There are a few items you can use that greatly help to mask or neutralize the smell of fresh paint. You also need to have good ventilation during, and for at least a couple of days after painting for health safety sake. Please keep in mind that these items only either mask or neutralize odor and that the VOCs (volatile organic compounds) in the paint will still be released into the air as the paint dries. For that reason if anyone has respiratory problems it would be best if they stay elsewhere for one night at the very least.
Here are the suggestions of what works for either odor masking or neutralizing:
Bioworld Odor Neutralizer Commercial Concentrate (Bon-Cc-41):
Is an odor neutralizer that can be ordered online. It's a tiny bit expensive, but it's concentrated:
http://store.bioworldusa.com/BioWorld-Odor-Neutralizer-Commercial-Concentrate/
Essential Peppermint Oil:
Peppermint oil is clear so it can be used even in white or cream tone paint colors to mask paint odor. Mix in 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon per gallon of paint.
Lemon Extract:
Lemon extract can also be used even in white or cream tone paint colors to mask paint odor. Mix only 1 to 2 drops per gallon of paint.
Pure Vanilla Extract:
Use only clear vanilla extract for white or cream tone paint colors to mask paint odor. You can use light colored vanilla extract for all other paint colors. Mix in 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon per gallon of paint.
Onions:
Cut a large peeled onion into quarters, place each in a separate saucer (one cut side facing down), add some water and place the saucers in different locations in the room.
Vinegar:
Place small bowls or small glasses filled part way with vinegar around the room.
Happy painting ;-)
**Bonus Note: The BioWorld Bon-Cc-41 can also be used to eliminate odors in carpets, hardwood floors, walls, and even laundry that are caused by smoke, skunk, pets, garbage, and urine.
By Deeli from Richland, WA
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I recently painted a new wall with a 5 year old latex primer followed by 2 coats of paint. A very disagreeable odor emanates from the wall. I have never had this problem with "old" paint before. Where is the odor coming from?
By George from Port St Lucie, FL
It could be your sheet-rock. Since 1997, many houses were built with Chinese sheet rock and they emit a "rotten egg" smell from the sulfur. This sheet-rock was recently recalled because it causes the wiring to tarnish and corrode quickly. If this is your problem, you will have to remove the sheet-rock! The sheetrock has been a real problem in Florida and the South due to the high humidity. The moisture in the paint also could have made the sheet-rock smell.
If it's just the paint, you can cover the wall with one or 2 coats of Zinsser shellac and alcohol based primer (read the back of all the Zinsser primers) it's one of the lower cost primers that Zinsser makes. They use this to prime and seal hospitals, kitchens and schools. They use it because it's low odor. This primer will help seal in the odor of the paint, but won't help if bad sheet rock is your problem.
Google: "Chinese sheetrock" or "Chineese wallboard" for more info.
If the smell is really disagreeable you may have to remove the wall entirely and sheet rock a new one. Maybe an animal like a squirrel or mouse died in between the walls.
I just finished painting my son's bathroom and was wondering if there was anyway to expedite the removal of the paint smell? I tried a bowl of vinegar but that didn't help. I've been running the air cleaner to help expedite. It's kind of tough to leave the windows open due to it being frigid out this time of year.
I read about this is a book once. You are supposed to put a cut onion in a bowl of water in the room. It's supposed to take care of the smell (by making it smell like onions???) I have never tried it so I don't know if it works or not.
I think I read that the odor is absorbed by the onion. And doesn't leave an onion smell. You might have to replace the onion a couple of times.And next time you paint add a little vanilla ( 1-2 teaspoonsful ) to the paint....If you are painting a light color use white vanilla.
My badroom have a really bad odor that i think is coming from the oil paint. tried the onion thing, and it doesn't work that well plus you and your home will smell like onion. i also tried putting ammonia in a bucket to leave over night. use it to clean the walls. you can also buy paint primar stain sealer called B-I-N. It will seal in the smell. hope these help.
There's something called paint pourri but I dunno if it works well or not.
how to remove paint smell to newly painted bedroom,sala and kitchen
Believe it or not, the onion in water actually works. Y'know how in chemistry, acid+base = water + neutral biproduct? Seems like onion does the same thing for paint -- it neutralizes the paint smell, and without giving off a strong onion smell.
I work in an old blg with plaster walls, and really high ceilings. The painter fixed one of the plaster walls that had been damanged by water a while back, and repainted the entire office. I usually like the smell of paint, but the smell in here right smells like BO. Most people are telling me it's paint smell, but I'm saying it's BO. The painting was done on July 29th and today is August 11th and it still stinks. I've tried vinegar, commercial room deoderizers, Fabreeze, and nothing works. HELP
The last time I painted my house, I used a product called BON-CC-41 from BioWorld Products. I had the painter add a little bit to the paint. I came home the day he was painting and just smelt a very faint paint smell. The next day it was pretty much gone. I even slept in the same room he had painted that day with no problems. I remember painting in the past and the smell would stay for a month sometimes. I was very pleased with them product!
www.adbio.com/
I need help! We used latex semi gloss in a bathroom and have tried EVERYTHING to get rid of the awful smell...onion, vinegar...and the BioWorld product with no success. My husband spent over $6000 on this remodel and I can't even go IN the room without getting a headache and feeling ill. HE thinks it's very unpleasant, as well. Used Dunn Edwards paint. Any ideas?
