There’s a basic safety checklist that often accompanies the arrival of a new baby: Cover outlets, install gates near stairways, and attach child-proof locks on lower cabinets.

But when Laura Forbes Carlin and her husband, Scott, were awaiting their firstborn in 2003, it was the chemical odor of their new baby gear—the furniture, toys, and bedding—stored in their soon-to-be nursery closet that prompted them to take the concept of “clean and safe” to a new level.