When selecting charcoal for odor-eating purposes, skip any additives, such as the mesquite or easy-light varieties.
Oil paint releases fumes called volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. These fumes can cause headaches, dizziness and a possible blackout. According to the U.S. Environment Protection Agency, or EPA, oil-based paints also can irritate the eyes and skin, even causing the skin to crackle. Removing these fumes and the smell can be difficult. Oil-based paints dry slowly. The thicker the coating of paint, the longer the paint will take to dry. Reduce the smell by taking steps while painting and try some home remedies afterward to remove the smell quickly.
Instructions
1. Ventilate the room you are painting. Open any windows in the room. Set up fans and try to create a crosscurrent of air flow, pulling fresh air from the outside in and pushing the fumes and smell out. Do this while painting the room. This also should be done after the painting has been completed.
2. Spread salt around the room. If the painting tarp is still in place, spread the salt over the tarp. Be generous. The salt will help remove some of the smell, but it also removes moisture from the air. Removing the moisture from the air helps the paint to dry faster. Sweep up the salt after two or three days.
3. Place pieces of charcoal in a bucket and cover it with moist paper towel. Place the bucket in the middle of the room overnight. Remove the bucket and repeat with fresh charcoal the next evening. Charcoal has natural odor-removing properties.
4. Light a candle for a few hours after you have completed the painting. The candle will burn off some of the fumes reducing the smell. You can place the candle in a bowl of water to protect the fire from spreading.
5. Cut up an onion and place it in the room. Let the onion stay in the room until it shrivels up, which will take a few days. The onion will absorb some of the odor.
Related posts
Get Rid of an Oil Paint OdorOil-based paint odors come from evaporation of solvents, resins and plasticizers as the paint dries and, because some compounds evaporate slowly, the fumes tend to ling...
Before painting over trim, determine whether the existing paint is oil-based or latex.Oil-based and latex are the two most commonly used types of paint in the home, and before you repaint any trim...
While you want an inspiring, cool color for your workout room, you also want a paint with low fumes.Because the air that you breathe is just as important to your health as it is to maintain a regu...
Using protection when painting is a good idea.Paint is made by combining chemicals such as solvents, binders, additives and pigments. Latex paint is water based, which means the main ingredient is...
Plan room painting.There are a couple of different ways to paint a room. It can be done quickly, with less focus on perfection, or it can be done with attention to detail. To paint a room correctl...
