You should expect new rubber mulch to smell of rubber tires for about two days after it’s opened and spread about your landscape; however, the smell doesn’t last long after that. One of the benefits of rubber mulch is that it won’t rot like wood mulch does. Even as it breaks down over time, rubber mulch won’t attract mold, fungi, or other pesky elements, giving it a consistent, neutral smell that’s mostly unaffected by the outdoor elements.
As hard as it may be to imagine that a rubber-based product like rubber mulch wouldn’t have an unpleasant odor, the fact is that many household products such as mattresses, door stoppers, and rug backings all contain rubber, and don’t bear any sort of noticeable smell. Pressing a piece of rubber mulch to one’s nose may give off a faint scent of rubber, and this is largely due to the volatile organic compounds (or VOCs for short) that are present in rubber mulch, along with many other artificial materials. Such materials aren’t safe for human consumption, but simply smelling rubber mulch isn’t dangerous to the human body. Once the mulch is out in the open air, any noticeable odor it once had will quickly fade.
One pervasive rubber mulch myth is that, as temperatures rise over 100 degrees fahrenheit, rubber mulch will begin to noticeably smell. But it’s just that: a myth. The temperatures needed to produce a “burning rubber” odor or vapor start at far higher (around 1000 degrees fahrenheit) than the heat of any sunny day. Furthermore, rubber mulch retains heat less than cement or asphalt, so although it may be hotter than the surrounding area on hot days, it still won’t produce a noticeable, unpleasant smell.
The smell inherent to rubber mulch is no more harmful than that of a tire shop or mattress store. Although it may not be a pleasant smell, it’s certainly not toxic. As previously mentioned, the strong smell that rubber mulch has when it first comes out of the bag will dissipate after a couple days of being out in an open-air environment. This is no different than other rubber-based products like mattresses or floor mats; leaving them out for a day or two tends to take care of any residual rubbery smell.
Find more about the author: Kim Hart
