For several years the carpet industry has had to do battle with nay-sayers insisting there is “something” in carpet that causes harm to human beings. That “something” has often been attributed to the smell of the carpet. So the industry has worked persistently and diligently to remove anything that might be considered offensive in odor or reaction to new carpet.

We have gone so far as to provide specific instructions on airing out the carpet, ventilating the spaces in which it is installed and removing anything that might be remotely considered odorous or harmful. In fact, we can and have been able to, manufacture carpet with virtually no odor whatsoever, especially where urethanes are involved in the finishing process. That’s why this case you are about to hear is so ludicrous.

THE ISSUE OF NON-ODOR IN A NEW CARPET

A dealer called me first and then sent me the correspondence on a complaint he had from one of his customers on the odor of a new carpet. The fact that the carpet had no odor! This customer is a realtor who put a property up for sale and installed new carpet in it. He was complaining because new carpet is supposed to have a new carpet odor and the one installed did not. As a result he felt he was damaged because potential buyers would enter the home expecting to smell the new carpet which would influence the sale of the property.

This customer feels the smell is very important component of the product. He compared this experience to buying a new car in which we are supposed to be rendered euphoric by the new car aroma which will make us buy.

The carpet installed had been purchased from inventory the dealer had in stock and therefore it had time to “air out” and did not have the expected and obviously desired new carpet smell. The realtor stated, “ ... both appearance and smell were equally important to a potential buyer and me.” He also asserted that the dealers response to the smell being insignificant was invalid. The realtor further stated he had spoken to carpet retailers, installers, deodorizers (who ever they are), cleaners and other builders and the public. All of whom, he said, agreed with the position that new carpet creates a desirable sensory effect conducive to a home sale.

The realtor is requesting the carpet be removed from the home, at the dealers expense and that a refund be granted for both the carpet and labor. He copied his attorney and wanted a response within 7 days. The mill was also contacted and responded that since the lack of smell of the carpet is not a defect the claim was being denied.

This situation is laughable but the realtor is dead serious. He expected the carpet to smell and look new and because it didn’t he feels he has been damaged. The carpet will certainly dissipate any odor it has in a couple of days but the carpet will still be new and look new. Only if he brings severely visually impaired prospective buyers in will he have a complaint that the carpet is not new. It will obviously look new. And if he’s relying on the carpet being that big of an influence on the sale of the home he has to be a pretty lame salesperson with very few selling skills.

Since everyone who the realtor has spoken to thinks new carpet must have a smell to be considered new carpet, it would suggest the industry has gone too far. We’ve actually hurt sales by carpet not smelling new. All the time to fight this issue has been wasted and the new technologies and changes introduced to minimize carpet odor have been for naught. Even the writing of industry standards on airing carpet, the change in adhesives to “environmentally friendly” products has been a waste of time.

We’ve really gone too far when a consumer now feels they’ve been damaged in some way because the new carpet doesn’t smell new. We’ve taken a giant step backwards. Get serious. How ridiculous do you have to be to complain about something like this? However, I’m sure many of you shaking your heads reading this have also actually experienced a similar concern where a customer wanted the carpet to smell new. When there is no odor, there is no defect. It is not a reason for the product to be replaced nor should it be a contestable issue. The odor in most new products will dissipate and naturally revert to a benign state.

We have tried to do that with carpet. To make it smell again because someone thinks it should to be new carpet it just plain stupid. When I see new cars on a lot, I can’t smell them but I can still tell they’re new. When I see new carpet installed, if I can’t smell it, I can still tell it’s new and I think most people buying a house can tell if the carpets new too.

This is as lame an excuse to replace a carpet as I’ve heard in almost 28 years in this business. If your customer insists on the carpet smelling new one of you can invent a product that emits that aroma. In the meantime the industry will continue to move progressively ahead in this area of eliminating odor. Where I grew up we would have slapped a guy in the back of the head who was this stupid. Followed by the statement: “Hey, what are you, an idiot?!”