new crib giving off awful smell

lillyclaire21 · August 2013

So we ordered a crib and it was finally delivered yesterday. It's a beautiful crib and very sturdy and looks great...but as soon as we removed it from the boxes I noticed the smell. It's giving off this awful chemical/paint smell. Our entire apartment reeked for hours. I opened up all the windows and had the fan going and today the smell is isolated to just the crib...the rest of our apartment is fine. But now I'm worried the smell will still be there when LO is born. Does anyone know of a quick way to get the smell to go away other than just keeping the windows open? We don't have a yard or a garage so I can't keep it outside to air out.

imakeeff0rts · August 2013

Is there information for you to call the manufacturer and ask
a) what it is
b) how to get rid of it?

I'm not really sure how else to help you, unfortunately. That's pretty gross, though. Hopefully it just needs to air out for a few days.

MallardDucky · August 2013

Put a fan in there and circulate the air. It's the finish and sealant in the crib. It will go away in a few days or less

Mama3+1 · August 2013

Charcoal will absorb the scent

RedDDD · August 2013

Ours did the same thing. In fact I just got the new crib since we will have two and it had the same smell as the first one we bought. BUT it did go away in a week or so. It is sort of a chemical/new paint smell....must be the way they manufacture the pieces and have them painted. Just let it air out and it will go away.

jeb2013 · August 2013

Not sure, but mine was the same we just have the fan going and windows open and door closed for about a Month. The smell is gone.

NicknShan · August 2013

That smell is volatile organic compound, commonly referred to as VOC. Get a fan. It is bad for anyone smelling it. Babies will be even more sensitive to it.

The "new" smell of anything, no matter how good it seems to you, is bad for your health.

VitaLuna · August 2013

NicknShan said:

That smell is volatile organic compound, commonly referred to as VOC. Get a fan. It is bad for anyone smelling it. Babies will be even more sensitive to it.

The "new" smell of anything, no matter how good it seems to you, is bad for your health.

Ditto this. Bad smelling cribs are a good reminder to really research and think about what you're buying. In addition to the paint/sealant, pressboard (vs. solid wood) is another culprit, as is vinyl, which some mattresses are covered in. When you don't have the option or finances to buy something "greener", always always give it time to air out. ::steps down from the earth muffin podium:: Since you don't have a garage, just keep the nursery door shut, windows open, and fan running for several days to a week+.

AppleMuffins · August 2013

A lot of information I read about setting up nurseries included tips to set up furniture ahead of time to let it air out because of the fumes. Our stuff definitely had a smell at first (especially the mattress, even though it was "indoor air quality certified"), but it has totally disappeared now.

RedDDD · August 2013

VitaLuna said:

NicknShan said:

That smell is volatile organic compound, commonly referred to as VOC. Get a fan. It is bad for anyone smelling it. Babies will be even more sensitive to it.

The "new" smell of anything, no matter how good it seems to you, is bad for your health.

Ditto this. Bad smelling cribs are a good reminder to really research and think about what you're buying. In addition to the paint/sealant, pressboard (vs. solid wood) is another culprit, as is vinyl, which some mattresses are covered in. When you don't have the option or finances to buy something "greener", always always give it time to air out. ::steps down from the earth muffin podium:: Since you don't have a garage, just keep the nursery door shut, windows open, and fan running for several days to a week+.

I did my research and nothing came up about a smell on my crib. It did go away after a couple weeks. I let it air out on our porch in pieces after taking it out of the box. This time around I just bought the exact same crib but DH set up and put it together in the room with my toddler. SO I had no choice. He slept in the room with the smelly crib and whatevs.....It went away in a week. There are some things I just can't stress out about.

sallywacket · August 2013

I don't know about that specific smell, but in general, vinegar is my go-to smell stopper. Like for musty old furniture, cabinets, any hard surface. I wipe down with vinegar and let dry.

msronzio · August 2013

My crib just smells like wood.. Unless that is the chemical smell some are referring to? If so I will be sure to wipe it down.

Habs2Hart · August 2013

Wiping down won't remove off gassing. A product will off gas regardless of what you wipe it down with. Like pp's said, make sure you open it and leave it to off gas in a very well ventilated area and give it weeks before putting LO in it. VOC's are not something "not to stress" out over. They are seriously harmful, especially for babies.

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