How to Get Smell Out of New Rug
- Air out room
- Use odor eliminating Gel to deodorize room
- Spray rug with odor eliminator
There’s nothing quite as disappointing as unrolling a brand new area rug in your home, only to find that your new rug has a strong chemical smell. Whether the source of that smell is due to the plastic packaging, odors from a holding facility, or smells due to treatment, a new rug should improve your home, not leave you wanting to run out of it.
You can place your rug in its intended room and wait for the smell to disappear on its own, but that could take days and potentially expose pets and family to unpleasant fumes. Alternatively, you can cover up odors immediately with perfumed air fresheners, but all you’re doing is masking odor molecules, not eliminating them from your home.
Find out more about the science behind this particular, unpleasant odor and what you can do to get rid of new rug smell quickly and keep it from coming back.
What is the Source of New Rug Smell?
Understanding the true source of any malodor is the first step in eliminating it. For example, in the case of how to get rid of the smell of bleach, it’s important to know that bleach fumes come from a chemical reaction with proteins. The more you break down those proteins on your home’s surfaces by cleaning, the weaker bleach odors will be when you disinfect. The same approach should be taken when getting rid of new rug smell: If you understand the source of the smell, you’ll be able to effectively eliminate it.
Carpet and rug backs are often treated with chemicals referred to as volatile organic compounds, or VOC’s. Because VOC’s evaporate at room temperature, once you unroll your new rug and place it in its designated location, these chemicals release into the air and evaporate, which causes us to experience a chemically smell.
Air Out the Room
Many household items like paint, vinyl flooring, and carpeting contain VOC’s. That’s why many at-home projects like painting, installing flooring, or assembling furniture often have an unpleasant accompanying smell that can linger for days.
One of the most set-it-and-forget-it methods to get rid of new rug smell is to open a window and generate air circulation with strategically placed fans. To get the best ventilation results, try these steps the next time a new rug has a strong chemical smell:
Step 1: Once you’ve opened windows in the room that needs ventilation, determine which window produces the most wind. A window with air flow is the most important component of creating ventilation.
Step 2: Place a box fan in front of the window that produces a breeze and face the fan inward. This will pull air in through the window, replenishing the air in the room.
Step 3: If there are multiple windows in the room — especially opposite-facing windows — place a second fan in front of the window across from the first window and point the fan outside. This will help move fresh air through the room..
While using fans to get rid of new rug smell is a great option for people with a surplus of windows, this method of ventilation is not always possible for those living in apartments with limited (or any) opposite-facing windows.
Use Odor Eliminating Gel to Fight Odors from VOCs
If after ventilating the room the odor still persists, you can use a number of odor absorbing products to freshen the air and get the chemical smell out of a rug. Fresh Wave Odor Eliminating Gel is a great, low maintenance option that discreetly and continuously absorbs and destroys odor molecules.
To get the full effect, simply place the Fresh Wave Odor Eliminating Gel containers throughout the room. Due to the high evaporation level of VOCs, the volatile molecules in these chemicals spread through the air rapidly, and that’s why an odor-fighting option that can provide consistent, full coverage will be your best bet to get rid of new rug smell.
Once you’ve evenly placed either the 7 oz. container or 15 oz. container of Fresh Wave Odor Eliminating Gel around the room (as close to your new rug as possible), VOCs in the air will bind to the gel as it slowly evaporates.
Follow Up with Odor Eliminating Spray to Get Rid of New Rug Smell
Chemical odors from styrene and 4-PHC (two chemicals often present in VOC’s) can be very strong, so in addition to containers with odor eliminating gel, it may also be necessary to treat the air with odor eliminating spray. More importantly, an odor eliminating spray without any harmful chemicals from artificial fragrances. Fresh Wave Odor Eliminating Spray will help deodorize a room when a new rug has a strong chemical smell. Simply spray either Fresh Wave’s Lavender Spray or Original Spray evenly throughout the room. You’ll immediately notice a burst of freshness as the proprietary formula goes to work absorbing VOC’s in the air.
If after spraying consistently for a few days, the smell comes back, you can also get chemical smell out of a new rug by treating the rug’s fibers with baking soda and vacuuming. Baking soda crystals will neutralize odors at the fiber level of the rug and, as you continue to treat the air with Fresh Wave Odor Eliminating Spray, the room will be smelling fresh in no time, leaving you to enjoy your new purchase.
Check out our line of odor eliminating products and tips where to use Fresh Wave to fight any type of stubborn odor wherever it may exist in the house.
