This is a fantastic question. I have a rug from CB2 that I've had for a few years that still off-gases. The company told me to get a rug pad to raise it up off the wood floor to allow for more air circulation. Looking forward to hearing some responses.

Vinegar is a good deodorizer...dilute with water and put in a spray bottle and give the rug a good misting. I was also thinking that maybe some dried lavender, or other favorite herb, sprinkled over the back side and rolled up for a week might help. Or maybe a proffesional cleaning would help?

Maybe try Fresh Wave odor-neutralizing carpet shake. You sprinkle it on, let it sit, then vacuum it up. I haven't tried it yet, but I really like other Fresh Wave products.

I am really sensitive to these smells. I can't even go near the rug section at Target, it smells so bad to me. So I just buy all-cotton or all-wool rugs because I think they will be less likely to smell. I have had good luck with the ones at Dash & Albert.

If you can't stand the smell, I would return it. It is a cute rug, but do you really want to spend $$ on something that you are going through so much trouble just to be able to have in your house?

the rug is 100% wool and has no backing (flat-woven). thanks for the responses! i'm giving it a couple of weeks and if it doesn't stop smelling it's going back to west elm!

I'd try dumping a ton of baking soda on it, letting it sit for a while, and then vacuum it.

Not sure about the smell, but I have some experience cleaning a similar wool flat-weave rug from Ikea. My vacuum isn't powerful enough to get the cat hair/dust off it, but I've found that methodically scuffing it with my shoe picks up all the yuck and gets the white parts white again. I just stand on it and scuff while I'm talking on the phone; in 15 minutes it looks new again. I think an old-timey carpet roller would really work too, but I can never find one.
That rug is really cute, hope it deodorizes eventually!

If it is 100% wool and has no backing, I wonder what is causing the smell. Odd.

i'm going to try the baking soda! thanks!

oh and correction, the rug is a wool/cotton blend (about 80% wool)

A rug of 100% wool might smell, but the smell is unlikely to be a dangerous VOC. I would not put anything acidic on wool (like vinegar) or use any products that could accidentally felt the wool. If you can wait till winter, or live in the mountains, you can rub it on fresh snow, but this isn't such a useful comment this time of year. If the rug is giving you a wet mammal smell, you could try spray-on hair conditioner or something for dogs.

I think the rug is beautiful, and if it were mine, knowing its wool, I'd make the effort to cure the smell.

I think that I would take that rug back and expect a full refund and no arguments! Leslie, you were looking to purchase a rug and, unless you were shopping for that bad smell as well, or unless the rug was clearly advertised as having an obnoxious odour thrown in for free, you have not got what you paid for!!!

Still, if you're not feeling up to marching back to the shop, demanding consumer justice and the thought of piling on more odours to mask the original one doesn't appeal, try sprinkling with bakingsoda instead!

lambgarden, no wonder you're interested in reading the comments, I mean, what the hell is a rug pad? And why aren't they selling their rugs WITH rug pads, if they consider them to be necessary, or at least recommend buying the rug pad at the point of purchase?

Good luck, both!!!

I would try the baking soda. It is strange that a natural fiber rug is off-gassing that strongly. If you leave it outside a little longer, I'd suggest unrolling it to let it air out. I have an oriental carpet (100% wool) that off-gassed for a couple of weeks when I first got it, but it wasn't THAT bad.

For carpet care, if you have the option to turn the beater-bar on your vacuum to "off" that should do the trick. Also, taking it outside, draping it over a balcony railing/tree branch/etc. and beating it with a (clean) broom can shake loose a lot of dust. If you use a beater-bar vacuum, if can tear the fibers of the rug and cause pilling and felting of the wool.

Rugs made of natural products like wool or cotton can still be very heavily treated with chemicals. If you are sensitive to them, you don't want them in your house, and they're probably not very good for you. In the future, look for raw or untreated rugs (and upholstry in general) which you may have better luck finding from independant craftspeople than big stores.

You know, actually, I'm finding that my pre-menapausal grouchiness can have it's uses! It may not freshen rugs but, I checked out West Elm's website. Now, there's a 30 day return policy, after which, only items which have manufacturer's defects may be refundable (I don't know if this policy applies to online purchases only or includes store purchases). I emailed them, outlining the problem with 'a customer's' rug and pointing out that, unless they had advertised the rug as having a nausea-inducing odour, it surely could not be considered as being in acceptible condition for sale, especially as you were shopping for a rug only, not a rug with said odour. I don't know what response I can expect, if any, but I reckon that you should still be able to return it and get your money back so, maybe just stick to airing it and APPLY NOTHING until you are sure there is no option!

