New Fiskers Cutting mat
 

I have had my old Fiskars (made in USA) grey with orange numbers for about a hundred years. Time for a new one so bought another Fiskars. 2 sided different colors too. It has a terrible odor. Left it on the shaded deck for about a week but it still has an odor.
Just read it and it says it has chemicals that can cause cancer. Nuts!

the first mat I bought years and years ago!!, smelled like a skunk in the car!! took it home and hung it up on the back porch so the air could circulate around it and after several days, the smell did lesson and over time, was gone. I can always tell when they put new mats out at JoAnns.....that skunk smell is back!! I still have that first mat and pull it out on occasion.

That stinks! Sorry, I couldn't resist. :o

I wouldn't worry too much about the cancer risk unless you plan to use it with food. Do you think it would help to soak it in vinegar for a while?

Yes, I was thinking about vinegar and/or just soapy water.
The fumes are horrific though. Breathing them could be bad.
As for eating on it...haaa I don't think so.:)

Make a paste with baking soda and smear on mat let dry then rinse!:eek:

It's that petroleum product smell. Gross. Scary. Can you tell where your mat was made; I'd be curious to know.

Jan in VA

I would first try just shaking baking soda on it, one side at a time, and letting it sit for a few days. I recently had two things spill in my car that left stains and smell: wine and spaghetti. I used a stain remover that came with one of our old cars. The wine stank, the cleaner stank. I thought I was doomed. The stains came out, but the best thing is: I put a small cup of baking soda in the car over night! Sweet as fresh air! I use baking soda a lot as I am alergic to most perfumes, and so-called scents. It neutralizes!

I just bought the rotating Fiskars mat and it smells like skunk also. Let it air out for a few days and the smell goes away. I bought their big cutting mat a few months ago and the smell from it was gone after a few days also.

Just in case anyone is interested. I purchased the same mat about three years ago. Now after, fairly heavy usage, the mat does not appear to be self healing as described. There are nicks out of the mat that do not heal back. I have the Fiskars mat, that I purchased about 30 years ago, hence, why I purchased this Fiskars. Old one still works great, just too small. Not sure if this is a design flaw or just my mat.

I don't think the smell is limited to Fiskars mats. I have an Olfa mat and it smelled pretty bad when I brought it home. I hate to think about what the chemical fumes have done to my life expectancy.

Call the company - they may have a simple remedy.

I bought their big mat and mine smelled like skunk for a while too! And even though I have only cut out a couple of baby quilts on it, there is a line where two cuts were parallel and close together and a sliver of the mat came off like a wedge. I have had my other mat for years and not had that happen. I only got the new mat so that I would have a bigger cutting surface.

The smell of my new one nearly knocked me out, but the good news is that it does wear off. I put it outside on sunny days, and also stored in my very chilly attic when I wasn't using it. As for a cancer risk, I wouldn't go outside and breathe air if I worried too much about that. Our environment is full of carcinogens!

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I too have had that happen to a new mat.....took it back to JoAnns with the receipt and they replaced in with no questions asked. The replacement mat has been perfect for over a year now. Must have been something in the water...VBG!!

In addition to a large Olfa, I have one of those turquoise, padded bottom June Tailor mats 12 x 18, the lines have nearly been eradicated with all the cutting, but guess what, the seriously cut surface holds the fabric like nothing else! I had purchased a new one, (stlil in the wrapper). It is so handy for all my pressing and small cutting needs. Other than that I haven't purchased a mat in a long time. NO funky smell!
Pat

I had bought a Fiskars mat several years ago. It was a folding mat and I thought it would be great to bring to classes. It smelled like a skunk too, I tried everything to get rid of the smell. Finally I just returned it to the store. They took it back without question (I mean really, you could smell it without trying). Now I only buy Olfa mats and never have a problem with smells. I would consider returning it to the store.

I have a lot of surfaces to cover, and I have been quilting for 30 years. I have had every brand except the blue one. Right now I have a Fiskars, an Olfa, a Salem (Marti Mitchell-which I like the best), and some brand that I got at the sewing expo with my 72"cutting board.

The Salem was the only one that didn't stink. The smell goes away, though not as fast as you would like.

And the only one that doesn't cut grooves is the 72". But it is made out of a harder plastic, and the rotary blade can slip, so I put the Salem on top of it. It is translucent, so I can see the lines on the big mat, too. The Salem is 36 x 24 and this is my work horse. I replaced it in Jan. after years of hard use.

You may have to try them all before you find the one you like best. My Fiskars is my second favorite. It's sturdier than my Olfa.

I bought a gingher on sale with a coupon...self healing my butt! My fiskar was so much better!!! Plus I like the
number and diagram layouts better....

My Fiskars mat stunk like a skunk for more than a year. Whenever it was not in use I kept it hanging in the garage. Thankfully it is finally housebroken. The next time I buy a mat is will get the sniff test!

Jan, Probably not in the USA or it would proudly say so.

I have had good luck using unused coffee grounds as a deodorizer. Just seal up the item with the grounds, or I suppose that you could just sprinkle the mat with grounds and then flip it after a few weeks. It takes awhile but is perfectly safe.

My story started with a yard sale I had to get rid of things to make a sewing room. A skunk had sprayed somewhere out side during the sale. When I brought in the table I used & set everything up with my New Cutting board the smell of skunk overwhelmed me I thought it was the table which I washed every inch of for several days till I finally realized it was the cutting mat LOL. The smell did go away after about a week.

I have two Olfa mats in different sizes and love them. Bought a Fiskars mat and even though I was very careful about storing it flat it warped.

I bought a Donna Dewberry and it didn't smell nearly as much!

I have not bought a Friskars mat but do use their other products.
The last mat I bought is the Alvin brand. Architects use them and mine is self healing.
I have used it for over 2 years now and this mat does not dull my rotary cutter blade like
the other mat I had. I have used the same blade for over a year with medium amount of
cutting. I belong to a prayers and sqauares church quilting group so use the mat a lot. I think I
paid less than thirty dollars for a very nice sized mat. It is worth it. If and when I buy another
mat it will be an alvin. Doris1334

Try using tomato juice to get rid of the skunk odor. Bathe the mat in juice then wash off. Sounds like a lot of
trouble but I would do it to get rid of the odor.
Doris1334

My sewing machine smells like the Cartel made it lol, I can figure out how to get the stink out of that either.

My friend had to return hers to JoAnns, it smelled up her whole house~!