It has something to do with the plastic material used. A couple of years ago I purchased two 3 drawer plastic units for my scrap stash. They smelled and made the fabric smell. Tried bleach wash, vinegar wash, baking soda, and sunshine. Nothing helped. Finally donated them as the whole house smelled. Sometimes things used for wraping smell. The newspaper covering, ziplock bags for awhile and the bags groceries use for sweet corn all have the same smell. Also plastic used for mailing magazines. It really can overcome a whole area. My Olaf and Fiskars mats are four or five years old and never had an ordor.