Hi,
Rather than spend $200 dollars to return the rug, you might spend that money on an Ozone machine. The ozone machine causes a chemical change, turning airborne and surface contaminants into pure oxygen. The company whose machine I bought claims: "By literally oxidizing impurities in the air, the KleenAir ozone eliminates odors and destroys bacteria, mildew, mole and fungi." They claim their machine is calibrated to produce ozone at the Federally set level of 0.045 parts permillion which is a safe limit. We used this machine in a car that had gas additive spilled in it and it worked pretty well. Also got good results with it when we used it on a cabinet that had been coated with a horrible smelling sealer that gave me horrible headaches. Our machine cost $413 (including shipping). They may be more or less expensive by now. Expensive, but can be used over and over for years. We felt it was a good investment.

The brand we bought was advertised in a N.E.E.D.S. catalogue for safe products. It is a KleenAir from Adirondack Purification Co., Inc. The N.E.E.D.S. catalogue # is 1-800-634-1380. The Adirondack company may have web site--you could do a search to see.

Just be sure to follow the instructions. Hope this helps you out.

Nell C.

We had the same problem with two different rugs that we purchased from two separate companies. Both rugs were "tufted" wool -- which means that they glue the wool to a backing (turn your rug over and look at the back - do you see the knots or is it nicely covered? If it is covered, it is tufted). After much inquiry, we learned about the difference between tufted and knotted rugs -- and that the glue used on the tufted rugs can give off a foul odor. Both companies accepted the rugs (one for a full refund, the other for an exchange). I can now recognize the smell when I go into stores and see the tufted rugs. We're saving for the expensive all natural rug. GOOD LUCK!

Hi there, we have wool rugs too, and they had a "wooly" smell when we first bought them, but it did fade away...however, I'm not sure that this is the odour you are smelling. Anyway, we also have dogs that impart a lovely doggy smell to all the rugs in our house, so occasionally, we sprinkle baking soda all over the rugs and let it sit on them all day, then vaccuum really well. This really seems to help, as baking soda does such a good job of absorbing odours and oils.

I've got a rug that is 100% wool made in India that smells as well. Same exact situation. I've had it for over 3 years and it still stinks. At first I thought it was the dye becuase it is red, but then I spoke to someone in the rug business who gave me the answer. These rugs made in India and China are partially machine made and have a fabric backing that holds the wool weave together. (Hand-tufted) The glue that is used to apply this fabric backing is what smells. That is why they told you to put the back in the sun to outgass. Your best bet it to go with a rug that is hand-knotted and wool. This way you have no backing and no glue, just the wool fabric.

"Easiest to mistake for hand-knotted rugs are the hand-tufted rugs from China and India. Hand-tufted rugs are made using a "gun": a hand-operated tool that punches strands of wool into a canvas stretched on a frame. The design of the rug is drawn on the canvas, and the worker fills in the pattern with the appropriate color wool. When the rug design is fully piled (and this can take as little as three or four days for a 9' x 12' carpet), the rug is removed from the frame and a scrim fabric is glued to the back of the rug. It is only the glue on the back of the rug that holds the wool pile in place--yarn is not knotted over warps as with a real Oriental rug. Because the tufting process does not produce the fringe that is normal to a hand-woven rug (where the fringe is the end of the warp strings that run from one end of the rug to the other), separate fringe (usually woven as a tape) is often glued or sewn to the ends of a tufted rug.

The tufted rug is handmade, but it is not an Oriental rug because it is not knotted. In deciding to make a tufted rug instead of a real Oriental rug, the maker has chosen the cheapest way of making a piled rug. The tufted rug will rarely wear as well as the hand-knotted rug because the wool is almost certainly of a cheaper grade, and because the inexpensive latex glue used becomes brittle and deteriorates over time. A hand-tufted rug has resale value only equivalent to a machine-made rug of the same size."

We had a similar odor problem and, yes, we cured it with old-fashioned sunshine, but it took more than a day. Instead of throwing it away, which we were about to do, we left the thing hanging on the line--through rain and shine--for weeks during the summer. The smell disappeared, but obviously you might want to try this technique only as a LAST resort.

The wierd smell may be camel urine, used as a bleach and insecticide.

Having had a similar experience, I can assure you it will go away if you are able to do the following:

a. hang it up outside in the sunshine

b. hose it down; let it dry in the sun

c. repeat

It should thereafter be odour-free. If you cannot wash it and
dry it in the sun, the smell will continue ad nauseum.

