If a newly renovated home has that distinctive sharp, slightly chemical "new home smell," what you're actually smelling is very often formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) off-gassing from new materials. It's such a common association that many people assume the smell is just a normal, harmless part of a fresh renovation — it isn't, and treating it as background noise rather than something to actively manage is the most common mistake new homeowners make. T