Getting Rid of the New Furniture Smell
As much as I love purchasing new furniture, I hate the way the room smells when the furniture arrives.
Off-gassing…I believe is the term.
And it really isn’t very healthy.
Some furniture companies seem to be stinkier than others. Fortunately, I have been pretty lucky with Pottery Barn.
We just purchased this new Pottery Barn desk for my little first grader! He is so thrilled to have a desk just like his brother.
In fact, he wanted the exact same one!
Right now the Pottery Barn desks are on sale too!
The new desk arrived the other day and my husband put it together right away. Sure, it did smell like varnish/stain but it wasn’t terrible. I mean, it wouldn’t knock you out or anything! Of course my crazy boys, (and husband) thought it smelled good!
But being the neurotic, health conscious mom that I am, I had to freshen the air in his room just in case.
I poured some baking soda in a few dishes to absorb some of the odor.
I also mixed in some ground cinnamon, cloves and a little vanilla to one of the dishes.
Why not make it smell nice!
Then I brought in a few live plants. And I do use the word, “live” loosely…
I’m not exactly known for having a green thumb!
Houseplants such as Spider Plants, Philodendron and Peace Lillies are supposed to be good for removing chemicals from the air. Other good plants are Bamboo Palms, (which I used to have in my bedroom but eventually killed it…) Rubber Plants and Boston Ferns.
Anyway, besides the jungle I created in the room, I also opened the window to get a little breeze.
But don’t tell my husband because the air conditioning was on! Yeah, I’m willing to sacrifice a little on the energy bill for some fresh air…he is not!
Already, the room smells much better and we are planning on making a trip to Staples so we can buy all his special desk supplies and accessories. He’s so excited to have a desk!
Now I am planning on adding a few more things to his room.
Oh, it never ends…
What do you use to get rid of that new furniture smell?
Looks great!
Good ideas to get rid of the chemicals and smell. Nice desk.
Nice desk from PB. I usually burn a candle and open window for fresh air.
You crack me up 🙂 Is it sized big enough to grow with them for a few years? I've been thinking it's time for a desk here too.
The desk we bought, (Thomas desk) is one of the larger ones at Pottery Barn Kids. It's around 48 inches wide and the other ones range from about 43 inches wide to 48 inches. Pottery Barn Teen has similar sizes but also carries some larger ones. I also looked at some at Ethan Allen. They have one from their Tango collection, which I don't think is even targeted toward kids, and that one is 48 inches wide too. Neither of their rooms are huge so 48 inches works for us. I think the desks should last them for awhile. Hope that helps!
I remember buying my son his desk. We went shopping together and he was so thrilled when we found just the right one. Thanks for bringing back a sweet memory. Love the PB furniture, smell or not!
The new desk is just lovely, & I like how you've arranged things on the shelves. Baking soda is always my first choice for odors, but had never thought of adding cinnamon or anything like that for the pleasant scent — I'm going to try that. I also do a lot of the Scentsy burners around our home to get those good smells