We sent for cotton rugs from a company that obtains them from India. They told me (after I told them that I reacted to the plastic packaging as if there were pesticides present) that the rugs are shipped in large containers (container ships) - just packed in. So I suspect the containers are sprayed and that the pesticides contaminated the plastic. We got rid of the outer plastic. The rugs were wrapped in a second layer of plastic, too, that seemed OK so we decided to do what we could rather than ship them back to the company. The next problem was that the rugs themselves had a strange odor (not pesticide) even though the company said they had been washed carefully. We decided to try to salvage the rugs by washing them (4'X6'), using plenty of soap and baking soda and drying them on "low." It took most of a day with all the rinsing and drying to do one rug. The result is that I can now tolerate them, but they look a bit "ratty." Ratty is better than chemical odors!

In response to Nell's comments, regarding use of an ozone machine to get rid of the rug odor, I want to add some info. I'm searching for ways to get rid of various odors and chemicals in my home, and this KleenAir ozone machine sounded great, so I looked into it. I was aware that ozone-generating machines may have some dangers associated with them, but I was vague on that topic, so I researched it. And what I found was disconcerting. My new understanding is that while certain ozone-generating machines may have some appropriate applications, they apparently pose serious dangers in household use, dangers beyond what the machine manufacturers and sellers may tell you. Even at "safe" levels the ozone may be hazardous to environmental and human health.

So I just wanted to share this info, and strongly encourage anyone who is considering using an ozone-generating air machine or anyone who is currently using one, to be sure you're fully informed on them. I'd say definitely don't rely on the machine's manual to provide sufficient info on the ozone safety. I found the federal and California EPA have useful articles on this topic (and unfortunately the KleenAir is on their list of machines they strongly recommend avoiding):

Fact Sheet- Beware of Ozone-generating Indoor "Air Purifiers"
www.arb.ca.gov/research/indoor/ozone_gen_fact_sheet-a.pdf

Ozone Generators that are Sold as Air Cleaners
www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/ozonegen.html

Good luck on the rug and to all of us in safely getting rid of odors and harmful chemicals!

Hi, reading all of your comments on "wool" rugs from India. I'm sure they are beautiful and all, but again, purchase from the USA. Earthweave Carpet in Georgia, USA makes beautiful chemical free "wool" rugs. NO SMELL I have two of them, different designs. I am in the process of buying another.

Good luck

Hi, This is in response to the stinky wool rug. I also had that happen. My rug had a natural fiber backing on it, but under that they used an adhesive to hold the yarns, which I strongly suspect is PVC vinyl. My manufacturer ( I no longer recall the name) also said to air the rug in the sun. I took it back.

Katie responded to my post regarding ozone machines, reminding me of the fact that just after I finsished my post about the machines I realized that I had not mentioned the precautions I took.

We use the machine only when necessary. It is used only in a closed up room where no one will be entering until time to turn the machine off. Then the windows are opened up and the room aired out until I can no longer smell the ozone (which is a lot longer than anyone else in the family can no longer smell it.) :~) Supposedly it is safe to be in the room with the machine on for about 1 hour, if I am rememberiing correctly. But I prefer not to take a chance and we stay out of the room. I also place towels at the gap at the bottom of the door.

Obviously, this is a treatment you would use only when necessary and on products that would be too expensive to replace. We bought our machine several years ago. Don't know if there are newer machines on the market that are safer (or if that is even possible).

One other thing--ozone can damage elastic and leather so you would want to remove these items from the room or limit the time of expousure. I don't remember the time limits but your instruction book should tell you, if you decide to buy an ozone machine.

As always, nothing in life is simple...

Nell

I design rugs from India and know all about this smell- it's the 'glue' breaking down as others have noted.

There is a layer of latex that is applied to the rug backing to adhere the tufts/hooks of fiber into the cotton base. Some rugs are left this way - you'd see a mesh type look on the back. Most do have another cotton, canvas type backing to cover it up. So the latex is now sandwiched in there and just getting stinky. Most manufacturers in India use a natural latex and not a synthetic, and many do break down unfortunately over time.

I know people who have had success with letting nature do the work- ie sunlight as mentioned- but keep in mind these yarns usually don't have a UV treatment on them so don't keep them out long term. This should work as it's a fairly new rug. People who start to have this problem after a couple of years I've found aren't able to get the smell out.

I found this blog with Google, but my odor problem is a beautiful shawl, probably made in India. The odor is camel urine, I'm sure, it's nothing like a chemical breakdown. I hate to wash it, as the embroidery or the background wool may not be colorfast. I bought it on sale, for a song, now I see why nobody kept these! Any ideas, oh well-informed group (or camel owners, LOL)?

I guess this will be more of the same.

