I have been using a rubber mallet in my kitchen for about 5 yrs now. I had never noticed a "rubber" smell before this so I just went and sniffed m mallet. (DH thinks I've gone a little nutz sniffing the mallet for a rubber smell LOL) and I don't smell anything so if it ever did have an aroma of rubber it has gone away over the years. I wash it immediately after use with hot water and dish soap. I do NOT soak it, put it in the dish washer or use bleach.

CT

I have a wooden mallet I use for pounding chicken. No smell, but it's kind of hard to wash because it has grooved channels. Meat tends to stick in the grooves. Needs a good scrub when it's been used.

Some rubber materials have a very strong smell that seems to last. You might try hanging it in the sun for a while and see if that helps it. There's also hard plastic mallets that might be preferable.

A lot of people use a wine bottle or a frypan to pound things. I often just use my fist. Definitely relieves frustration.

Bought mine at the dollar store strictly for pounding meat...has never had an odor. Rinsed well in bleach water before using & all meat is put in a heavy duty plastic bag before pounding, gives me shivers to think of meat 'juice' spattering.

I'd try a few minute soak in dw soap & bleach mixture; if that didn't elieminate the smell I'd try another...after giving it the ol' sniff test in the store.

Suzi

I know what you mean about the smell. I purchased one to use around the house and put in a drawer in DH's toolbox in the garage. Several days later I opened the drawer to get it, something smelled like someone had thrown up in there. Ok. Used it, put it back, forgot about it. Several weeks later DH & I were both out in the garage and it occurred to me to ask him what he had in his toolbox that was so foul smelling. He said it was my rubber hammer.

Thank you all for your replies.
coloredthumb....lol at your DH! Maybe the rubber smell will diminish over time then if yours is ok. Right now it smells like a tire store! I haven't put it away for that reason.

jannie... this does a good job and also great for busting up bags of ice cubes!

Ken... thanks. I will try the sun thing and never thought of the hard plastic ones, but I do like this one because of the weight of it which works well for pounding.

grittymitts...thanks. I'll try using some bleach with the dish water and if that doesn't work I'll check some at our dollar store.

tammyms...this too is a strong smell. In fact, it is almost sickening it is so strong. I have only had it for a week, but will try everyones suggestions.

Rubber ordinarily does not smell, but a new piece may. In order for one to smell the rubber, it has to be emitting a gas, else no odor. When a new piece of rubber 'smells', it is probably emitting a sulfur compound that did not go to completion during the curing process. That odor should dimish with time. But you can hurry the process. Warm the mallet to speed the chemical reaction and or outgassing, and wash with s detergent. A temperature of 150 F for several hours should speed the process. One caveat: This heat treatment may harden the mallet. If it still stinks, likely it was poorly compunded and cured. An excess of sulphur compounds will linger for a long time.

There is a another class of elastomeric materials that are plastics based and not rubber, but can mimic the properties of rubber. These will have a different odor and if well compounded and cured should not be as smelly as rubber.

Both pliable plastics and rubbers are called elastomers.

grittymitts...thanks. I'll try using some bleach with the dish water and if that doesn't work I'll check some at our dollar store.

tammyms...this too is a strong smell. In fact, it is almost sickening it is so strong. I have only had it for a week, but will try everyones suggestions.

Jannie ... how about using a stiff-bristled brush with med. long bristles (e.g. veg. brush) to clear out the grooves?

o j