Why does my new IKEA cabinet smell so chemical?
I bought a PAX wardrobe last week and the smell is really intense. Even after airing it out for 3 days it's still there. Is that normal and how long does it take for it to go away?
I bought a PAX wardrobe last week and the smell is really intense. Even after airing it out for 3 days it's still there. Is that normal and how long does it take for it to go away?
That's completely normal, don't worry about it. Cheap plywood sheets and all the varnishes and glues used in production just give off these kinds of smells - it's called outgassing and with IKEA furniture it can definitely take a couple of weeks, sometimes even months, depending on ventilation. I had the same thing, I put the cabinet in the hallway back then where there was decent airflow, and after 2-3 weeks the worst was over. Try to ventilate as much as possible and maybe put a bowl of coffee grounds or activated charcoal in there - that helps get rid of the smell.
That's completely normal with new furniture, especially ikea. they just use cheap particle board and tons of chemicals when they glue and paint it, and that stuff just off-gasses. took me like a good week or two last year before the smell went away, some people say three weeks is normal too. anyway just keep airing it out and if you can put some activated charcoal or something in the cabinet, that definitely helps speed things up more than just waiting.
That's totally normal and super frustrating, I know the feeling 🙈 IKEA furniture is cheap, but they use a lot of particleboard with tons of glue and lacquers that really off-gas. For me it took like 1-2 weeks until it was bearable, but the smell didn't completely go away until maybe a month later. Tip: Leave the doors open as much as you can and put a bowl of coffee or some activated charcoal inside, that helps with getting rid of the smell 👃
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