How to get rid of the smell of paint after repair

The repair is completed and you want to quickly enter a clean apartment. However, not all so simple. After cosmetic work, a persistent smell of paint remains in the apartment, which does not disappear for several days. Of course, over time it will disappear, but are you ready to wait?

The smell of paint is not only inconvenient. It leads to a deterioration in well-being, to dizziness. In addition, it is dangerous and toxic, especially for children. In addition, being in such a room, the smell permeates all your clothes, it becomes noticeable on the street, and not only for you. The smell of paint can cause an allergic reaction in the form of suffocation, coughing and a rash on the body. Therefore, we will try to get rid of the unpleasant odor quickly and safely.

How to eliminate the smell of paint in the room

1. To paint dried faster, wipe it with a weak vinegar solution. This makes the surfaces even more shiny. Vinegar absorbs odors and wears itself without difficulty. Dilute a couple of tablespoons of vinegar in three liters of water. Dampen a clean rag or sponge in the solution and wipe the painted areas. Before wiping, make sure everything is dry so as not to spoil the paint.
2. In a room with a strong smell of paint, you can arrange bowls with dry absorbent substances. This is salt, baking soda, activated carbon. The bulk product needs to be changed every 8-10 hours and after a few days the smell intensity will significantly decrease.
3. The unpleasant odor can be masked by pleasant and delicate aromas. Place vanilla, ground coffee or citrus peels in the corners of the room. This method will eliminate the smell of paint and give the room a pleasant elusive aroma.
4. One of the easiest methods to deal with the smell of paint is to ventilate the room for a long time. If it happens in winter, you need to leave home for a few days. Remember to leave all windows wide open. Upon return, you will be convinced that the paint has dried completely, and the smell has completely disappeared.
5. Essential oils perfectly absorb the smell of paint and give the room a delicate floral aroma. Put a few drops of any essential oil on cotton pads and leave it indoors. Usually after a few hours you can notice an improvement in smell.
6. Charcoal will help to cope with the smell quickly and safely. Burn some large pieces of wood in the yard and bring the ash into the house. Leave for a day. Charcoal is able to eliminate any chemical odors in the shortest possible time.
7. What is the smell of paint? These are pairs of toxic substances that are in the air. To get rid of them, you just need to burn them. For this method of solving the problem, you need to put a few wax candles in the room and light them. The fire will burn poisonous fumes in a short time and the smell will disappear. An even more effective result can be obtained using scented candles. However, do not forget about safety - do not leave flammable objects near the candle, and when burning are nearby.
8. If you are doing repairs in an apartment you don’t live in, you are unlikely to like the prospect of keeping track of burning candles for a long time. A safer way to get rid of toxic fumes is to use water. Leave a basin of water for several days in a room with painted surfaces. Better yet, add salt to the water. This will completely eliminate the smell.
9. You can arrange onions in a room with paint cut in half. They suppress the unpleasant smell of paint and quickly disappear. Instead of onions, garlic can be used. Just remember to cut the heads into several parts so that the garlic absorbs the smell of paint.
10. Lemon is another effective tool that can get rid of the smell of paint. Lemon wedges can be arranged in the room. You can also dilute citric acid or lemon juice in water and wipe all surfaces with this solution. It is very effective and absolutely safe.
11. If the carpet or upholstered furniture smell like paint, you need to sprinkle the surface with dry baking soda and leave for a day. After the specified time, soda absorbs an unpleasant odor, the surfaces will just need to be vacuumed.
12. Water vapor perfectly eliminates the smell of paint. Wet blankets, terry towels, or any other large cloths and hang them on batteries and chairs. This will help reduce the intensity of the smell of paint.
13. Humidifying the air is also an excellent and effective solution to the current problem. Install such a humidifier in the room and periodically arrange a draft there.
14. If the smell of paint comes from painted furniture, it must be wiped with a special solution. Dilute a tablespoon of ammonia with warm water and wipe the painted surface with this compound. After two or three such procedures, the smell will become much less noticeable.
15. Some professional painters advise you to think about the smell of paint in advance, before the staining process itself. They recommend adding a bag of vanillin to the paint jar, which will suppress the unpleasant chemical odor.

How to prevent the smell of paint

In order not to deal with the corrosive smell of paint, it can be prevented. When buying finishing materials for repair, contact the seller with a request to select a paint with a lower odor intensity for you. Modern industry offers an assortment of high-quality, bright and lasting paints that practically do not smell when painted. By the way, they are not very different in price from simple paints - it is not so expensive. In addition, they are dried much faster.

If you have already bought regular paint - do not worry. Let the smell of such paint not be a big problem for you. When you paint any surface, do not forget to open all the windows - this way the paint dries and disappears much faster. In addition, painting floors or walls indoors is hazardous to health - fumes of toxic substances enter the body through the respiratory system. When you interrupt work for a while, you must definitely cover the can with the paint lid. Also pack the brushes in a bag so that the toxic smell does not spread in vain. In addition, this will prevent the paint from drying out on the brush.

After the work is completed, you need to clean the brush from the remnants of paint. Do not do this in the house - this will increase the concentration of unpleasant pungent odor. After you wash all the brushes with a solvent, it is not advisable to store them in the house. If possible, take them to a barn, garage or basement. In extreme cases, they can be stored on the balcony, just pre-pack them in a tight plastic bag. And water after processing the brushes should not be drained into the toilet. Remains of paint can cover sewer pipes and for a long time torment you with an unpleasant odor.

Repair is troublesome. However, the result is worth it. Our tips will help you quickly and efficiently get rid of the smell of paint and enjoy the results of a fresh repair.