brand new kitchen chemical type smell

[Kaydee]

Our brand new kitchen was installed two weeks ago. The chemical smell inside the cupboards is just awful. The odour even permeates into our food and we can taste it when eating.

I've been in touch with the company who supplied it and they said "open the cupboard doors" and "cut an onion in half and let the onion absorb the smell."

I've tried both these suggestions for a week now and still the problem persists.

The doors are gloss white and I'm told by the supplier that they are the best - the type that the edges won't peel away etc.

Since googling the subject, I've now read about formaldehyde in MDF manufacture and am now half scared to death!

Can anyone put my mind to rest please? I would also welcome suggestions on what else I could try to elminate the smell.

Thanks in advance
Kaydee

 

[xerxes]

I don't think you need to be concerned about formaldehyde. It's true that some people (mainly in the USA) regard it as a potential health risk and therefore insist on man-made boards being fully sealed when used in a domestic setting.

But yours are sealed, which suggests that the smell isn't coming from the boards but from the coating.

It's possible that you're more sensitive to this smell than other people, but even so you shouldn't have to put up with it (or solve it yourself). Can you get the supplier to provide you with the non-smelly cupboards you paid for, instead of what they've given you?

 

[joe-90]

Smells only smell while the material that smells is losing particles. Think of a room deoderiser and how it gets smaller as time passes. Your cupboards cant smell forever - they'd get smaller. Leave the doors open for a bit longer.

 

[xerxes]

Your cupboards can't smell forever - they'd get smaller.

Forgive me if I don't find this altogether convincing. Even if some volatile material from the plastic coating evaporated, the cupboards would stay the same size (or experience a minute increase in interior volume).