I would think it would foul them rather quickly, not to mention the health risks. Plastic will emit some elastomers, and other good stuff, when new. The cigars probably would absorb this as well as the odors. Yuck!
Yes, you need to air out your cooler. Leave it open for a few days, or throw some news papers in there to get rid of the plastic smell. You can also wipe it down with a mild soap and water.
I wash mine out with a little mild soap, and water. I let them sit for a while with the top off after that. Then I put a dish with baking soda in there for a few days. After all that there's zero smell. I've tried the newspaper thing before, but all that did was make the container smell like newspaper to me.
I washed mine out with some mild soap and water... let it sit outside for a day, then did the newspaper deal for about 3 days... after that, one more day to air out... that was about 7 months ago... not is smells like heaven
No plastic smell or taste coming from my sticks. I set up a cooler in December and all is well. I did a combination of the above posts. I washed the cooler out with regular dish soap. I let it air out for 3 days and no more plastic smell. I couldn't believe it when I first read about setting up a cooler but I am a believer now. I 'm going to need a second one before the years end I think.
washing with a mild "free" soap will make this even faster and more effective.
Alot of companies probably spray their tools with a release agent before molding the cooler insert. If they do then most of this remains on the outer surfaces and should be cleaned off. These sprays usually have silicone as the basic release agent.
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Rob
The heat from the sun, UV rays and being open, will probably draw out the odors quicker. The "new car" smell doesn't last very long.
Alot of companies probably spray their tools with a release agent before molding the cooler insert. If they do then most of this remains on the outer surfaces and should be cleaned off. These sprays usually have silicone as the basic release agent.