Literally if i was near her sewing room i got sick.
Chemical odor from olfa cutting mat.
To help remove the smell submerge your mat in the bathtub with a 1 4 cup of vinegar for every gallon of water in the tub and let it soak for up to an hour.
I ordered it because it was 14 x 14 where the olfa mat is only 12 x 12.
I did however wash mine when i first got it as i had been told by a few quilters i know that they can start to smell if you are handling them constantly sweat and oils from your skin etc.
Well while in joann s yesterday i spotted the 35 x 70 olfa self healing cutting mat.
They also advised me to once a month run it down with vodka or rubbbing alcohol.
I bought my current cutting mat at walmart a couple of years ago no smell and i believe it cost me 29 99.
I purchased the fiskars rotating mat and it was warped.
I called the manufacturer and after we soaked the mats in my daughter s very large tub with orange smelling liquid detergent overnight the odor dissipated.
I thought the smell was from packaged and eventually leave but olfa cutting mats has not.
To overcome this smell we suggest that the mat be wiped down with a solution of lukewarm water and dishwashing detergent then let it set for five minutes.
Chemical odor coming from this matrix actually smells much more.
But every time i turned it it would fly off the bottom mat moving everything i had cut.
Newly purchased mats may have a slight odor which usually dissipates with time.
I do own a smaller size olfa mat the 24 x36 and use it every once in a while for smaller jobs.
Do not use your self healing cutting mat as an ironing board.
I have never had a problem with the olfa cutting mats that i bought in the past with odor must be something new since i switched brands.
I have a small cutting mat and have never had this problem it is an olfa one.
I really like it because it is 2 sided and has a square up area in the center of it.
Due to production and distribution a new olfa rotary mat can emit an odorous smell that some people are sensitive too.
I was also alarmed to read the labels on the mat with a warning.
After reading reviews about this and seeing it mentioned on the olfa website i was concerned about whether or not i would be able to get rid of the strong odor.
Interestingly the chemical odor did not bother anyone else.
Now i actually didn t do any extensive research on buying a larger size self healing mat.
Afterwards rinse off the mat and towel dry.
I don t know maybe it was just a bad batch perhaps it was stored incorrectly before it was shipped.
It says olfa cutting mats olfa cutting mats contains chemicals california to cause cancer birth defects and or.