Why do the Olfa cutting mats smell so bad?
 

I've recently purchases two at different JoAnn stores at separate times and had to return both due to odor. Had them in my living room and they stunk up the entire downstairs. Both were the 24x36 size. I have the smaller 12x18 and it's fine.

I need a new one because a few years back I purged a few trunkloads of my sewing supplies and they went as well (don't ask, lol)

Have you had this experience? Should I go with Fiskars instead? I don't want to "wait it out" because I tried that and almost got sick in the process. If I buy a mat I want to use a mat.

I can tell you that the Fiskars connecting mats I ordered smelled putrid for a long time. I laid them out flat and wiped down with a mixture of baking soda, vinegar and a dab of dishwashing liquid, then left them flat for a month. That was several years ago, so I don't know if the smell is gone, or if I just became accustomed to it.

I just got a 24X36 Fiskars about 3 weeks ago. No odor at all.

I have one from the 90's. just hope it outlasts me!!

I've had 4 cutting mats and I've used them all right out of the package with no odor at all. They're all Fiskars brand but it seems

I bought a Dritz cutting mat on sale at Joann's. Not the best in the world but it works and it doesn't smell at all.

I had this same question after buying the same Olga mat. I wrote to the company and they got back to me. Said all their mats smelled and suggested I leave it out to air it out. At present mine has been in the garage for a week. Still smells. Olfa also said to wash it down with Pine Sol or something with a lemon scent. They said I might have to do it several times. I haven't decided what I am going to do. I will wash it down and see what happens.

Man, you would think that Olfa would do something about their manufacturing process to eliminate this problem! It seems most everyone has had a cutting mat that smells like skunk or worse!! This problem goes back at least to 2011!! I can't even stand to walk by them in the store.
If it was me, I would return those mats and look for something else. If it smells in the store, it will smell even worse when it gets in a smaller space. I had a couple of small ones that smelled and after two years of them living on my back porch and too many "fixes" to count, I just trashed them. Never ever got that smell to go away.
http://www.quiltingboard.com/search....rchid=13415318

Mar, don't bother, return them because the smell will not dissipate. One that I returned to JoAnn's had the clerk complaining! He said they get quite a few of them back because of the smell. Further, why spend that amount of money on something you can't use right away? What's the point?

I work in manufacturing and I can't help but wonder what that factory smells like.

Mine are by June Tailor. Never had a problem, and this is my third one.