Painting a room is a great way to update home interiors on a budget, and in a relatively short timeframe.
However, carrying out this task can leave behind unpleasant paint fumes which can linger for days, weeks, or even months in poorly ventilated rooms and spaces.
Here, Jimmy Englezos from Ronseal shares his hacks and tips on how to get rid of the smell of paint from indoor spaces.
Why does paint smell?
One of the reasons paint gives off its scent due to VOCs (volatile organic compounds) which are chemicals that evaporate from the paint into the air. They are used in paint to reduce drying times and help with flow and application, ensuring minimal brush marks for a smooth finish.
Most interior paints have either a ‘LOW’ or ‘MINIMAL’ VOC these days, and this can easily be checked by looking on the back of the paint tin for a VOC Globe. The lower the percentage, the less likely the paint is to emit a high odour.
Five natural remedies to remove paint odour:
- Baking soda – This naturally absorbs smells and odours and can be picked up for as little as 65p from supermarkets.
- Lemon juice – Water absorbs paint odours on its own and has been used for centuries to do just that. But by adding some lemon slices or a few teaspoons of lemon juice this will give off a clean citrus scent that helps to mask the paint odour.
- Activated charcoal – This a more expensive alternative to using baking soda, but it also naturally absorbs odours from the air.
- Sliced onions – This tactic involves replacing the paint smell with a stronger one, in this case, onions! Whilst this smell may not be to everybody’s taste, onions can be picked up for as little as 12p so this is the cheapest hack.
- Coffee grounds – This method is the same as using onions but involves using coffee grounds to give off a much better scent. For the best results, use already ground-up coffee as the powder will better absorb the smell of the paint odours.
Additional tips and tricks to help reduce paint smells:
- Ventilation – It is always recommended to open doors and windows to ventilate a room to ensure the area is well ventilated.
- Temperature – A room’s temperature also plays a role in paint odour as increased heat increases the intensity of the paint smell. Try to keep the room relatively cool to help reduce the smell.
- Humidity – Try to avoid painting during the hotter summer months or on particularly sunny days when humidity levels are high. Paint releases the strongest odours when it is being applied and waiting to dry and high humidity levels will slow down this drying process.