I'll let you know if I hear anything from the company but, if there's any other blossoming grumpy old bags out there in need of a release, you can email them too!!

https://secure.westelm.com/customer-service/email-us/?cm_type=lnav

lambgarden, I also checked out CB2's website and the product blurb for their rugs seems to include 'rug saver recommended'. I checked out the rug saver description and,ironically, one of the customer reviews commented on the rugsaver as having a bad smell when they unwrapped it!!!

must be a warehouse odor. you get that sometimes. if the sun doesn't cure it, i have no idea. try martha and heloise.

Take it back before you totally destroy it and lose all chances of a refund.
By the way, if you want to check if a fabric is wool, take out a few strands and burn them with a match. If it melts, it's not wool but some kind of synthetic fibre, probably petroleum based. If it smells like burning hair, chances are it is wool.
The odd smell in your rug could signal that ramie was used instead of cotton, in spite of what it says on the label. Ramie is a cheap and stinky fibre that can fool the buyer because it has the look and feel of cotton. However, it doesn't have cotton's resistance to wear and tear and it will fall apart because its fibres are short and they break more easily.
Unfortunately, nothing will get rid of the annoying odour of ramie. If such a product or process existed, the industry would have already found it.

I have the same rug. Mine didn't smell badly at all. So I think you should contact West Elm.

Also, not that it should matter at all, but in case you do decide to put anything on it (not vinegar, I'm afraid it will ruin the wool and take out the color and leave you with a worse scent) it is actually 80% wool and 20% cotton so try and go with something safe for both fabrics.

Good luck!

Show me a cheap wool rug imported from Asia that doesn't smell right out of the package...
...and I'll show you a rug that's been eaten by moths in the warehousing/shipping process.

Better quality/more expensive rugs don't have the odor as the makers & distributors use more expensive/less pungent chemicals on them to ward off vermin.

Baking soda, vacuuming, open windows and time will take care of it - If your sensitivities won't allow for that, then simply return it.

Thanks everyone!

I've contacted West Elm and they said that "to their knowledge" these rugs are not treated with any chemicals. They also said they would make a note of me calling and my complaint and that they suggest I let it air out a little longer, and if I'm not happy they will have it picked up (even if it's after the 30 days). They also stated that they have had issues with rugs in the past. SO BEWARE IF YOU'RE PLANNING ON BUYING ONE FROM THEM OR POTTERY BARN!

Going to try the baking soda tonight.

Keeping my fingers crossed.
Leslie

If it is a chemical smell, it could likely be formaldehyde. Formaldehyde gas is used to help the carpet fibers retain their shape in transit and storage. Even some "organic" products allow formaldehyde, because it is a naturally occurring gas. In addition to being carcinogenic, formaldehyde can aggravate asthma and cause itchy eyes.

I've read somewhere that alternating between turning up the heat really high and then opening the windows to make it really cold helps the process of releasing the formaldehyde gas. Using vinegar (an acid) is a no-no. Don't know about baking soda (a base).

I also use house plants to clean the air of chemicals. "Tropical" house plants, like ferns and palms work best.

um, febreze?

Just an FYI, using vodka diluted with water w/ essential oils (I like lavender) and spraying upholstery and rugs is a great way of refreshing them. I wish it worked on my CB2 rug which smells more like it is plotting to kill me via VOC.

I have a flat weave wool rug that I found at Goodwill that I sprayed down with diluted vinegar with no ill effects.

I have a Pottery Barn rug that stinks to high holy hell. We've tried everything - steam cleaner, baking soda, fabreze, etc. Smell goes away for a day and then it's back. used to think it was because my dog had peed on it and I couldn't get out the smell, but that could not possibly be the case (my dog has also peed on my higher quality persian rugs and they don't smell). The rug has been banished to the garage, until it can be used in a well-ventilated room where the smell isn't as noticeable.

I did some googling and it appears that this is not an uncommon problem with PB rugs. Seeing as West Elm is a PB affiliate it wouldn't surprise me if their rugs share this problem.

cheap wool=smell

Maybe you should ask at the shop before you do anything maybe they know about the problem. If you've ever had an Aran sweater knitted in nataural oiled wool you'll know that the smell stays on after many washings. Try sprinking with baby powder brush it in then vaccum off.

update: i sprinkled a lot of baking soda on it and let it sit over night. just vacuumed it and it doesn't smell anymore. i guess the combo of airing it out and the baking soda did the trick. i'm hoping the smell doesn't come back. if it does, i think it's the result of the fact that we live in a very humid and hot climate (palm beach, fl).

hope this question has helped others!

thanks!

Trying to mask a chemical odor doesn't get rid of the chemical and is not a good idea.

I doubt the odor is formaldehyde, because most people are not able to smell formaldehyde until 500 ppb but will get ill at 100 ppb. So unless you are getting ill (runny eyes, sore thoat, headache, tired among other typical symptoms) the odor is not formaldehyde.

