New Furniture Smell: Causes & How to Get Rid of It Fast

The sofa arrives, the delivery team heads off, and within the hour your living room smells faintly like the inside of a new car. It is one of the most common things people notice after delivery day, and one of the most common worries. In almost every case the cause is off-gassing: foam, glues, finishes and packaging releasing volatile organic compounds into the air as the piece settles into your home. It is normal, it is temporary, and there is a great deal you can do to clear it faster.

This guide explains what causes new furniture smell, how long it usually lasts, what UK health guidance says about it and the quickest ways to get rid of it without damaging fabric, wood or your warranty. It also covers the smells that are not normal, and when it is time to contact the retailer.

Last updated 17 September 2026. Written by the Atmacha Home & Living team in London, with reference to guidance from the UK Health Security Agency, NICE and the US Environmental Protection Agency. Sources are listed at the end of the article.

What Is New Furniture Smell?

New furniture smell is the odour of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) escaping from the materials a piece is made from, a process known as off-gassing. VOCs are carbon-based chemicals that evaporate easily at room temperature, which is why you can smell them without touching anything.

They are not unique to furniture. Indoor air quality guidelines published by Public Health England in 2019, now maintained by the UK Health Security Agency, note that VOCs are widely used in paints, varnishes, waxes and solvents, and are also released by everyday household products such as cleaning sprays and air fresheners. Of all the indoor VOCs, those guidelines single out formaldehyde as the most important, because it is so common indoors and its health effects are well documented.

Two points are worth holding onto before you do anything else. First, a strong smell is not a measurement. Some compounds are noticeable at very low levels while others have little odour at all, so the intensity of the smell does not tell you precisely how much is in the air. Second, a fading smell means emissions are falling, not that they have stopped. That is why ventilation still matters for a while after you stop noticing anything.

Upholstered pieces such as a sofa bed combine foam, fabric and a frame, so they benefit most from a few days of good airflow.

What Causes New Furniture to Smell?

Most new furniture smell comes from five sources: foam, adhesives, wood-based panels, surface finishes and packaging. Upholstered furniture usually combines several of them in one piece, which is why a new sofa or bed tends to smell far more noticeable than a glass or metal side table.

The good news is built into the chemistry. Chamber tests commissioned by EUROPUR, the European association of flexible polyurethane foam manufacturers, found that the VOC emission rate of fresh foam declines over time. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission makes a similar point about wood products: emissions generally fall as the product ages, and pieces with sealed surfaces and edges release less than those with large unsealed areas. That last detail explains why the inside of a new wardrobe or the underside of a drawer often smells stronger than the finished exterior.

Why Is the Smell Worse on Delivery Day?

Because the piece has spent its journey sealed in plastic, where emissions build up with nowhere to go. The moment the wrapping comes off, that trapped air is released into your room in one go. A warm lorry or storage unit adds to the effect, since higher temperatures speed up emissions.

Freshness plays a part as well. A made-to-order sofa can reach you within weeks of being upholstered, while a mass-produced piece may have sat in a warehouse for months before it was sold. The younger piece simply has had less time to air, which is a matter of timing rather than a sign of lower quality.

Your home matters too. The Consumer Product Safety Commission notes that formaldehyde builds up more when fewer air changes take place indoors. A well-sealed modern flat or new-build with double glazing and closed trickle vents keeps heat in beautifully, but it also keeps new-furniture emissions in for longer. It is worth planning ventilation into your delivery preparation alongside measuring doorways and clearing a path.

How Long Does New Furniture Smell Last?

For most sofas, beds and cabinets in a well-ventilated room, the smell is strongest for the first few days and fades noticeably over the following two to three weeks. Very low-level emissions from some materials can continue for months, which is why good ventilation habits are worth keeping after the smell itself has gone.

Every home and every piece is different, but the pattern below is typical.

1. The first few days. The smell is at its most noticeable, combining emissions trapped in the packaging with the release from freshly exposed surfaces. This is when ventilation makes the biggest difference.
2. Weeks one to three. With daily airing, the smell drops steadily. Most people find it has become faint or only noticeable when they first walk into the room.
3. After about a month. The smell is rarely noticeable. A strong chemical smell that is still present at this stage, despite regular ventilation, is worth reporting to the retailer.

