New carpet installation escorts a light fragrance of a fresh pine tree or orange. Some people endorse this smell, while some really hate it and want to get rid of it as soon as possible. But “How Long Does New Carpet Smell Last?”
Before we find out this, let’s first go through some reasons for emergence of such smell and the effect it may create.
Why Does My New Carpet Smells?
You can get a whiff of your carpet as soon as you unroll it into your room, and this smell enhances with the course of the complete installation. But what is this smell, and why is it coming from a new carpet?
A new carpet smell is mainly caused by a chemical called Volatile Organic Compound (VOC), which includes 4-phenylcyclohexene (4-PCH) styrene to an extent. This chemical spreads in the whole room as soon as the carpet gets into your house.
This smell is encapsulated in your carpet during its manufacture due to various products such as paint, floor finishing, wall covers, etc. And when this smell is liberated at room temperature, it releases off-gasses, due to which you can smell the fragrance of it. This is one of the reasons you should consider when buying carpet over laminate flooring.
What Effect Does New Carpet’s Smell Creates To A Room?
You may like the aroma of a new carpet because it gives a fragrance of novelty, but you will be surprised to know that this smell can be hazardous to you and to your family. Wondering how? Let’s get into the effect this chemical may have on you.
The smell that new carpet releases during off-gassing, lasts in the environment for so long and causes suffocation. This release includes formaldehyde in its adhesives, glue and pads and may lead to various health problems, such as respiratory tract irritation resulting in central nervous system-related diseases and can trigger headaches.
These problems get worse when they affect children and elder people around you. Hence, it is better to get rid of it as soon you can, and with the right approach. Because by making a move towards elimination of smell, you will be able to remove harmful VOC chemical from the carpet within one to two weeks.
How Long Does New Carpet Smell Last?
The intense off-gassing of new carpet may last anywhere between few days to 2 weeks, but its smell can last for a month as well. The variation in this time totally depends upon the ventilation your room has and its room temperature.
If your house is in a cold region, then it is possible that the smell of off-gassing may last for more than a month, but if it is in a warm region, then this smell can also go within two months. This is because of an increase in moisture, poor ventilation, etc.
How To Get Rid Of Smell Of New Carpet?
If your newly installed carpet is off-gassing and you are wondering that, how long does new carpet smell last? and is it possible to get rid of it before time? then the answer is yes.
But, for this, you have to follow few steps as mentioned below:
Step 1: Give Proper Ventilation To Your Room
After the carpet installation, open the doors and windows of your room for 2 to 3 days. Even if you can’t keep your door open, try to leave your room’s windows open as long as the smell lasts.
If you want to speed up this process, you can switch on the fans present in your room and apply air freshener spray. By this, you will notice a drastic decline in fragrance in just a few days.
Step 2: Clean The Entire Room
People often wonder about what to do with the leftover carpet. Well, you can simply vacuum the whole carpet to remove leftovers that remain during installation and clean the whole room using fragrant room cleaners to reduce smell to some extent. Do this step daily until you get rid of that nasty odor completely.
Step 3: Give Deep Clean To Your Carpet
For this, you can buy any deep cleaning carpet cleaners from the market or prepare it in your home as a DIY. To remove unpleasant smell from your carpet,
Prepare Vinegar Solution:
Vinegar is known to suspend strong odor from fabric and can eradicate dirt and bacteria that may have come along with your new carpet. To make a solution,
- Add 50% of white vinegar in 50% of water.
- You can also take hot water to make this solution for more effectivity.
- Prepare this solution in a tub or a bucket, if you want to cover whole carpet in a go.
- Pour it evenly on carpet and leave it for few minutes.
- Wash the carpet with clean water of normal temperature and dry it under the sun.
Sprinkle Baking Soda On The Carpet:
Baking soda helps in removing dirt, stains, and strong odors from the carpet while maintaining the color and texture of the carpet’s fabric. To get better results of this organic compound on your carpet,
- Sprinkle baking soda all over the carpet while using your hands.
- Spread evenly to cover whole carpet.
- Brush the carpet with a wooden broom to ensure that no area is left.
- Let the baking soda stay on carpet for 2 days.
- Wash your carpet with clean water and detergent and dry it under sun for a day.
- Repeat the process if you can still smell the off-gassing.
Place Natural Plants In The Room With New Carpet:
Plant smell will eliminate the odor of VOC that is trapped in your room and generate new fresh air in the room. Place a few pot plants that can easily grow inside your room, such as english ivy, aloe vera, pothos, monstera, etc.
How To Choose A Carpet With Low Or No VOC?
Nowadays, there are many options available, which either have low or no VOC. That is why you have to be extra attentive while buying, so that you can ensure that you end up with low or no off-gassing carpet only.
Make sure to consider these features while you go for your carpet purchase:
- Check the Green or Green Label Plus labels on carpet, as it indicates that carpet has lower off-gassing rate as compare to others.
- Choose the carpet with natural fibers as they are more eco-friendly as compare to synthetic one.
- Wool, cotton, silk, jute, sisal, can be your fabric options in carpet.
- Contact the installer and ask him to provide a non-adhesive installation method.
- Even if you have taken all precautions while buying, open the doors and windows of your rooms for 48 to 72 hours for ventilation.
- Add air purifier in room and clean the carpet with vacuum cleaner to avoid risk of off-gassing.
How Long Does New Carpet Smell Last? | Conclusion:
A strong smell of carpets may irritate a person or can impact his health condition, so it is essential to know “How Long Does New Carpet Smell Last?”.
Once you get an answer to this, you can go through the ways to get rid of it as soon as possible. Consider each step and use it to eliminate your new carpet’s odor of off-gassing.
How Long Does New Carpet Smell Last? | FAQ’S:
Does new carpet smell goes naturally?
The smell of new carpet may last for 2 to 3 weeks and sometimes more than a month, depending on the temperature of your location. This smell can only go away if you treat it with proper ventilation and by using vinegar and baking soda on your carpet.
How to get rid of new carpet's smell Before it naturally go?
Open doors and windows of your room for better ventilation, and with this, you can also switch on your room’s fan to accelerate odor elimination. After this, treat your carpet with vinegar solution and baking soda, followed by spraying some room fresheners.
Is smell of new carpet bad for children?
A new carpet smell is mainly caused by a chemical called Volatile Organic Compound (VOC), which includes 4-phenylcyclohexene (4-PCH) styrene. This volatile compound lasts in the environment for so long and causes various health problems, such as respiratory tract irritation resulting in central nervous system-related diseases and headaches. This effect worsens when we talk about children, so it is essential to treat your carpet until the smell disappears.
Daleyza knows a lot about carpets! She has worked with carpets for over 7 years and can help with things like putting them in, keeping them clean, and replacing them. She really likes carpets and spends most of her time learning about new ways to work with them. When she’s not learning about carpets, she enjoys reading books. She’s really good at helping people choose the right carpet for their homes and making sure they’re happy with it. If you want to know more about carpets, Daleyza is the person to talk to!