However, just because the odor is not formaldehyde, that doesn't mean formaldehyde isn't present. I would suggest you (and anyone else in a home with fiberglass wall insulation and/or double pane windows) invest $39 in a do-it-yourself formaldehyde test. http://www.acsbadge.com/formaldehyde.shtml
This is the same method the Sierra Club used to initially discover the FEMA trailers.

"...they said that "to their knowledge" these rugs are not treated with any chemicals."

That shouldn't be a surprise - Call center employees aren't told "Our rugs stink". Most have never personally seen or touched the product they're taking orders for...

"Maybe you should ask at the shop before you do anything maybe they know about the problem."

Employees in the stores aren't going to know anything either -All they're told about product is what they might learn by reading the tags on the back of items and the copy from the catalogs we all get in the mail.

I spent one Christmas season working part-time at a PB: Employees in the stores aren't much more than clerks, and training is "This is where glassware and candles are kept, that's where the draperies are. This is how to scan an item and ring up a sale, and use the intercom to call for stock-check on rugs & furniture".

Squirt some organic or baby shampoo on it and hose it down in the shower. If that doesn't help, call them to come pick it.

I washed a wool rug this way and it didn't felt

OK, nowhere did the poster call this a "chemical" smell -- just a bad smell.

Wool can have lanolin in it naturally, especially hand spun wool from other countries. I personally am not fond of the heavy musky "wet dog" smell of lanolin in wool, although some people barely notice it. (I used to be a hand weaver, so I ran into it a lot.) If this is the kind of smell you are talking about, it's probably not going to fade any time soon. You would be better off getting a rug made from another fiber.

Glad the baking soda has done the job! The good thing about it is that, even if the smell comes back, you've got a quick and inexpensive remedy to fall back on!

Everyone I know who has ever bought a West Elm or Pottery Barn rug has had the same problem.

And the smell NEVER went away. I say return it.

I had a cb2 rug that I bought from a co-worker who warned me that it smelled. I didn't smell it at first when i bought it from her until I got it to my apartment. She said she tried everything, professional cleanings and all and could not shake the smell. We tried the baking soda method as well but that only worked for a day. If you read online a lot of other people complain about cb2 rugs having a horrible rubber smell to them. We eventually had to get rid of the rug as it was unbearable

Leslie, I have the exact same rug and I love, love, love it for a few reasons. 1) It's easy to clean. My cat decided to drag her butt all over it one night- sorry to be gross- so I took it outside and hosed it down with water. Then I treated it with an enzymatic cleaner (Bio-Kleen) and all the mess came right out. 2.) It's indestructible. My cat claws the hell out of it and it still looks perfect. 3.) It's beautiful and looks great in photos. Very striking. Here's my darling puppy on it: http://adogslife.net/photo_details.php?photo_id=13738

:)

Glad the baking soda worked for you though! Don't ever try vinegar as some people suggested. It will bleach it.

I am having the same problem with new seagrass rugs. My house smells like HAY. I have tried a light dusting of baking soda left overnight and then vacuumed up. No impact whatsoever.

I think that you're going to have to put up with that one, Kimberlina, but I would imagine that it will fade...eventually.

Airing may help and, although I'm not sure if there may be a risk of colour-fading, but maybe putting them out in the sun (draped over chairs or something else that would allow air to circulate around and through them?) might help to eliminate the smell?

Personally, I like that smell but I can appreciate how it might not be so enjoyable to live with it 24/7!!!

I have had a lot of success with Room Shocker to help get rid of carpet odors, I thought you would find success with it too; you can get it at http://www.biocidesystems.com/roomshocker1.html

I’ve always thought my wool rug smelled like sulfur or burnt rubber, It has smelled for years and just gets worse. I’ve had it outside for days and I’ve used several types of Carpet Fresh powder. All have been temporary fixes. I bought a commercial gallon jug of Febreze because it advertises that it bonds with odor producing properties. My rug is big (8’ x 11’). I hung it on the railing of my deck on a clear dry day. I connected a spray jug onto my garden hose. The type of jug that you put lawn chemicals in(Ortho Dial N Spray).
I was desperate… This rug is so big, I could easily smell it in the next room. I also paid well over $1000 for it.
The commercial Febreze is supposed to be mixed at a 10 to 1 ratio. The highest setting on the Ortho Dial N Spray is 8 oz per gallon (a 22 to 1 ratio)… half the recommended mix. I had no other way to get a richer mix, so I went with it and figured I could always spray it again later. I absolutely soaked both sides of the rug. It took three days to dry ! It’s been almost two months now and no small. It’s safe to assume that if I do have to pray it again, it won’t be for a very long time and should take longer for the odor to come back with each application.