What makes the smell last longer?

• Heat. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Consumer Product Safety Commission, higher temperatures increase the rate at which formaldehyde is released from new products.
• Humidity. Damp air also increases emissions, which matters in British homes during autumn and winter, when windows stay shut and condensation builds.
• Poor ventilation. The fewer air changes a room gets, the more emissions accumulate.
• Several new pieces at once. A complete bedroom set delivered in one day adds far more material to a single room than one armchair.
• Room size. The same sofa will smell stronger in a compact box room than in an open-plan living space.

Is the Smell From New Furniture Harmful?

For most healthy people, the low levels of VOCs released by new furniture in a ventilated home are unlikely to cause lasting harm, but they can irritate the eyes, nose and throat, and it is sensible to reduce exposure, particularly for young children and anyone with asthma.

The UK Health Security Agency states that low-level exposure to formaldehyde from the correct use of consumer products would not be expected to cause adverse health effects, while also noting that breathing it in can irritate the nose, mouth and throat. At the same time, UK advisers take indoor air seriously. In its December 2025 response to the Air Quality Expert Group report on indoor air quality, the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants listed furniture among the products that can release formaldehyde indoors, and cited research by Clark and colleagues (2023) estimating that 2.5% of asthma cases in England were attributable to formaldehyde concentrations in the home. That figure covers every indoor source combined, not furniture alone, but it shows why ventilation is worth the effort.

NICE guideline NG149 on indoor air quality at home, published in 2020, advises people replacing furniture or flooring to choose products with low VOC or formaldehyde content and emissions, and to keep homes well ventilated. The same guideline includes specific advice for households with pregnant women and children with asthma.

How to Get Rid of New Furniture Smell Fast

The fastest way to get rid of new furniture smell is to remove the packaging immediately and replace the room's air as often as you can, while keeping temperature and humidity moderate. Everything else on this list supports those two steps.

1. Unwrap on day one and get the packaging out of the house. Leaving plastic on to protect a new sofa traps emissions and moisture against the fabric. If you need protection from pets or children for a few weeks, a breathable cotton throw does the job without sealing anything in.
2. Ventilate in short, wide-open bursts. Open windows fully on opposite sides of your home for ten to fifteen minutes several times a day to create a through-draught. Keep trickle vents open and run kitchen and bathroom extractor fans. In colder months, short bursts like this usually clear the air faster than leaving one window slightly open all day, and they cool the room less.
3. Keep the room at a moderate temperature. Heat speeds up emissions, but pushing a new sofa against a radiator or into strong sunlight to bake the smell out can fade fabric and dry out or warp wood. Our furniture care guidance advises keeping furniture away from heat sources, direct sunlight and humidity for exactly these reasons.
4. Let air reach the inside. Open wardrobe, sideboard and TV unit doors, pull drawers out a few centimetres and lift the lid of a storage bed. Stand loose seat and back cushions on their edges for an hour or two each day so air can circulate around the foam.
5. Vacuum upholstery gently. Use a soft brush attachment to lift dust and fibres picked up during manufacture and transit. Avoid steam cleaners and wet sprays on new upholstery unless the care label specifically allows them.
6. Run a dehumidifier in damp rooms. The US Environmental Protection Agency suggests controlling humidity to help reduce formaldehyde emissions. Empty and clean the water tank often so it does not become a problem of its own.
7. Place odour absorbers near the furniture, not on it. Bowls of bicarbonate of soda or bags of activated charcoal beside or under a piece can absorb some odour close by. Treat them as a supporting measure alongside ventilation, and avoid sprinkling powder into textured fabrics such as velvet or bouclé.
8. Use an air purifier with a proper carbon filter. The EPA's guide to air cleaners explains that HEPA filters capture particles, not gases. To reduce gases you need an activated carbon filter, and it is only effective when it contains a substantial amount of carbon. The EPA is also clear that filtration does not replace ventilation.
9. Give bedrooms a head start. If the delivery is a bed, mattress or wardrobe, air the room throughout the day with the door closed and the window open. Leave a new mattress uncovered for a few hours before making the bed, and if the smell is strong, sleep in another room for the first night or two.

