Why Do Particleboard Kitchen Drawers Stink?

Wood

• The particleboard typically used in kitchen drawers is made from bits of wood glued together. Cheap, low-quality woods such as pine make up the main wood component, which is a wood that gives off strong terpene odors in the form of gas emissions. This irritates the mucous membranes, and is one of the causes of odors and poor air quality in homes.

Glue

• Particleboard is a common source of formaldehyde emissions in homes. The glue used to make the board contains urea-formaldehyde resins. Formaldehyde is an invisible, pungent-smelling gas that some people are sensitive to. The presence of formaldehyde gas in the home can trigger attacks in asthma sufferers, while continuous exposure can result in coughing, respiratory problems, skin rashes and other allergic reactions.

Moisture

• Particleboard is exceptionally porous and retains much of the moisture that it comes into contact with. This causes swelling of the board and can result in the development of mold, which has a musty odor. A 2004 study by the Institute of Medicine indicates links between exposure to mold and respiratory tract infections as well as asthma in people who were otherwise healthy.

Food Bacteria

• The kitchen is a haven for the development of bacteria, as is a spongy, damp environment such as moisture-rich particleboard. Items that may contain food residues, placed in kitchen drawers, can lead to the introduction of bacteria, which thrive in such locations. As the bacteria thrive and the food residues decompose, the porous particleboard absorbs all the odors they produce. This increases the likelihood of your kitchen drawers smelling.

Solution

• Remove the odors from your kitchen drawers by first cleaning them out completely. Wash the particleboard areas with water containing antiseptic dishwashing liquid and a spoonful of baking soda or a solution of 1 cup of bleach to 1 gallon of water, avoiding saturation of the wood. This will eliminate most of the bacteria and remove any food residue. Dry the drawers thoroughly for two days by placing them outdoors in direct sunlight and turning them several times. Coat the dry particleboard with a polymer sealant or varnish on both sides and allow to dry.

Prevention

• If your particleboard kitchen drawers are new, the odors you experience are probably only emissions from the wood or the glue. In this case, washing the drawers is unnecessary. Place them outdoors for 12 hours to ensure they are perfectly dry, and then coat the board on both sides with a sealant and allow to dry. This should help prevent moisture and bacteria from occurring later. Renew the sealant coating annually.