[Rachel In California]

I wrote to Ikea via their "contact me" link and they suggested I contact you Ikea fans, so here I am.

After a month, my cabinets are still smelling strongly of plastic. My eyes water and I start to cough when I go into the kitchen. I don't want to put my dishes in the cabinets, or cook there.

How can I get rid of the stink?

If it makes any difference--they are Stat cabinets. The shelves have raw edges on the sides (front edges are finished). The smell is very strong when I open the cabinet doors. Would it help to seal the edges? What should I seal them with?

And, is it just an annoyance or is it a health hazard? How can I find out what chemical is making the smell?

[kelly]

Wow, that sounds unpleasant! I've never heard of or experienced this- I've got a lot of IKEA kitchen cabinets in my house- on two floors.

What else did you add/change at the same time? Anyone else experience this?

[NBeth]

We had absolutely no smell except a bit of wood. The manufacturers have changed since then but I haven't heard anyone else comment--anyone with new white cab frames?

[Kayla]

none of our clients have complained of smell.

And WOW, ikea customer service sent you to IKEAfans? That's nice to hear, at least

[Tigratrus]

Originally Posted by Kayla

none of our clients have complained of smell.

And WOW, ikea customer service sent you to IKEAfans? That's nice to hear, at least

I really hope it's not something that's changed with the change of manufacturer of the cabs . The low VOC is one of the really nice things about IKEA Cabs!

James

[Rachel In California]

Glad to hear that low VOC is generally characteristic of IKEA cabinets. The smell is definitely coming from inside the cabinets--strong smell when I open the doors. There is nothing inside there but IKEA cabinet insides (I have not wanted to put my dishes in there, they are still stacked up in living room and bedroom.)

Perhaps something is improperly finished? Maybe the edges should have been sealed? Are your shelf side edges sealed, or raw?

[litlnemo]

Very interesting. I tend to be sensitive to smell and didn't notice any smell to speak of on our cabinets. Something may indeed be wrong, but I don't know what.

[NBeth]

Just a thought--did someone use glue in assembling them?

[kelly]

Great point on the glue.

We did nothing to our cabinet's edges etc to "seal" them. In fact, we created more cut ends when we modified every door and drawerfront for integrated handles.

[RubrikGreen]

I haven't encountered any outgassing smell from any of the IKEA pieces I've purchased, and it is an interesting problem.

HOWEVER, in general, to absorb odors, you can try:
1) Activated Charcoal - such as used in fish tank filters - in a mesh bag. Put 1-2 of these in each cabinet to help absorb/neutralize odors.

2) Baking soda - Large flat pan (pie plate, etc) with about 1" deep of baking soda in each cabinet. Stir every day for a week or so.

3) Odor absorbing Crystals (such as these: OdorX® C.O.C.™ Commercial Granular Odor Absorbent) from a janitorial supply (maybe your big box hardware will carry them) - use as directed.

4) Kitty litter -- generally pretty good at removing odors; can be worse if you get the "Fresh Scent" type (which has a lot of perfume) -- flat open pan method.

Perhaps one of these methods will help.