With a sofa bed, open the bed out during airing sessions so the mattress and the inner foam get fresh air too.

What to Avoid When Clearing the Smell

Some of the most popular quick fixes either hide the smell without removing anything or risk damaging a new piece. These are the ones to skip.

• Masking it with fragrance. Plug-in air fresheners and sprays add their own VOCs to the room, and UK indoor air quality guidelines list air fresheners among household VOC sources. Wait until the new furniture smell has cleared before bringing in candles, reed diffusers or room sprays, so you are not layering one on top of the other.
• Ozone generators. Some devices sold as air purifiers deliberately produce ozone, which the EPA describes as a lung irritant. The Consumer Product Safety Commission also notes that ozone indoors can increase the formation of formaldehyde.
• Leaving the plastic on. It feels protective, but it slows the airing process and can hold moisture against fabric.
• Vinegar, bleach or strong cleaners. These can mark upholstery and damage lacquer and veneer. Wood surfaces should be kept dry, and deeper cleaning of upholstery is best left to a professional.
• Dismantling the piece or moving it outdoors. Garden air may seem ideal, but outdoor damp can damage wood and fabric. Atmacha furniture is assembled in place by our delivery team, and our warranty does not cover pieces dismantled or relocated by anyone else.
• Closing the windows as soon as the smell fades. Emissions continue at a lower level for some time after you stop noticing them, so keep up the daily airing for a few more weeks.

Sofas, Beds, Wardrobes and Rugs: What Helps Most

The general method works for everything, but each type of furniture has a main source of smell and one or two steps that make the most difference.

What Different Smells Actually Mean

A chemical smell from new furniture is normally off-gassing, but a musty, burning or smoky smell points to a different cause and needs a different response. Use this table to work out what you are dealing with.

When to Contact the Retailer

Contact the retailer if a strong chemical smell has not eased after around a month of regular ventilation, or straight away if the smell is musty, burning or clearly unrelated to new materials. A good retailer would rather hear about it early.

• The smell is still strong after three to four weeks despite daily airing.
• You can see marks, spots or damp patches, especially under seat cushions or around the base.
• The smell comes from one specific area rather than the piece as a whole.
• There is any burning or electrical smell from a powered piece.
• Someone in the household has symptoms that clearly improve away from the room. Seek medical advice as well as contacting the retailer.

When you get in touch, include your order number, the date of delivery, clear photos of the piece and any marks, a short description of the smell and what you have already tried. If you bought from us, you can reach the team through our contact page.

How to Choose Furniture That Smells Less

To reduce new furniture smell from the start, ask what a piece is made from, favour sealed and solid materials where they suit your budget, and plan delivery around a time when you can ventilate well.

• Ask about materials. Solid wood, metal and glass generally release less than large areas of unsealed wood-based panels. For upholstered pieces, ask about the frame, the foam and any fabric treatments.
• Look at the finish. Sealed edges and fully finished surfaces reduce emissions, so check inside drawers and behind back panels as well as the front.
• Understand the rules. Since 6 August 2026, EU Regulation 2023/1464 has limited formaldehyde emissions from furniture and wood-based articles sold in the EU and Northern Ireland to 0.062 mg/m³, roughly half the older E1 panel benchmark, according to the furniture industry body FIRA. The restriction does not apply automatically in Great Britain, where the Health and Safety Executive has been assessing options for formaldehyde since 2023, so asking questions remains worthwhile.
• Stagger large orders. Delivering a bedroom set in two stages spreads the airing period and keeps any one room from carrying all of it at once.
• Set up nurseries early. Furnish a baby's room several weeks before it is needed so the room has plenty of time to air.
• See and sit before you buy. Visiting a showroom lets you judge fabric, comfort and finish in person. Our London showroom on Grand Parade in Harringay is open seven days a week.

A little planning around delivery day means you enjoy a new sofa sooner, with the airing period over in a matter of weeks.

If you are planning a new sofa, armchair or complete living room, browse the full sofas and chairs collection or explore coordinated pieces in our living room furniture range.