Contemporary knock down furniture question

I recently bought storage cubes at A. C. Moore for a great price in the hopes they'd solve some of my storage problems.

The first group I purchased, which have shelves and an open front, are sturdy and perfect for my needs. I was delighted that they had no smell at all, since I'm sensitive to smells and am also worried about exposure to formaldehyde and other toxic chemicals.

I was so happy with them, that we bought more, including cubes with drawers. Unfortunately, the draw units do have a smell. Most surfaces are encased, so it's not clear if the smell is from the mdf inside or the plastic-ey surface.

We've tried various things to get rid of the smell.... aired the pieces separately in the sun for days, wiped them down with watered down vinegar, left newsprint in the drawers overnight to absorb the smell, left baking soda another night, and then tried leaving volcanic rock in the drawers another night.

Each time, at first the smell was gone, but after leaving the empty drawers inside the cubes for a few hours the smell came back.

Does anyone have suggestions of other things to try?

 

On the cube/drawers units, do the "runner" edges of the drawers seem to be "unfinished/raw"? Would it be possible that whenever the drawers are slid into and out of the cubes they are "rubbing" against the adjacent cubes on the inside ?

If you think that is a possibility I would probably try applying clear packaging tape along all four edges (rims) of each drawer both top and bottom. Just a thought, but it might work if "friction" (and resulting "breakdown" even ever-so-slight of the surfaces) is the real culprit.

Just an idea.

 

Today's newsprint is not made of the same composition as the stuff our parents used to absorb odors. I'd have to see a photo, but can you tell if it's made of pressed wood? If it is, the chemical compounds used when they press the sawdust together to make it will be leaching out for a long time, if not forever.

 

YourTurn, I think the only exposed part are the sides of the drawer bottoms, which fit into grooves in the sides. Taping the seams where the bottom and sides meet both inside the drawers, and on the bottom, just might do the trick. Thanks for the idea!

Bev, you're probably right about the newsprint, since the packing paper I have has a slight sheen. Hopefully YourTurn's suggeston will stop the leaching.

 

Sand the drawers and cabinet lightly and repaint everything/ all surfaces with a paint you know doesn't bother you. You might want to prime it first. That should seal in most, if no all, of the odors.