I purchased a rug made in India, hand tufted wool with the backing. I couldn't smell it in the store but I sure could smell it in the car on the way home. My son thought it smelled like pizza. I would say more like rancid cheese but a definite animal smell no doubt. It has gotten worse over the last few days (I've had it one week) and I think I must get rid of it. My husband thinks it smells like cat urine.

So whether this is the smell from the wool or the glue or camel urine or whatever I think I would rather return it than try to fix the problem at home and maybe ruin the rug in the process. Then I would be stuck with a beautiful BUT stinky rug. Pee-Yew!

BLUF (Bottom line up front): CAUTION: Breathing and skin hazard - the rugs stink like burned rubber because there is a nasty-smelling latex substance on the rug backing underneath the burlap. BACKGROUND: Bought my stinky rug at American Home Furnishings, Albuquerque, New Mexico, some time back. After reading a lot of similar posts, decided to try fixing it last week. First tried ordinary rug cleaning with Bissell Little Green, no joy. Next soaked it overnite in the bathtub with a full 16 oz can of Oxyclean. Still stinky. Tore off burlap backing and found the culprit - uncured latex or rubber backing. My guess is they left out or under-cooked the vulcanizing part of the process to cure it. If it is indeed uncured rubber or latex, some of the handling instuctions I'm reading classify it as a hazardous substance and not to breath the fumes, because they can irritate the nose, throat, and lungs. Let's be careful out there!

I also have a rug from India that has a jute backing concealing what I assume to be rubber (based on the smell emitted). I have been doing considerable research trying to find a method to eliminate the odor. I was considering purchasing an ozone air purifier like the Sharper Image "Ionic Breeze." However, in the process of researching, I discovered one of the primary causes of off-gassing is the deterioration of the rubber, which is caused by oxidation (exposure to oxygen) and exposure to ozone. In addition to my concerns about the safety of having an ozone emitting device in my house, I now realize the ozone over time would probably intensify the problem instead of resolving it.

Although I saw my beautiful wool rug in the store they told me it would have to be delivered. When it arrived it smelled of moth balls and mold? I am told I could only return it upon inspection at delivery. we all know how fast a UPS guy stays at delivery time. Just wondering if my smell sounds familiar to anyone & how they removed it.

I had several Persian rugs on a tile floor during two Summer in Mexico. I decided to take them back North and use them there. I noticed a strong funny odor of I believed to be, Camel Pee. It is Camel pee that is used to set the colors.Same as in Leather in Egypt. I had them steam cleaned , front and back. no results. Soaked them on the driveway and shampooed them and let them dry for several days. The odor got worse with each wetting.I sprinkles Baking soda front and back. It is still bad . I asked a Persian carpet dealer and he would not tell me what to do to eliminate the odor. It was suggested to me to use a spray bottle with pure Vanilla.
HAs anyone tried this?? Any suggestions??
Barbara.

The smell comes from the latex backing on tufted rugs, which are glued to a backing with latex. The fumes are toxic. The latex emits this smell forever, permanently. It cannot be eliminated by sun (this will make it worse) or cleaning. I recommend you get rid of these rugs.

For BB from Washington,

My assumption is that sraying vanilla is just to cover up the offensive odor, not a cure. I ran into a similar problem with two particular styles of Acorn slippers. Last year when reordering my favorite slippers, they arrived smelling of vanilla. I returned them and reordered, same thing. Decided try to get the smell out by washing, etc.- didn't work. Called the company and found out they were using a vanilla fragrance to disguise the foam smell in the footbed of the slipper... not sure when they changed, my many previous pairs didn't have the vanilla scent. Hope this was helpful.

Several years ago I bought a wool oriental rug on ebay from a reputable dealer with only good feedback. It was a one of a kind design and I was in love with it. But it stank something terrible, like a barn. It was too stinky to keep on the house (my dog LOVED it). I washed it in the backyard several times, the first time the cleaning water ran off dark brown - the rug was filthy. I used carpet shampoo, a scrub brush and put some kind of enzyme odor remover in the solution. Each time I let it dry in the sun. It faded a bit but not too much, and is now on my floor, no longer stinky.

Deb,
can you please tell us if you scrubbed the top of the rug - or the bottom - or both sides? My replaced rug is still kind of stinky and I would like to try and remedy this once the spring weather hits our area. Thanks!
Lisa J.

We scrubbed both sides, more than once. It was a lot of work but worth it as we still have that rug, I love it.

I have been in the carpet and area rug cleaning business for many years and "smelly latex rugs" have long been a source of frustration for me. To my knowledge there is no way to remove the burnt rubber odor. Some people think it smells more like pet urine (strangely they usually blame their neighbor's or friend's cat). Every time we take in a hand-tufted rug we give it a sniff test and let our customer know that cleaning will not remove the odor.

