How to remove paint smell after painting something in an apartment?

To get rid of the smell of paint in an apartment, you can use proven traditional methods or use modern technologies. Both technical devices and traditional methods are of two types - those that help get rid of harmful substances in the air of the apartment, and those that simply mask the odors of these substances.

Ventilation

The most common method of getting rid of odors remaining after painting is ventilation. Circulation is also necessary for faster drying of the paint layer, so it needs to be organized immediately after work. The simplest method is to open windows opposite each other to create a draft. You can open one window and turn on the fan.

If oil or enamel paint was used, subject to active ventilation, at least 3 days must pass before sleeping or staying in the room for a long time. Water-dispersed paints, including acrylic ones, dry much earlier and much more actively, which means they release “aromas” faster, which disappear in just a day.

Air purification using traditional methods

If you need to not only mask the heavy smell after painting, but also make the air in the room clean, you can use the following means:

• Activated carbon;
• candles (regular, not scented);
• several large pieces of fabric, such as sheets;
• coffee.

Activated granular carbon must be divided into several containers and placed in the room. Regular, non-activated charcoal will not cope with the task of purifying the air; its pores are too large. They will be filled with moisture, and the microcracks of granular activated carbon retain harmful substances in a gaseous state.

Advice

Carbon can also be activated at home, however, its effectiveness will still be several times lower than that produced industrially.

Candles literally burn out harmful substances - volatile compounds that evaporate while the paintwork is drying. Of course, it is best to use natural wax candles, but paraffin candles are also suitable. You just need to light a few pieces in the room for two to three hours. At the same time, we must not forget that oxygen also burns along with harmful substances, so ventilation is necessary after such a procedure.

Ground coffee also absorbs unpleasant odors well. If the task is to remove the aroma of paint, then such a natural air freshener will be very useful. You just need to put the ground, or preferably freshly ground, coffee into small containers and place it in different places. After a day, the coffee needs to be replaced with fresh one, and the old one should be thrown away, since it cannot be brewed or drunk.

After renovation, you can hang wet pieces of fabric in the room - they will become filters for harmful compounds in a gaseous state. They need to be removed and rinsed periodically, and then hung up again. This is a fairly effective method, which is useful if you need to quickly clean the air, but ventilation is impossible for some reason.

Air washing operation diagram

Technical devices

The industry now offers various types of air purifiers, but not all of them can remove the smell after painting. The most effective will be photocatalytic and filter cleaners, as well as air washes. Filtering devices pass air through carbon or HEPA filters, which trap toxins (devices from BORK, IQAir, etc.).

The action of photocatalysts is based on photocatalysis: toxic substances, including volatile compounds, are oxidized and decomposed. However, the latter have a significant drawback. To operate effectively, the filter area of ​​the devices must total several m². That is, they do not provide cleaning of the area declared by the manufacturer. An example of such equipment is the Fresh Air Box purifier.

Air washers are devices with a kind of water filter. Toxic particles settle on wet discs and are washed off them into a container of water. Another type of these devices removes paint odor by air hydrofiltration: contaminated air passes through a dispersed zone, where it is purified. There are many manufacturers of this equipment, including Air-O-Swiss, Venta, BORK.

Odor absorbers

Action odor absorbers based on the adsorption of “aromatic” substances. Such products are available in the form of aerosols that need to be sprayed indoors, or in the form of a gel in a glass or plastic container that needs to be installed in places with an unpleasant odor. These devices have proven themselves well; they really cope with various heavy odors, including the smell of paint.

Their main disadvantage is that the devices are designed to absorb gaseous substances in a small area.In addition, manufacturers do not indicate which area they are designed for. But if we take as a basis that a container with 50-70 ml of gel is designed for a car interior, then for a room of up to 20 m² with a large painted area, at least 10 such containers will be required. Another danger is that flavors are sometimes sold under the guise of absorbents, which is not the same thing.

Aromatization

If there is a residual faint odor in the room after renovation and ventilation, it can be removed with the help of aromatic substances. Scented candles or roasted coffee will do. A good way is to spread out fresh orange or lemon zest and periodically replace it with fresh one.

Another interesting way to mask amber from paints and varnishes is to make an orange pomander. True, you will have to take care of this in advance, at least two weeks before painting.

This fragrant ball is made as follows:

• the orange is pricked with a sharp object;
• rubbed with spices - ground cinnamon and anise;
• Whole clove buds are inserted into the punctured holes;
• the ball is placed in a dark place for two weeks;
• tied with a ribbon.

Such a fragrant ball gives off a spicy-citrus scent for 5-6 months. The specified set of spices is not final; everyone can add or remove some ingredient according to their preferences.

The above tips will help get rid of the smell and clean the air in the apartment from toxins that appear when paint dries. In addition, these methods can be used to constantly maintain a fresh atmosphere in the room.