Hi
I tried the onion in a bowl thing and it actually made a difference. You have to leave it there for a little while and it smelled like onion. Opened the windows and the onion odor went away in about 2-3h.
I was glad it worked because it was in my baby's room.
I also tried the BioWorld Product and LOVED it! The lady I worked with from the company gave me specific instructions on how to use it and was very helpful! She did mention that it works best in the paint before you apply though. Luckly I called before I started painting and didn't notice any scents left behind!
Vanilla extract works on oil paint. Just put a tablespoon in a bowl in the room and leave it for a couple days. Totally takes the odour away. Not sure if it works for latex or not.
Hi, Some older interior latex house paints contain the preservative phenylmercury propionate. Indeed, a small child suffered brain injury after helping his mother paint his room.
The most effective mitigation technique would be to use activated charcoal and pass the vapor through it using a fan etc. The activated charcoal adsorbs the organic vapor. Good Luck!
How do I remove paint odors in new paint before painting my walls?
Lynn from Florida
I don't think you can. Once the paint dries and the room has plenty of ventilation the paint odor will subside. I suppose there are cosmetic household sprays you could use to disguise the odor.
I've heard adding vanilla extract to the paint will take away the paint smell odor. I don't know how much - 1 tablespoon per gallon?
Good Luck!
I read somewhere to put vanilla extract in the paint and the odor would be gone. Never tried it myself tho.It has to be pure vanilla extract and not imitation vanilla. You could also try a site I like called eHow.com. They will have more ideas there. ~Janette~
I have been told that you can buy odorless paint, but I have never seen it and I don't know what brand it is.
They sell low odor paint now.
Cut an onion and leave in the room until your finished painting.
I painted 4 rooms with absolutely no odor by putting a few drops of real vanilla extract in each gallon of paint. It really does work!
The only thing that seems to clear the air in a freshly painted room is lots of ventilation; cross ventilation if possible. I have been painting with Kilz Odorless Primer and Olympic Premium Zero VOC, low odor paint. These products still have a bit of an odor and so the rooms should be ventilated during painting and while they are drying. No paint is completely odorless. Olympic paint is sold at Lowe's.
OSH sells Dutch Boy Freshair (?) paint that is zero VOC and it has baking soda in it I believe. It is supposed to help keep your home smelling fresh. I have not tried it. Home Depot sells Freshaire brand paint with zero VOCs. It is non-toxic because they have their own non-toxic tints. The paint can says "no chemical odor." Ace Hardware sells a brand of non-toxic paint also called Mythic. Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams also carry Low VOC/Low Odor paints. I have found Olympic to be considerably less expensive than the rest.
They do make an additive that makes the paint smell good when you apply it and for a few months afterwards.
www.westsidedecoratingcenter.com/
Hope that helps.
I recently painted shelves and a door in my laundry room. I'm trying to vent this room to get rid of a paint smell. This room is very small with no windows and it is attached to another room with no windows. So I'm trying to see how I can get rid of the smell of paint.
I have 4 large bowls of vinegar in the laundry room with a large fan that has been blowing for 6 hours. I also placed 2 bowls of vinegar in the room that the laundry room is attached to and have the ceiling fan on for about 6 hours. I left the door to the laundry room and this other room open and left 2 windows open in my kitchen and living room open since these two rooms are the closest to the one room. Do you think this will help vent both windowless room and get rid of the paint smell?
How did you know that lemon extract is effective in reducing paint odor? Are there any components in lemon extract that assist in reducing the odor of the paint? What are they?
Thank you!
I am allergic to paint odour, my bedroom was recently painted. How am I to use this method (vinegar to remove paint odors) to get rid of the smell? Does anyone have any other methods? Please let me know. Thanks.
Rajamannar
I don't know why kind of paint you used, but if it is oil based paints, they have stronger odors and I can only suggest you close the room and open the windows to air out as much as possible. Put a fan in the room too to help it weaken the odor.
If the paint is latex based that might be what is a contributing factor as many people have latex allergies. I would do the same as above with it and be careful of the type of paint used unless you're very sensitive to all paint types. Try wallpapering next time and see if that alleviates your allergic reactions.
DAMPRID is a product that painters use to remove order during/after painting. It comes in a Hi-Capacity Moisture Absorber - 4 lbs.
Check out the video at this link:
www.ask.com/
Go to the link below to find out how to make homemade Damp Rid
www.thriftyfun.com/
Hope this helps!
Next time when painting, cut a couple of onions in half and leave them lying around the room. Discard after a few days.(Don't eat them!)