I do not have a great sense of smell but when I enter a store that sells area rugs, that distinct odor is usually very noticeable ... and I can walk straight across the showroom floor and pick out the offending rug.

The easiest way to avoid this problem when buying Oriental or custom made rugs is to look for the rug colors and pattern on the back side. If the back has been covered with fabric or any kind of mesh it is probably a hand-tufted, not hand-knotted rug and could be a problem in the future.

If you detect even the slightest hint of rubber odor do not buy the rug ... the smell will only get worse (and worse and worse...).

Boy am I glad I found you guys......... Finally someone who will understand this nasty smell. My discovery of the origin of the horrible smell in our "Grandchildren's Room" finally came to me today, but only after about two years of thinking it was a sewer gas smell, or rotting wood or dry wall, or mold or mildew somewhere in this room. My wife never smelled it and she thought I should go see a headshrinker or get emergency brain surgery for the mystery smell. I have had two different plumbers out to the tune of about $750.00 who found small problems but fixing them made no difference.

Finally (just like a "Saturday Night Live Skit") today while I was on my hands and knees spot cleaning the wall to wall carpet, I flipped the small "made in India" 100% virgin wool rubber backed area rug and found this sickening odor. I have removed this piece of trash from the house and cleaned the wall to wall rug. Sure did feel stupid.

Then as an after thought I thought I would search the Internet to see if anyone else has encountered this. Sure enough here you are. I have printed of this whole section and will share it with my spouse when she gets home.

Thank you all for sharing this information. I may have been stupid on this one but as least I am not nuts.

Whew! I am so glad I found this site too. We have the same exact problem with a beautiful rug. I hate to get rid of it because it's so beautiful and I paid a lot of money for it, but I can't stand the smell any longer. I always thought our dogs peed on it or something.

I tried cleaning, baking soda, odor eliminaters, etc. - nothing has worked.

I will try the sun method before I toss it in the garbage since we live in Florida and still have hot sunshine during the afternoons this time of year.

Thanks for all the posts - it sure was an eye-opener! And I never, ever knew camel urine was used in products like this...yuck.

The odor from these India tufted rugs is due to a manufacturing flaw. The latex is not properly cured.

This one of several negatives of buying a tufted rug rather than a woven rug. (Woven rugs you can see the design on the back side matching the front. Tufted are held together by putting latex adhesive on the back, and then usually covered up with a material backing.)

Woven rugs take a long time to hand weave - a 9x12 may take 3 weavers full time just over a year to complete. Tufted rugs are knocked out in a day. They are cheap to buy, and understandable have corners cut so that they can make some money on them. It is these rugs that are killing the weaving craft.

Tufted rugs are essentially disposable rugs - they will last you a few years - whereas we have had rugs come into our rug washing and repair facility that have been as old as 300 years (and just amazing to look at).

This odor problem cannot be removed - at least there is no one in my rug network of cleaners coast to coast who have had success with it. Ozone does not work (and is also very dangerous). Washing with a good bath, or even a surface cleaning with a carpet cleaning machine, will make the odor worse.

Our natural senses tell us when something is unhealthy. Our nose wrinkles, our eyes water. It is obvious with this odor that is it not good for you, and should not be in your home. You certainly don\t want to cover it up with perfumes.

The best path is to return the rug for one that does not smell, because again, this is a manufacturing flaw.

Green living means buying items that are not tossed on the landfill after a few years. A woven wool rug is using fibers that are renewable, are far superior in strength/durability/aesthetics versus pertroleum based synthetic fibers nylon/olefin ... and they help sustain a culture of weaving that provides funds to continue a beautiful craft that has been around since thousands of years before Christ.

I hope that answers your question. I have a post on my blog for my clients specifically about this problem. Just type "stinky" in the search bar of the blog. :)

Thank you for letting me ramble, :)

Lisa

Hi it's me again, the original poster. The replacement rug I received from Company C is still a stinky resident in our living room. Alas, I cannot afford to replace it right now and all of our decorating has been done around the rug! I have, however, found a product that has given me (the "super smeller" of the house) some relief although it does have to be reapplied about once a month or so. It is called Ex-Stink and can be purchased through the internet; $20 for a 4 pound pail of powder. The powder works really well taking out organic odors (like damp basement smell, etc.). It says it will not work on chemical odors, but it does seem to give me some relief. I roll back the rug and LIBERALLY sprinkle the powder all over the rug pad (between the pad and the rug) then roll the rug back down. It seems to cut the smell well for about two weeks or so. Then it's time to reapply. Next time, it will be hand knotted for us no matter how much they cost. I just have too many chemical sensitivities to live with this type of rug. I can't even stand the "smell" of our gas fireplace... Good luck all!