Whether you’re switching up your décor or simply discarding what’s worn out, a new carpet can do wonders to improve a room’s appearance. However, there’s a catch. Many home refurbishments, like painting or wood staining, bring unpleasant smells, and carpets are no different. You’ll often find a new carpet smell lingering after you’ve had your beautiful new floor covering installed.
Carpets can have odours for many reasons. However, a true new carpet smell comes from substances called volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are used in the manufacturing and materials of carpets and carpet underlay. When these compounds escape, this is called “off-gassing.”
New carpet smell that comes from VOCs is often described as a chemical odour.
All this being said, it is possible for your new carpet to have odours for other reasons. For example, if a carpet became wet in storage, it could have a mouldy scent. That would need to be handled differently, as it’s not truly a “new carpet smell”.
If your new carpet has a smell because of VOCs, worry not. There are plenty of things you can do to reduce this problem.
The biggest and most important step you can take to combat new carpet smell is creating the maximum possible airflow in the room. This would likely mean opening all windows and doors and perhaps placing fans to circulate and move out the air that has the VOC emissions.
For this reason, it’s often a good idea to have new carpets installed during the warmer, drier months when opening windows isn’t a problem.
It’s often recommended to vacuum your carpet when it’s brand new – although you should check with your own carpet installer.
Vacuuming a freshly laid carpet can draw out stray fibres and manufacturing remnants from the top of the carpet. This could help to get rid of VOCs that are lingering on these materials.
It’s said that new carpet smell typically dissipates within about three days of the carpet being laid. So, if you can stay out of the room while it’s being ventilated, simply waiting for the smell to diminish might be a good option.
You can also unroll your carpet and go through the ventilation and waiting process before it’s laid. This might be more convenient if you’re planning to install your carpet in a frequently used room. You can place your unrolled carpet in a less essential room so that you’re less affected by the smell.
The above options can do a great deal to get rid of new carpet smell in many cases. But sometimes waiting and ventilating isn’t enough, especially if you are sensitive to chemical smells. Or perhaps you just want to get rid of the VOC emissions as soon as possible.
In this situation, a professional clean might be the right answer for you. A deep carpet cleaning by experienced cleaners could wash out those odorous VOCs and leave you with a fresh, clean and better-smelling carpet afterwards.
If you’re just considering having new carpets installed, there are even more steps you can take to prevent new carpet smell before your carpet is laid.
Check with your carpet installer to see what options are available for carpets that are lower in VOCs or that have less odour.
Sometimes, carpets are glued down rather than nailed with carpet tacks. This glue is often another source of a chemical smell.
We’ve already discussed the most effective options for addressing new carpet smell. Let’s talk about some other options that might come to mind.
Sprinkling baking soda over carpets is a frequently recommended trick for removing scents from the fibres. However, this approach has some downsides. It won’t reach scents deep in the carpet pile, so it might not be that effective. It could also leave residue on your brand-new carpet. Overall, if ventilation and time aren’t sufficient to address your new carpet smell, you’re better off giving your carpet a proper professional clean.
Obviously, there are many ways to employ pleasant scents in a room. Scented candles and air fresheners are two popular ones.
But, as professional cleaners, we know that trying to cover up unpleasant smells isn’t the way to go. Firstly, scents don’t remove the underlying new carpet smell – they just attempt to drown it out. You’d need a strong air freshener scent to overpower a strong chemical odour. This combination of intense smells might give you a headache!
Secondly, with cleaning, we always try to address the root cause of odours. A scent is best used as a pleasant finishing touch to a room that’s already clean.
When you’ve got a lovely new carpet, you want to care for it so that it lasts as long as possible.
Trying to wash your carpet yourself works against that goal. Professional carpet cleaners with a fast-drying process can ensure that water and detergent are sufficiently removed from carpets. But DIY attempts at cleaning likely won’t do this, so there’s a chance moisture and cleaning agents could remain in the carpet, degrading its quality and even risking the development of mould.
You’ll sometimes see houseplants recommended as a way of cleaning your home’s air. Research on this idea is still ongoing. Plants do seem to clean the air a little bit, but they’re probably more effective on pollutants like nitrogen dioxide, a vehicle emission. If you’re concerned about VOCs from carpet, indoor greenery might not make a difference – especially if you only have one or two plants.
Long story short – plants are a lovely touch for any room and they might improve your air quality slightly. But they’re not the answer to getting rid of new carpet smell.
For an experienced, professional clean of your new or old carpets, call on All Seasons Clean. We use up-to-date carpet cleaning technology to get you the best result every time – as our glowing reviews show.
So, if you’re in Nottingham or Derby and looking to clean that new carpet smell away, get in touch with us today to get a free, no-obligation quote or set up an appointment.
