Earlier this year, I had to return two long-awaited pieces of furniture because of their terrible off-gassing. For a month, I tried cleaning, charcoal filters, white vinegar, baking soda and coffee grounds. Nothing helped. The interior of both pieces smelled so awful that I could not put anything in them and did not want our GDs to be exposed to them. Fortunately, the furniture company took them back for a full store credit which we were able to use. Thankfully, the replacements I bought from another store did not have any similar odors.
This week, we bought a new car. I don’t know if I’m more sensitive to VOCs now or if this car is really worse, but we’re trying all sorts of things to reduce the odor. I get horrible headaches from formaldehyde, and that’s not the problem this time. At night we set up two portable air purifiers with carbon filters inside the car; a window is cracked open just enough for an extension cord. During the day, we park in the sun with windows open. When driving, we don’t use the recirculate setting but keep the fresh air intake on.
I ordered some carbon filters for the car’s HVAC system plus a small battery operated air purifier with carbon filters. We need the car to transport our GDs, so I’d like to get this problem resolved quickly. Has anyone been able to rid their car of the new car smell? Or does it not bother anyone else?
A quote in the “building science” community is “the solution to pollution is dilution”, so I think you’re doing the right things by trying to flush the air in the car as much as possible. If your car is in a private (home) garage, I’d open up the windows fully at night, and maybe putting a box fan in one of them, to get even more air passing through. If not in a secure environment, though, the carbon filters is probably as good as you can do there.
You have my sympathies! VOCs are overlooked by most, but can really cause problems!
Thank you. I became aware of some VOCs issues about 25 years ago and felt that indoor air quality does not receive adequate attention. It’s frustrating.
One of our garage windows is screened and has a lock that permits it to be left open a little without letting anyone crawl inside. We also have an exhaust fan (like a bathroom vent fan) that we can leave running. With the weather expected for a few days, that’s probably the best we can do at night.
I wish I knew why this car seems worse than previous ones. Maybe I can isolate the source if I crawl around inside it and sniff everything.
My understanding is that heat helps with this off gassing issue. Maybe leave the car windows closed in the sun during the day, and then at night open everything up…and cool the car interior off.
That’s been my understanding, too. Which is why in a new house we always turned up the heat and ran air purifiers for two to four weeks before moving in, which helped a lot. H teased me about baking our homes.
OTOH, [quote=“LionsTigersAndBears, post:2, topic:3653168”]
A quote in the “building science” community is “the solution to pollution is dilution”,
[/quote] is also true.
I’ll try “baking” the car interior on the driveway during the day when it’s dry and sunny and airing it out at night. H reminded me that we have a couple of battery operated fans (the type that are sold to attach to stroller handles) that I can put in the car, too.
Thanks!
edit: don’t know why the second quote wasn’t initially attributed to @LionsTigersAndBears - sorry about that
Seems that “new car smell”, or at least specific kinds of it, is considered desirable to some buyers. But buyers in China seem to be more likely than buyers in the US to want no “new car smell”.
I love the smell of our new car and everyone who’s gotten a ride in it comments on that “wonderful new car smell.” I understand some are made sick by whatever it is that produces the aroma, but we’re in the camp that will be sorry to see it fade, so no suggestions for hastening the process.
I hope the OP’s many efforts are successful soon.
I hate the “new car”, new furniture, new anything that’s been packed in plastic smell. With a passion. I’ve had to leave things outside for days while they off gas. Yuck.
I wouldn’t be happy if a new car smell was as bad as described. I might resort to having it detailed on the inside. Or take to the dealer and ask them to get rid of the smell.
I wish I had more solutions to suggest, but just here to empathize in solidarity–new car smell, and any other chemical smells, are totally migraine triggers, not to mention how much a concern it is of how they are affecting one’s health. Knowing that, I can’t imagine liking them even if they didn’t give me horrible headaches.
Looks like our OP is doing everything that can be done to remove the chemical stench.
Volatiles can be removed by either trapping them (activated carbon filters), destroying them (ozonation, but ozone is dangerous and should be left to the pros), or by removing them (ventilation).
Carbon filters have limited capacity so need to be changed often. They work well to capture “greasy” things, however, not all volatiles might stick to charcoal. Ozone is very destructive and dangerous and shouldn’t be used in a DIY manner. Ventilation generally will take time; volatiles will evaporate faster with increased temperature and air exchange.
Add me to the camp that hates that new car smell. I am on my second new car in 14 months (same make a model from the same dealership) and I swear, they added “extra” to it this time around.
Anyone else here old enough to remember the smell of the first “permanent press” clothing? Especially in the sun? That smell is central to my childhood memories. Probably why I got cancer later in life.
I’m old enough to remember when permanent press was the big new thing, but I don’t recall any odors. I only had to iron my school uniforms, otherwise my mother did the laundry.
Mainly, I recall having to leave fabric shops where the odor of the fabric finishing chemicals was strong. I also used to return quite a few table and bed linens ordered online when they arrived with horrible odors. These days, it’s rare that a quick wash with some baking soda doesn’t take care of any smells.
My daughter was recently in an accident, hit while waiting to turn by someone who totally misjudged going around her. Car needed a lot of body work done–just got it back last week.
I use it to ferry grandkids home from school (it has the carseats). The smell of the paint or glue or whatever they used to fix the damage is killing me! Been migraine-y all week and I’m sure that’s contributing. Also not happy the kids have to breathe it.
So annoyed at the person who “was sure he was going to go around her, not hit her.”
I don’t know which of the things we’ve tried, or if it’s all of them together, but the odor in the new car has dissipated substantially. H cannot smell it at all, and while I can smell it it’s not too bad now. I’m relieved after our experience with the furniture a few months ago.
For the past two days, we baked the car in the sun with windows closed, then opened the windows at dusk to air out the car for several hours. At night, we left the garage doors open slightly with the sconces outside the doors on all night (that seems to discourage tiny visitors) and there’s a window that’s been open 24/7 across from the doors. When the car was closed up, we ran an air purifier with charcoal filter. H also removed the all weather floor mats and replaced them with the standard floor mats. I think those rubber mats and the glue used to make them were part of our problem.
I hope your daughter is okay and the car will be odor-free soon.