Delivery time estimates do not apply to personalized, large or heavy items (over 20lbs.) that require special shipping, items shipped directly from the manufacturer, or out-of-stock items.
Delivery estimates only apply to the contiguous United States. Saturday, Sunday and national holidays are not considered business days for these estimated transit days.
We source our toys from all over the world - the United States, Germany, Italy, France, Thailand, as well as China for example. With this said, we require the same testing, and adherence to Federal and State standards as well as our own stringent quality requirements regardless of the country of origin.
It is a requirement for all our vendors to supply third-party test documents which ensure that all the products offered in our catalog are 100% non-toxic. This requires that they meet or exceed all Federal and State requirements for lead content. While the Federal guideline is 600ppm, many States have now set the limit at 90ppm. Independent consumer groups are asking for 40ppm to be set as the upper limit. Our test results report our products are far below the set limits, many as low as "less than 5ppm."
Several factors are considered when setting the age grade for a product.
We have several warehouses, with locations in Reno NV, Dayton OH, and Madison VA. Depending on the product it may come from any one of those locations.
We can provide copies of test reports for products from the third-party testing agencies as supplied by our vendors and laboratories under contract to us. We would hope you understand however, that certain proprietary information may be blacked out though all testing information is certified accurate and unaltered
Random sampling is performed on products both in house and with our vendors to ensure the integrity of the product including all safety and quality standards
All our products; toys, kits, clothing, and furniture are tested to all applicable regulations, as well as being evaluated to our internal requirements and standards.
Yes. Factory audits are performed by inspection agencies contracted for this specific purpose. In addition, Social Accountability audits are performed to the SA8000 (Social Accountability 8000 standard, recognized internationally) by these inspection agencies.
The Federal Government has set the limit for lead in surface coatings at 600ppm and soluble heavy metals at 90ppm. These have been identified as the upper limit at which previous testing has not shown any adverse affects to humans. However, many states set their allowable limits at 90ppm (all inclusive) and independent consumer groups have recommended the number as low 40ppm. All HearthSong and Magic Cabin products have tested far below those numbers; as low as "less than 5ppm"
Yes. Social Accountability audits are performed to the SA8000 (Social Accountability 8000 standard, recognized internationally) by these inspection agencies.
Yes. In compliance with several State laws, our products are tested for Phthalates including DEHP, DIDP, DINP, DEHP, and Bisphenol A (BPA).
Magnetic toys have been the focus of many articles and reviews. With good reason. If a product is not tested properly or if testing on subsequent production runs are not performed, problems can develop with the toy. When a toy is designed properly, testing in accordance with safety standards and inspected by trained personnel, we can be assured that the product is safe and will provide many hours of enjoyment.
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a building block to several important polymers and polymer additives. It has become controversial because it mimics estrogen and thus could induce hormonal responses. Therefore, along with our requirements for screening of products for Phthalates, products are also screened for the presence of BPA above current limits recognized as safe in the United States.
It is our mandatory requirement that every product considered for our children's catalogs meet all safety regulations and quality standards. We achieve this by requiring third party testing on all products by an independent, accredited lab, and that documentation showing this compliance be provided to our Quality Assurance department before the product is approved for sale. Once we have placed an order with our vendors, pre-shipment inspections and often re-testing is scheduled prior to the product being shipped to us. Upon arrival at our warehouses, inspections are performed by trained Quality Assurance teams to ensure the product meets all our requirements. Periodically, product in our warehouses will be randomly pulled from our shelves and sent to testing labs here in the U.S. as a continuing assurance of its quality and integrity.
We require that all our products meet Federal and State regulations. In addition we have developed a set of standards for our products that in many cases either exceed those limits or address quality and safety criteria not yet address by other agencies. Many of which are particular to an individual product and identified in our inspection and approval process prior to selection.
In the past this information was not included on our website, but was readily available by calling our Customer Service line, 1-888-623-3655. We now provide an entire section of our website to our Made in America products, the link for which can be found on the home page. In the future, we will be addressing adding this information to our web pages and catalogs, where appropriate.
We provide a link on the home page to our Made in America collection, were you will find products made in the U.S. Additionally you can call our Customer Service Line, at 1-888-623-3655 and our representatives will be happy to assist you.
The test strips you can purchase in most hardware stores and online will tell you if a measurable amount of lead is present in the surface coating (paint, varnish, etc.) of a product. However, they may reflect the "amount" of lead present, even at 2 micrograms which is far below any Federal or State limits. They have also been known to report false "negatives" even when lead is present.
HearthSong is a sister company to Plow and Hearth. At times, a product from one catalog will be offered in its sister catalog. In addition, these products are warehoused in the same location. These products will share the same packaging and labeling based on the original design. Additionally, a product ordered from Plow and Hearth, may have been originally offered in HearthSong and will carry the HearthSong label on its packaging.
If an item requires an allergen warning we do our utmost to ensure it's listed on our website, as well as in the print catalog. The allergen warning is present below each item.
For additional information or to submit specific questions, contact quality@plowandhearth.com
