What Is New Carpet Smell

While new carpet is a welcome addition to a room the odor of that new carpeting can be a distraction.

What is new carpet smell.

Levels of 4 pc to 20 parts per billion ppb have been mea sured in new carpet. Within a few days to a few weeks these fumes dissipate and the carpet no longer smells. The vocs responsible for new carpet smell are 4 phenylcyclohexene 4 pch and to a lesser extent styrene. Nylon polyester and other synthetic fibers dyes and adhesives used to glue carpeting down is loaded with chemicals.

This is the chemical that creates new car pet smell four days after installation levels fall to about 10 ppb and after about two months levels decrease to approximately 1 to 2 ppb. Ask to have the carpet aired out in advance in a warehouse prior to installation to help cut down on the concentration of chemicals entering your home. Much of the new carpet odor has to do with the adhesives used to secure the carpet into position as well as the chemicals used to treat the product prior to the installation. Generally the new carpet odor is the off gassing of 4 pc which is found in the latex backing of 95 of commercial carpeting.

People can get insanely creative when they describe the odour of their new carpet. This way you know it s new they say. As a new carpet gradually releases or off gasses chemical residue the chemicals enter the air where we can smell them. Ask your carpet installer to vacuum the new carpet with a hepa filter and clean it with a hot water extraction immediately after installation to remove some of the harsh strong smelling chemicals.

Anyway here is what is going on. There are many different types of vocs but the one related to new carpet odor is 4 phenylcyclohexene 4 pch a by product of the synthetic latex binders used to hold the carpet backing together. Of course this isn t the only culprit.