I have a Book called 1.0001 helpful hints and in that it says if you use 1 teaspoon of Vanilla to 1 pint of paint it will keep the odor away and will not hurt the paint
The vinegar in the paint is okay but it can color the paint, and will destroy that bright whtie you may be looking for.
Since my husband and I have severe allergies, we learned that if you boil vanilla, water and cinnamon or nutmeg in a pot of water and put the steaming pot in the room, it cuts the scent a lot. I have also found that using a crock pot with those same ingredients while painting helps, too. 'Course, you get really hungry for cookies after a bit, but...
Using vinegar or scents only cover up the odor, fine if it isn't an allergy but rather that you hate the smell. The problem, if it is allergies or sensitivities is the volatile organic compounds (VOC). Covering them up does not make them go away. Some plants are noted for their ability to remove VOCs from the air, spider plants being one of the best. The next time you paint, get a low VOC paint, some now available have very little emissions. Or you can try making your own milk paint, unless of course you have dairy allergies.
How do I get rid of paint smell? I have bedroom that was painted with miller paint. It was 3 weeks ago and still has an odor and was water based. I have tried an Odor Genie with an open window and a fan - it is better but still quite noticeable. The rest of interior was done in Behr - no odor from day one. Any help would be appreciated.
I know that we sometimes use"Natural magic, odor absorber", lasts 90 days(White plastic tub with green vented lid). These work really well. I buy alot of flea market/church sale items that sometimes smell like "basement". This does the trick...now if only I could make it myself and save lots of money!
In reply: these can be purchased at a pharmacy, a large supermarket or maybe a hardware store(if they know about quality:-)
There's really only two ways to clean up the air, The fastest & the very best way is to rent an OZONE GENERATOR. (ozone machine). We had a fire in our home & the only thing that would remove the nasty charred fire smell was the industrial Ozone machine the pros brought in the next day. What a difference it made! We had to run it for 24 hours & not be in that room when it was running. AMAZING is all I can say! Truly AMAZING!
The only other way to get rid of the smell is to open your windows & wait... as long as it takes. Keep small children & animals out of the room in the mean time, especially ones with asthma & allergies. The smell may be nasty, & they aren't good for you either! Did you accidentally use an oil based paint? If so, that will take even longer to dissipate.
---> To rent Ozone Generators, either call up a rental store or look in your yellow pages under "Fire"... there you'll find companies that specialize in cleaning up homes after fires. They all have Ozone Generators for rent.
*** You may have a friend that has an ozone type of air cleaner that you could borrow. There are a lot of people that sell these "Ozone" air purifiers (about $400) & they will all let you try them for 30 days... this is also an option. The smaller Ozone machines may take a few days to work, while the industrial ones only take one day. Just put it in your room & shut the door. The smaller ones are okay to stay in while running. Turn off the industrial ones before using the room.
*** Any "Odor nutrilizers" will just mask the smell... Beware, products like Fabrize are bad for pets!
---> You can also try putting scattering 4 or 5 bowls filled with white vinegar around the room. Change to new vinegar daily. Vinegar will remove nearly any smell. When possible, leave the windows open all they way & block cold air from comming in the rest of the house with a few towels stuffed under the door. I'd do this for 2 or 3 days, & if this does not work, try the ozone machine & it will work!
* The "Queen of Clean" on DIY recomends Vinegar for removing all odors in the home.
I have read that adding a tbsp of vanilla extract to your paint will stop odors. Hope this helps
I used a product called BON-CC-41 from BioWorld Products the last time I had my house painted. It works great. I had the painter add a little to paint. I came home that day and only smelt a very faint paint smell. By the next day, it was gone completely! I even slept in the same room that was painted the day before and didn't have any problems. In the past, I would have the paint smell linger for as long as a month. It was very nice not having to live with the headache of the paint fumes!
www.adbio.com/
I used a paint made for timber and metal in my bathroom by mistake. What can I do to get rid of the strong paint smell?
By Marie C. from Limerick
I'm getting the whole inside of my house painted. The paint smell is a little heavy. How can I remove the smell?
Rachel from Houston, TX
For really nasty smells, rent an ozone machine (from a rental store) & run it for several hours (while your family is away). The smell will be TOTALLY gone in no time!
fans will speed up the drying process. open all windows possible
ozone machines are really good. don't know the cost of renting one though
How do I get rid of paint smell?
By Cynthia from GA
How to get rid of paint odor in a newly painted house?
By Ngangi
I used the wrong kind of paint in my bathroom. I used paint for the outside of your house. How do I get rid of the smell fast?
By twin
There are many kinds of paint. There are some that are indoor or outdoor paint. My personal choice inside is to use oil. New paints have very little odor to them. Adding a few drops of colorless baking vanilla and stirring in does well in LATEX only. Ask the supplier of your paint. They will have other things to recommend.
I just had the doors painted with QDE enamel paint; the odor is so strong. I like the color but to get rid of the smell is my problem now. Can you help? Thanks.
By Fely C.A. from Manila, Philippines
