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Well, it'll take me a while to make it through the 179 comments...so does anyone have any suggestions sources of minimally-smelling rugs they'd recommend??

Dang! I feel for ya. I think I'd see if the company would take it back and give you a refund. Sounds like it's a problem that came wih the rug, and you shouldn't have to just tolerate it. Good luck!

I've heard that a rug can smell because the latex backing is rotting. I've been told to avoid buying rugs with canvas undersides because they usually are covering latex backing -- the kind of latex that can rot and smell.

I would just buy a few bottles of Febreze Fabric Refresher. Spray the entire rug until damp twice daily for at least a week. In the morning before leaving to work and in the evening before going to bed. Since it eliminates the odors in fabrics i thought it would be a good idea. Good Luck.

kate - smell the rug before you buy it. duh.

There was probably an initial burst of shedding, then it settled down into a steady flow of shedding? Your rug is tufted, not knotted, and it will continue to shed until it is threadbare. This is expected and that is why your rug was so inexpensive.

Why don't you just call the company and ask about the smell? Surely you're not the first with this problem if it is a problem with the rug and not urine or mildew. Perhaps the customer service representative will be helpful or at least candid about the problem.

If the company is unhelpful, did your credit card company provide a guarantee?

You can also try washing the rug yourself in the bathtub. A professional cleaning would be throwing good money after bad.

I didn't read all of the old comments, but baking soda can remove smells from rugs. I'd sprinkle liberally in the morning, somehow get it to settle down into the pile, and vacuum it up in the evening. Repeat a few times.

Good luck.

Snot - Why so snotty? She said she bought it online. She can't exactly smell it before buying it.

Harley, no doubt snot was cautioning Kate against buying a pig in a poke in the future.

This happened to me with a wool Ikea rug (it smelled EXACTLY like burning vacuum cleaner). It did not smell when I first bought it, but the smell developed over time. The smell coincided with a bed bug infestation at first, so I thought it might be the bugs, which I had heard could have a smell. But I got the bed bugs under control (yay!) and the rug still smelled. I frequently sprinkled baking soda on the rug and then vacuumed and I think that helped a bit, and now the smell has finally faded. My guess is that time (and frequent vacuuming) is what ultimately did the trick. Which reminds me, I love my new Dyson Stowaway vacuum (Thanks AT).

Kate--

I was looking for a rug for a children's room recently and came across Dash and Albert (www.dashandalbert.com) at a local showroom. I got a striped 100% cotton hand loomed rug. No smells at all, as it has no backing. I have really bad sinuses and allergies and live in a super humid area, so I would notice if it had any chemicals/smells etc. It is easy to clean and the small sizes are washable in soap and water. The only thing is that they are thin and not plush (which is what I was looking for as my dog digs on thicker wool rugs) I put a rug pad underneath and it has been perfectly fine. My 9x12 rug cost me a little over 300 bucks from a local retailer.

Years ago I bought a rug for my bedroom from Pottery Barn about and had the same burning/tar smell. My dad now uses it in his garage!

I've stayed away from PB rugs since just in case.

Looking to buy a momeni rug this week. Any idea if these end up with the same smell problem?

From the old thread:

Pottery Barn is accepting these rugs back. Just call the manager. Do not go through Customer Service. Just declare it a potential health hazard. They are. Arn't you folks reading previous postings!!!!!! You don't need receipt. I know because they took mine back.

Go to IAQ message board. Indoor Air Quality, that is and do your homework. There is a ton of info on these stinky rugs and it is a pretty dumb manager or company who will force one to keep a stinking latex backed rug in the face of legal liability.

Get names of personnel and threaten legal action. Just do it, even if it Small Claims Court. Do you really think a company will let their manager be tied up in court, rather than settle.

You are asking for refunds, when you should be demanding. Send them registered mail and directly to manager (real name, not "manager" and ask for a reply so you have a case. Give serial numbers and full disclosure of labels

This odor is pretty toxic stuff. Family health is more important! Remember, the last thing these companies want is bad publicity.
posted by Anne on 2007-03-23 02:43:55

Here's a site that goes into the issue in detail - and states that you can't do anything to get rid of it http://www.abcclean.com/FYI-commrugodor.htm

According to the Decorarugs Web site, it is owned by

Just Rugs
5801 North Federal Highway
Boca Raton, FL, 33487

866.999.5987 (Toll Free)
561.999.9679 (Facsimile)

So if you can't get to a "real" manager via Decorarugs, you might try Just Rugs. Find out who the CEO is and, when in doubt, send him a letter.

