Question from Chuck
Hi Debra,
I have kitchen cabinets that are only a few years old and still have this strong chemical smell inside them as they did when I first bought it. Originally when I bought it I assumed it was a “new” cabinet smell from some chemicals they may have used to manufacture the wood, but here we are a few years later and the wood still smells heavy that it makes my eyes tear when I open it. Is this dangerous and is there anything I can do to get rid of this smell???
Any help would be appreciated…..thanks
Debra’s Answer
It could still be the chemicals used when they were made. If you have a cabinet or drawer that is closed, the material within doesn’t outgas at the same rate as material on the outside.
If it were me, the first thing I would do is remove everything, open all the doors and drawers, and “bake” the room. Bring in some space heaters and let everything heat up for a couple of days to release the chemicals. Be sure to close the door or put up sheets of foil-backed paper taped together and tapes around the edges to the walls to prevent fumes from going into the rest of the house.
Another thing to do is apply AFM Safe Seal, which blocks fumes from wood products.
