bunk beds.

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Bunk Beds Business Guidance. Read 23 August 2026. Source

Bunk beds must have at least two upper bunk guardrails, with at least one rail on each side.

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Bunk Beds Business Guidance. Read 23 August 2026. Source

The tops of the guardrails must be no less than 5 inches above the top of the mattress.

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Bunk Beds Business Guidance. Read 23 August 2026. Source

The daily recommended hours of sleep you need changes as you age.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, About Sleep. Read 23 August 2026. Source

Adult 18–60 years 7 or more hours

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, About Sleep. Read 23 August 2026. Source

Large branches in motion; whistling heard in telegraph wires; umbrellas used with difficulty.

National Weather Service, Beaufort Wind Scale. Read 23 August 2026. Source

Breaks twigs off trees; generally impedes progress.

National Weather Service, Beaufort Wind Scale. Read 23 August 2026. Source

Slight structural damage occurs (chimney-pots and slates removed)

National Weather Service, Beaufort Wind Scale. Read 23 August 2026. Source

Items manufactured, imported, or reupholstered on or after June 25, 2021, must comply with the test method specified in California Standard Technical Bulletin (TB) 117-2013.

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Upholstered Furniture Business Guidance. Read 23 August 2026. Source

TB 117-2013 has four test methods for cover fabric, resilient filling material, barrier material, and decking material.

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Upholstered Furniture Business Guidance. Read 23 August 2026. Source

To determine if they pass their respective test, each component is evaluated against three performance criteria for char length, smoldering, and transition to open flaming.

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Upholstered Furniture Business Guidance. Read 23 August 2026. Source

Western redcedar (Thuja plicata), also called Pacific redcedar, giant-cedar, arborvitae, canoe-cedar, and shinglewood, is the only Thuja species native to western North America.

USDA Forest Service, Silvics of North America: Thuja plicata (Western Redcedar). Read 23 August 2026. Source

Attractive appearance, durability, lightness, and superior insulation qualities probably are responsible for its popularity as a roofing material.

USDA Forest Service, Silvics of North America: Thuja plicata (Western Redcedar). Read 23 August 2026. Source

What this site does not do

This is not medical or safety advice. A bunk bed rule is quoted so you can read what it covers, not as a substitute for reading it yourself. Where we say a piece meets a standard, we say so because the piece names it, where it does not, we say nothing.