We appreciate your review and apologize for the strong odor present in your new rug. We want to assure you that a mold odor this is not a typical occurrence with Safavieh rugs. The rug should have been received in a plastic rug sleeve and not a box, as we do not ship our rugs in boxes. If you received the rug recently and it falls within the return window, please reach out to The Home Depot Customer Service to initiate a return and receive a refund for your purchase. We sincerely apologize for any dissatisfaction caused, and we have forwarded your feedback about the mold/mildew odor to our Quality Assurance Team. We take such cases seriously and will conduct thorough inspections to address the issue. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact the Safavieh Client Service Team at https://safavieh.com/contact. We appreciate you bringing this matter to our attention.