You may recall my post Is your Self Healing Cutting Mat Smelly?" from about a week ago. At that time I had just bought an 35" X 70" (3-24"X36" mats that clip together) Olfa cutting mat which was giving off a strong chemical odor.
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. Well I decided to forgo the vinegar/water bath tub soak suggestion that was recommended by others and the Olfa website and instead directly called Olfa to inquire about a remedy to the problem.
Well I talked to a nice lady who gave me a couple of suggestions to try. Now at first I must admit that I wasn't sure if any of these treatments would work. But after 2 separate times of soaking my mats in a bathtub of cool water and lemon dishwashing liquid overnight, rinsing them and allowing them to air dry (both outside in the evening air and in the garage) for a couple of days--- I'm proud to announce that the horribly strong smell has dissipated and I'm LOVIN' MY NEW CUTTING MATS! I've always loved using my rotary cutter and am happy I have a large enough cutting mat surface to do so!!!! Cutting fabric is my least favorite part of sewing so using my rotary cutter helps to speed things along.
So I have to strongly recommend the Olfa 35"X 70"cutting mat, especially if you're looking for a large cutting mat for your sewing table. If your mat has a strong chemical smell, try soaking it and air drying it as suggested to see if you can remedy the issue:)
Glad you solved your problem. We don't want anything to get in the way of your 10,000 hours of sewing.
ReplyDeleteWow! I'm glad you were able to get that solved! Have fun :)))
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming on as a follower of my blog. Since I was unsure of the blog protocol for the post about your dress I did remove the post when I did not hear if you were ok with it. Since then, I have seen on other blogs (duh) that you ask first. But thanks for being ok with it :)
ReplyDeleteWow, nice to know you have resolve the stinky problem!
ReplyDeleteGreat solution!
ReplyDeleteWelcome as my newest follower. It's great to have you. Love that you're a strong Christian.
I took a tour around your blog. I love your maxi dress and your empire waist tunic. Of course, everything you've made is super cute. I was very touched by the story about your dad encouraging you to start your business. And I'm so sorry that he's no longer here. I hope that God has been able to bring you comfort.
I love your blog, and would like to follow, but I'm at my limit of 300. I keep up with other blogs mainly through my blog roll anyway; so I'll put your blog on my blog roll.
Trudy
www.sewingwithtrudy.blogspot.com
You know, after reading your initial post on this I grabbed up my mat, stuck my face into and inhaled!
ReplyDeleteNot much. Slightly icky. But then it and I were not meant to be in that close of contact.
Now I am wondering did I unconsciously live with the smell, or since my mat is smaller did the smell dissipate quickly? I am going to make a note of your solution since one day I want to splurge for one the big mondo mats. Thanks for doing the research.
Yay! Smart thinking.
ReplyDeleteHi Victoria! This is Jennifer from Diary of a Southern Belle!
ReplyDeletehttp://savannahsouthernbelle.blogspot.com
We met last night at the food court and I wanted to drop over and let you have my blog link! It was so nice meeting you, especially since I have been reading your blog for months and drawing so much inspiration from it! Have a wonderful July 4th weekend!
~Jennifer
Hi Victoria,
ReplyDeleteJust read your article about the olfa cutting mat and you say you have the 3 mats that you put together with clips and made a large cutting mat from them, well how do you find that the rotary cutter cuts as you roll across the seams, does the cutter cut those areas of the fabric? The reason I am asking is I am considering doing the same thing and was wondering if it will be a problem as you cross over each seam in the mats will the fabric be cut?
Hello, to answer your question, There isn't any problems when cutting over the seams! The clips hold the mats into place pretty well:)
ReplyDeletethanks for the tip, I just purchased the three mat that hook together, trying to pick the set out in the store that smelled the least! I'll give your idea a try because they do stink!
ReplyDeleteI just bought a rotating cutting mat that smells like a skunk. Not sure if I should soak it because it.is rotating. Any thoughts?
ReplyDeletePatricia Tharp - same problem here, smells just like a skunk. I just tried soaking in the tub for a little while with a cool water and white vinegar mix. Drying now. If that doesn't do the trick I'm going to try the lemon dishwashing liquid as suggested in the post.
ReplyDeleteTried the solution to getting the odor out of my mat. It helped a bit, but it still smells up my sewing room. Someone suggested white vinegar. What do you think of that?
ReplyDelete