just had new carpet installed and the smell is making me crazy ! i've got the windows open (too bad since it's 15 degrees) and a fan running, but is there anything else i can do?

What you are breathing in, is the volatile organic compounds, chemicals used in manufacture, being released into the air, known as outgassing. BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene), formaldehyde, Teflon, 4-phenylcyclohexine (4-PC), are just some of the nasties that you are probably breathing in.

You do not want to cover up the smell, but eliminate it as fast as possible. You are doing the right thing. It has been said that using a water extraction cleaning method will help speed up the process.

Do not run out and buy one of those "ionic air cleaners"! It will only make the problem worse. These devices create ozone and oxidation with certain coumpounds found in carpets will create aldehydes and ketones in the air.

Carpet manufacturers recommend removing birds from the house for a few days after new carpet has been laid down.

If you are sensitive to the odors, as they can cause breathing problems in some people, next time look for the green and white CRI "green label" on your carpets and furniture. Of course, sometimes the problem comes from the glue used to put down the carpets. Check for adhesives with low VOC emmisions that have the CRI green label.

I only have jute rugs in my home. I am very sensitive to the carpet chemicals. I figured out over the years, or rather the decades, a connection to my breathing problems and whether or not the restaurant I was working in was carpeted or not. At first I thought it was the pesticides that restaurants use or maybe the brand of cleaning chemicals, but there was a direct correlation between whether there was carpeting or not.

I have two friends who developed breathing problems after the places where they worked decided to switch from tile floors to carpeting. Another developed breathing problems when the apartment where he lived came in and changed out his old carpeting for new carpet.

I was told of a case where carpet was being installed in a public building and whoever organised such things took all the correct steps in finding out what would be used and making sure it would be alright to have it done during working hours. Unfortunately it was decided at the last minute to use a stronger glue on the stairs and the building had to be evacuated.

Bud, where could I find out more about what you said about ionic air cleaners?

Silly Me, hope it's much better soon.

guess i just have to be patient with airing it out. i've only ever put down carpet once before and didn't have this problem.

We chose wool carpet with no formaldehyde. That seemed to be the best thing we could find at the time. Interesting smell that reminded me not of sheep but camels lingered for a while.

I've posted before, in these forums about the danger of ionic air cleaners.

I've done a lot of reading so I can't give you just one website that covers everything.

Try Google using various combinations of search terms for 'ionic', 'aldehydes', 'carpet'. ' formaldehyde', 'green label' ect.

I like to start with governement websites when I do a search:

http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/ozonegen.html

Qutoe from EPA site:

For example, in a laboratory experiment that mixed ozone with chemicals from new carpet, ozone reduced many of these chemicals, including those which can produce new carpet odor. However, in the process, the reaction produced a variety of aldehydes, and the total concentration of organic chemicals in the air increased rather than decreased after the introduction of ozone (Weschler, et. al., 1992b). In addition to aldehydes, ozone may also increase indoor concentrations of formic acid (Zhang and Lioy, 1994), both of which can irritate the lungs if produced in sufficient amounts. Some of the potential by-products produced by ozone’s reactions with other chemicals are themselves very reactive and capable of producing irritating and corrosive by-products (Weschler and Shields, 1996, 1997a, 1997b). Given the complexity of the chemical reactions that occur, additional research is needed to more completely understand the complex interactions of indoor chemicals in the presence of ozone.

Here is one website to check:

http://www.allergyclean.com/article-formaldehyde.htm

Another, a bit more techie:

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:LXzsGo4H0NYJ:aerosol.chem.uci.edu/PDF_Publications/Irvine/2006_Britigan_JAWMA_O3.pdf+ionic+air+cleaners+and+aldehydes+and+ketones&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=18&gl=us&client=opera

Misc:

http://www.elecdesign.com/Articles/ArticleID/11084/11084.html

Lots more info out there if you look..........

Re plants, I read that in a few places. Based on NASA research if I remember correctly. Then I managed to buy a book about it but my library is piled all over the floor at the moment due to redecorating. Some plants are supposed to be better than others but the only one I can remember is spider plant.

Thanks

Raleigh Carpet Cleaning - Miracle Carpet & House Cleaning Raleigh

I sold real estate for 10 years and I would walk into these vacant homes and just gag. The litter box odor and the smoke would make me sick! I used to bring 2 or 3 of my generators over and let them run on high for a week and the house would sell as it no longer smelled. This is the reason I have so many of these. These are not cheap to buy so that is why I suggested that you call around and see if you would be able to rent a few. I know that they can be rented, as painters use them to kill the new paint smell. Hotels use these for the smokers who smoke in non smoking rooms. These do create Ozone as that is their purpose. They do create negative Ions but the Oznone is what kills the smell. It will smell like you are boiling Clorox and water on the stove but once the smell is gone all you have to do is open the windows and air out the house. You have to have these machines high up in a room to make them work at their best. Turn your furnace fan to run and place the unit on a step ladder to your biggest cold air return. This is the most effective way if you have no taller funiture in the room. This works, Good Luck.