Have you ever brought home a new piece of furniture and noticed a strong, foul-smelling odor that sticks around for days, even weeks? Thanks to something called volatile organic compounds (or VOCs), it’s not uncommon.

VOCs are essentially chemical compounds—many of them human-made—with high vapor pressure and low water solubility, so they’re often used as industrial solvents for products like paint, office equipment, building materials, and furnishings.

VOCs evaporate over time (some take longer than others, but they generally peak with new products), becoming a gas at room temperature and releasing into the air through a process known as “off-gassing.”

The smell could be coming from your upholstery being treated with flame retardants, chemicals to protect the fabric, or the varnish from your wooden furniture. These solvents range from trichloroethylene and fuel oxygenates to chloroform and formaldehyde.

How to Get Rid of That New Furniture Smell
https://www.treehugger.com/why-is-my-new-pi...ty-odor-4864135