Date: 1/14/08 3:17 PM

I posted last night to a thread on a similar topic, but can't for the life of me find my post today. I have looked hard and done multiple searches so as not to repeat this, but decided to try again by starting a new thread.

Does anyone have any advice for eliminating the likely toxic smell of the new Olfa cutting mats? I bought the 3-piece 35" X 70" mat set from Joann.com and have tried what the Olfa website advises to neutralize the smell, but it doesn't work (funny they know it smells so bad and keep making it!) I recall that others have had this problem and am hoping that someone will offer a tip. It looks so good but I'm ready to ship it back, as Joann customer service agreed to take it back.

I'm also wondering if anyone has purchased the Magic Mat from cutting-mats.net or any other product on that website or on the Atlanta Thread and Supply website (or anyplace else). I'm really looking for a 40" X 72" size or close to that and hoping to get something of good quality that I can keep for a long time.

Thanks so much for any help you can offer. I'm hoping that your advice will also help others avoid this problem.

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Reply to Barbara3
Date: 1/14/08 8:28 PM

I found the post you were looking for: "self-healing mats".

I have had my mats for several years and my husband bought one last year. We never had an odor problem. The displays at our local Joann and Hobby Lobby have no odor.

Maybe some batches were made "somewhere" where there are no EPA or OSHA rules. My husband did buy some car mats that smelled so bad he threw them away.

I cannot offer any help with the odor issue, or any other brand of mat. I just wanted you to know I found your post.
-- Edited on 1/14/08 8:32 PM --

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"Trying to save the world before bedtime"---PowerPuff Girls

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Reply to Barbara3
Date: 1/14/08 9:43 PM

I have this one in a 40" X 72" sizeand love it. However, I haven't figured out what "pinnable" means, have written to ask them and they haven't answered. It's great for cutting, though.

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a/k/a Sondra

If I sewed any slower, I wouldn't be sewing at all. -- Kellie R.

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Date: 1/14/08 10:04 PM

Pattiann - Thanks so much for pointing me back to that thread! I feel silly. I looked under cutting mats, mats, rotary cutting mats, rotary mats, etc. but not under self-healing mats. Funny it didn't come up when I just used the word mat. You might be right about some of the Olfa mats being manufactured in places where there are few or no EPA or OSHA rules. I've only noticed and read about this problem in the past year or so. My older one never smelled. Olfa does admit to this being a real problem.

OP Gal - Thanks for mentioning your mat. It looks like a good one and I've been eyeing that website too. Since you're wondering, I think I've read that you can only put the tips of pins or tacks into it. I agree that doesn't make it really pinnable as advertised, but it otherwise sounds like a very good mat.

I was really wanting a large self-healing mat. Anyone ever try the Magic Mat on the cutting-mats.net website? Any other recommendations?

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Date: 1/15/08 4:59 AM

I second the cutting mats at www.quiltersrule.com. Mine had no odor when it arrived brand new. When I ordered mine, I found a place on their website were they sold seconds. I took a chance and mine only had a messed up place on one edge that doesn't bother me at all. Not sure if they are still doing that but it worked out for me. I bought a small Olfa mat at Wal-Mart and it promptly went back because of the smell. Those things are toxic!

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Date: 1/15/08 9:59 AM

I had an Olfa mat, and loved it so much I bought another one--which I returned after a week of trying to remove the smell! It was so disappointing.

I now use the large cutting mat designed to fit Jo-Ann's cutting table. It's a translucent white mat with black grid markings.

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Reply to Barbara3
Date: 1/15/08 10:17 AM

To find a "lost" post, click on SEARCH BOARD at the top of the page, then put in a few applicable words and the member's screen name.

Best wishes and good luck in finding the perfect cutting mat.

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"Trying to save the world before bedtime"---PowerPuff Girls

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Date: 1/18/08 6:19 PM

If you don't need the grid lines or the pinnable/self-healable features, go to TAP Plastics and get a custom-sized HDPE 1/8" thick sheet. It can be sanded when it's scored by the rotary cutter (which happens immediately, but doesn't affect the mat's usefulness), and it doesn't dull blades. I just got one the exact size I needed (30 x 72 inches to fit my folding table) for about $40.

ETA: No smell that I can detect, and I'm super sensitive to smells!
-- Edited on 1/18/08 6:19 PM --

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Debbie

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Date: 1/18/08 6:51 PM

Barbara, my Olfa mat (39x72") stunk like skunk for a few weeks, but then the odor disappated. I just aired it out in a room that I wasn't going to go into so I wouldn't have to smell it. When I first opened it, I was horrified and was ready to send it back! But it did take awhile, and the smell is gone and I'm glad I didn't send it back. Can you leave it out in the garage or out in a little used room to air out?

I love my Olfa mat (now that it doesn't smell). LOL

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*Jen*
If I stitch fast enough, does it count as aerobic exercise?

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Reply to JenSews2
Date: 1/18/08 7:16 PM

JenSews2, thanks for your encouragement. I did let it air out for about 5 weeks. I finally gave up and sadly sent it back a couple of days ago. I'm glad yours improved because it looked like it would be so functional.

From reading several threads on PR and reviews elsewhere online, it seems that most brands of the self-healing type smell - some worse than others. I'm still hoping to find a self-healing that doesn't, and there is one possibility - it is called Magic Mat. It is a green 3' x 6' mat with a grid. I actually called one of the companies that sells it and asked if it smelled. The lady was amused, went and checked, and said it didn't! So I'm thinking of ordering that one.

Anyone have any experience with Magic Mat?

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