When you smell the rubber from a mat you re actually smelling the mat giving off volatile organic compounds or vocs.
Rubber mat off gassing.
Always get better quality floor mats like i am using speedwav 3d floor mats in my ca.
Does that mean it s off gassing toxins.
Tips for washing your natural rubber yoga mat.
These compounds have been trapped in the rubber but as the mat is exposed to the air and let in place for a while the release of vocs will slow down and the odor will fade.
All rubber will smell to some degree.
Off gassing is an important consideration in the selection of flooring especially in a place where thereis little ventilation as the basement.
In any case rubber in order to be useful and get its elastic properties we all know and love has to be vulcanized.
A binder typically a urethane is added to the recycled andsynthetic rubber to form the flooring or paving material.
Rubber is a very generic term but usually it refers to natural rubber poly isoprene or synthetic rubber polybutadiene.
In some cases the binder can make up to10 of the material content.
If it s made from pvc probably.
Many mats that are free from harmful materials and dyes contain natural rubber which can be pretty stinky at first.
It took about 4 weeks but i think they have finally finished off gassing now.
Natural rubber products which we ll discuss later on this article have a strong smell for the first several weeks until they air out but they aren t off gassing toxins.
Manduka recommends wiping their natural rubber mats with a solution of 50 50 organic cider vinegar and water or manduka s mat restore a vinegar based solution note.
The smell of your new mat may not indicate that it contains toxic chemicals.
Just because a rubber floor smells does not mean it is off gassing harmful vocs.
Nearly all scents and odors derive from vocs.
Off gassing also known as out gassing refers to the release of airborne particulates or chemicals dubbed volatile organic compounds vocs from common household products.
Potential sources of off gassing range from construction materials to carpeting cabinetry furniture paint and any number of household goods.
Even virgin rubber will have an odor to it albeit much less strong than tdr recycled rubber.
The smell was never super strong but it definitely has a plastic odor.
Try better quality of floor mats as rubber smell from floor mats can be equally danger as toxic it self replace them if required and smell is not bearable by you.
If it s made from pvc probably.
A better way to gauge the safety of your mat.
If it s made from natural rubber no.
Should i worry about off gassing chemicals.