In the interim, take up the rug and wrap it - outgassing isn't good for anyone's health.

Good luck!

Taureg, Thanks for all of the research, and that website is very helpful.

joebelt - check out the website that Taureg suggests, it's due to the latex backing. Having to deal with this smell and now the hassle of trying to get my money back--and shipping the sucker back as I have to make a special trip with the car to work, my DH uses the car to get to work, I walk usually; can't leave it in the lobby for pickup-- is worth avoiding laxtex backing in the future, even if it'll cost me more.

I've been drooling over a rug in the Room and Board catalog, but don't live somewhere where I can see it in person before purchasing it. Does anyone know what kind of backing their rugs have?

Kate, so sorry about your rug. This is why in my place I never have the right rug, because I must have a machine-washable rug.

I am shocked someone said try febreeze. The problem is not with the fabric, but with the backing.

There is rubber in the backing. Rubber smells never go away and most people are horribly allergic to it. And, if you develop a sensitivity you will have other allergic reactions.

Get rid of it immediately. Demand your money back.

And be careful when handling it. If you roll it up, make sure to wash your arms and hands immediately.

Snot's advice is useless. Most new rugs smell. Whenever I go down into the rug area at Room and Board in Soho, it smells the same as my rug at home. Given that my rug is several years old, I wondered the same thing as the OP, whether its my rug or just rugs in general.

I don't know if it will work in this case, but Zero Odor (http://www.zeroodorstore.com/ ) is a spray that works much better than Febreze on certain types of smells because it actually bonds to the molecules generating the cells and doesn't just cover them up with something else.

I've had good luck using this on cat smells that nothing else would get rid of. It also seems to work well with cigarette smoke (for fun one day I sprayed it all over a smoking friend whose girlfriend always complained that he smelled like cigarettes). However, I don't know if will work with these more chemical smells.

They shed like mosr rugs, but my west elm rug and my friends' have never smelled. They don't have backings--they recommend the use of a rug pad, rather--so perhaps that's a factor.

Kate - If you're going to be complaining anyhow, try to work things out so the company doesn't require you to send the rug back - if it is defective, they may not - or push for them to pay for shipping. If they do, you can probably wrap it in heavy plastic and have UPS pick it up (just check to be sure it isn't over one of their size limits).

Latex allergy is very serious but it doesn't sound like the rug backing is flaking so, unless you're already allergic, it shouldn't be a problem. If someone is chemically hypersensitive the outgassing could be a problem. Still, the suggestion that you wash your hands well after handling anything chemical is always wise.

BTW, I have a number of antique wool rugs (over 100 years old) and they NEVER smell. New rug smell is due to chemicals in the rug, backing or finishing. Because this was a major Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) issue in the 1970s and 80s, there are certifications on rugs - Google rug outgassing or something related.

In all, if you buy rugs WITHOUT any type of added backing you'll probably be OK. You can call and talk to customer service before you order to find out about backing, composition, etc. - and if the the folks who answer the phone don't know, try pushing them to find out.

I wouldn't simply Fabreeze the problem away since, from what I have read anyways, the smells are toxic gasses and could make you or your family, even pets ILL! Fabreeze won't stop the gasses from escapeing, just being noticed....I have heard of Pottery Barn doing a number of things when people come in with the (on average) 3-yr-old rugs that now smell. Some people are getting full reimbursement--most of them have receipts of some sort either through credit card verification, computer memory from purchasing it online or just the receipt itself. Then there are others getting only a pittiful fraction of the price they paid for their defective rugs. The ones with the most success are the people who went in there directly with the rug in hand....this approach has always worked best for me as well since they don't want to look bad in front of the people behind you in line. I would contact the store manager where you purchased it directly and if he/she doesn't offer a full reimbursement then I would call the Better Business Bureau. This is a worldwide problem (from what I have been discovering) and is only from the non-handknotted rugs that have some sort of backing and it is theorized it is actually bug spray that the wool of the rugs was treated with that is finally escaping. Those with only part of the rug stinking are most likely from only having that particular part of the rug being worn down from being walked/played on. I would get your smelly rug out of the house and into a well-ventilated area or at the very least, bag it up and seal it post haste. In the future, I would recommend only purchasing hand knotted rugs---you can tell if they are hand knotted by turning them over and if you can see the exact pattern and yarn on the other side without anything covering it at all, then you are good.

Have you tried baking soda? Make sure to test it on a small section of your area rug before doing the whole thing.