Paint fumes have a strong smell. Sometimes the fumes irritate a lot, but water-based paints don’t carry strong smells, so you just have to linger fumes for a couple of days.
Here are some ways you can speed up getting rid of paint odor:
1.Ventilation in Rooms: Open windows, and doors and keep a continuous airflow within the room. Place rotating fans around the room towards an open window and they’ll help get rid of the fumes. Don’t switch off the fans until you had finished the paint and it’s touch dry.
2. Baking soda: It naturally absorbs smells, so it works like a miracle in fridge cleaning. Baking soda kills the paint smell. For that, pour it into several plates and spread them throughout the room. Leave it overnight and then throw it away in the morning. For lax furnishings like carpet, your sofa, or your bed mattress, sprinkle the baking soda over it, leave it overnight, and then vacuum it up the next day.
3. Charcoal: Activated Open charcoal is another natural odor absorber. It’s often a feature in cooker extraction hoods and air purifiers- so you know it works! Like baking soda, place small amounts of activated charcoal on plates and scatter them around the room. Leave it a day or so, and then throw it away after the smell has gone.
4. Keep your house cool: Open windows and the room is well ventilated, it should be a cool temperature anyway but if you’re painting in winter, don’t turn the heating on until the paint is dry. This helps keep the paint fumes to a minimum.
5. Low VOC: Choose paint with low VOC to cut down on the smell. VOC (volatile organic compound) causes strong paint smells, so choosing a low VOC paint should mean the paint scent isn’t as strong.
6. Air purifier: Air purifiers help to absorb smells and get rid of fumes quicker. Unlike fans, air purifiers won’t speed up the drying process but still get rid of the smell, so you can switch them on as soon as you start painting.
7. Onions: This method might make your house smell like onions for a while, but you will surely get rid of the paint smell. Onions contain a chemical that nullifies the chemicals that make the paint smell. All you need to do is chop an onion in half and place it in the room where you are painting.
8. Scented Candles: The best way to get rid of a smell is to cover it with another; find a scented candle you love and burn it for a couple of hours to cover the smell.
9. Coffee Beans: If you want to change the vibes of your newly painted home, use coffee beans. Not only do they reduce the paint fumes and absorb the strong smell, but also spread a soothing effect in the entire room which makes the space calmer & more relaxing.
10. Water and Lemon: Add a few sliced lemons to a bucket full of water and place them in the room while painting. The water in the bucket will absorb some of the paint thinners while the lemon will provide the entire room with a clean, fresh scent. For best results, leave the bucket in the newly painted room overnight and you’ll find a room with a fresh fragrance the next morning.
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