Quartz countertop smells has a sweet chemical odor after house froze for 3 days. Any idea what’s going on?
I was on vacation for 4 weeks and unfortunately while I was gone, the electricity and internet were out for days, so I was not able to keep the heat on. My internal temperature was around 20 degrees F for 48+ hours.
I came back home to my quartz countertops having a sweet, chemical smell directly from them. It’s 100% from the countertop because when I put my nose right next to it, in nearly every location, the smell is very strong.
What could be causing this smell and how can I get rid of it? I have lived in my home for 8 years and there has never been any smell, so I have to assume it was because the home froze. Perhaps the glues got too cold and causes some sort of chemical reaction?
The only other thing I can think of, is that the cleaner I used before I left, caused some sort of chemical reaction.
I have tried wiping the surface with several types of cleaners but nothing is getting rid of the smell. It seems to be “off-gassing” from the slab itself which is why no cleaner seems to be helping.
Any ideas?
GBA Detail Library
A collection of one thousand construction details organized by climate and house part
Replies
Seems very unlikely they are 9% epoxy resin mixed with 90% stone dust the last 1% is the color.
Walta
Hey there,
What seems unlikely?
Do you have any theories what could be causing the sudden smell?
I'm not sure if these slabs are sealed but perhaps the top seal was damaged?
And they store them outside before they install them.
I'm stumped so I did an internet search. Some of the ideas here seem plausible, if not intuitive or obvious: https://unhappyhipsters.com/why-your-quartz-countertops-smell-sweet-after-freezing-temperatures/
(Chemical reactions are generally faster with a rise in temperature and slower with a drop in temperature.)
Interesting find
Moisture Thaw: Moisture can get trapped within countertops and when temperatures rise, it starts to thaw, releasing trapped odors.
Chemical Reactions: The cold may alter the chemical balance of the resins and other materials, leading to a sweet scent as they break down or react
Seems like it could be either of these.
The question is, where is this person getting this information from? And how do I fix it, if it's a chemical reaction? Because I don't think mine is from mold growth. And any cleaner I have tried does nothing!
EDIT - Actually, pretty crazy but this blog was written by AI. It was posted after I posted about this question online and its literally the only one with info I can find. There is no valid sources or reasoning behind any of the information it gives and the "author" of the article is clearly not real.
Wow, AI blog is annoying and a warning of what's to come.
Pnwfarmer,
AI? That's extremely troubling.
That's funny, because I thought that it was AI generated when I read it. I agree with Charlie and Malcolm - this is scary. We have become used to finding useful information on the internet and AI generated content has been shown to be consistently wrong, sometimes dangerously so. For me, the lack of citations is a serious red flag. But I've seen AI written technical papers where the AI invents citations, too.
As far as the OP, I'm not sure anything in the article is correct or helpful. As others have said, chemical reactions typically slow down with colder temperatures. I suppose it is possible that trapped moisture within the countertop formed little ice crystals and damaged the interior of the quartz but I would not really expect this to actually be a thing. The whole design of these countertops is based on the resins excluding moisture. Even if tiny amounts of moisture got in, the inherent flexibility of the resins (compared to stone) would allow for stress relief from the formation of microcrystals.
Unfortunately, while I can criticize the AI article, I don't have a clue as to what is actually going with your countertops. I've never heard of such a thing. Is there a warranty on the material? Some of these products have unexpectedly long warranty periods as a sales tool. The original installers might have some responsibility here.
That was AI? wow. I will be out of a job soon. Heard at a journalism conference recently: “The use of generative AI is not only going to destroy my industry—it is going to destroy all of yours, if you’re anyone who creates anything … If you’re anyone here who creates, it is in your interest to fight these generative-AI platforms.”
The one other thing that is possible is the refrigerant/freon dripped on countertop from the mini split unit above the counter. Because it does smell like that. But it's running completely fine and I don't see any signs of leaking.
“refrigerant/freon dripped” If the refrigerant had escaped from the sealed system the system would no longer be operational.
If any refrigerant had escaped into the room. it would be a vapor not a liquid. R 410A vapors are heavier than air but the vapors are virtually odourless.
Walta
Ok - good to know. Then I think I can cancel out the thought of it being anything to do with the refrigerant. In that case, it surely happened from reaching such low temperatures for so long.
Interesting there is no information online about this so quite the mystery.
This is bizarre. I wonder if you could get a sample of the same material that doesn't smell bad--a few scraps of it--and try some experiments: put one piece outside in similar weather (or in the freezer), and try the cleaner you had used previously on the other, and leave it for a week. If neither of those gives this result, try freezing the one that had the cleaner applied.
Not a bad idea! Unfortunately I don't have any scraps. I would have to take a chunk from the counter itself.
Y'all wrong... you been using ice cream instead of quartz polishing cream! 😁
Haha! Well I have never used a polishing cream once. Maybe I should have been?
Maybe I didn't wipe off the cleaning spray before I had left. And after reaching such cold temperatures it has a chemical reaction of some sort.
if you remember your SNL Shimmer: It's a floor wax! It's a dessert topping! perhaps this is what happens if you shimmer the counter https://www.tiktok.com/@user2571420815968/video/7205011129590926634?lang=en
Let me expand on post #1
The counter tops are 90% inert stone dust mixed with 9% epoxy resin once cured at the factory almost total inert. The remaining 1% are very stable compounds and very unlikely to react and most certainly not to the temperatures you described.
In short if the counters smell it is most likely your French maid had wild drunken sex on your counter top with gardener and they spilled her perfume or the story of your choice involving some other contamination.
One has to wounder if you are trolling us?
Walta
I am not trolling.. It would be a very weak effort on my part if that was the case. I am just generally lost how my countertop could suddenly smell of strong chemical out of nowhere.
What about the cabinets below the countertop?
Glue used to secure the quartz?
Hey there, I did check underneath the quartz and smelled the adhesive (exposed underneath side) and there is nothing. It 100% is coming from the top of the slab. I have tried several types of cleaners, baking soda, etc. I would think I am going crazy but my wife smells it as well haha.
Countertops are often sealed, even if they are not natural stone. You might move in a productive direction investigating if any sealer was used at the install. Sealers are also fairly stable, but I have used some that smell flowery and recall being relived that the scent disappeared once the sealer set.
I have had a few problematic experiences with chemical smells that are hard to remove. The science of chemical diffusion and our sense of smell is complex.
You said that the mini split is above the counter and has a similar smell. Maybe as temperatures cooled and reheated, condensation formed on the mini split handler and dripped down to the countertop, bringing the smell with it. If the moisture soaked in mere wiping won't remove it. Perhpas you can leave a damp rag or sponge over the spot where it smells to see if it dilutes it