How To Get Rid Of Paint Smells Quickly
Fresh paint can leave a room smelling of fumes for days so here's how to clear the air quickly.
The short answer
The quickest way to get rid of paint smell is to move air through the room, with windows open and a fan pushing the fumes outside while the paint dries. Bowls of activated charcoal, white vinegar or bicarbonate of soda help soak up what's left, and choosing a low VOC, water-based paint keeps the smell down in the first place.
Freshly painted walls look great, but the smell that hangs around afterwards is another matter. It's a real problem in a bedroom or a rental that needs to be back in use quickly, because nobody wants to sleep in a room that smells like a paint shop. The same goes for kitchens, where painting kitchen cupboards in a closed room can leave the whole ground floor smelling of it.
Below are the methods that clear the smell, starting with the ones that make the biggest difference.
What Causes The Smell Of New Paint
The smell comes from volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, which are released into the air as the paint dries and cures. Solvent-based paints such as traditional oil-based gloss give off far more of them than water-based emulsion, which is why a freshly glossed door frame can smell stronger than a whole room of new walls.
Low VOC paints cut the smell down a lot, but they don't remove it completely. Any fresh coat will give off some odour until it has dried properly, so getting the drying conditions right is half the battle.
How To Get Rid Of Paint Fumes
1. Get Air Moving With Fans And Open Windows
Fresh air does more than any bowl of anything. Open the windows on opposite sides of the room if you can, then set a fan in the middle of the floor and angle it so it pushes air towards the open window rather than just stirring it round the room.
In a bathroom, switch the bathroom extractor fan on and leave it running while the paint dries. Keep the door to the rest of the house shut so the fumes go out rather than drifting down the landing.
2. Put Out Bowls Of Activated Charcoal
Activated charcoal is a well known odour absorber, and a few bowls spread around the room soak up a lot of the lingering smell once the windows have done their job. Keep the bowls out of reach of pets and children. Use the activated kind sold for odour control rather than barbecue briquettes, which can be treated with lighter fluid.
3. Leave Out White Vinegar
A couple of shallow bowls of white vinegar placed around the room help take the edge off paint fumes. The vinegar has its own sharp smell, but it fades as it evaporates and doesn't hang around the way paint odour does. Just put the bowls up out of the way where nobody will knock them over.
4. Sprinkle Bicarbonate Of Soda On Carpets And Fabrics
Paint smell clings to soft furnishings, so a room with carpet, curtains or a fabric sofa can smell long after the walls themselves have stopped giving off fumes. Sprinkle bicarbonate of soda over the carpet and upholstery, leave it for a few hours to absorb the odour, then vacuum it up.
5. Try Cut Onions
This one sounds odd, but halved onions left on a plate in the room are an old decorator's trick for soaking up paint odour. The downside is obvious, as you're swapping one smell for another, so we'd only use it in a room you can air out properly afterwards.
6. Use Fresh Coffee Grounds
A few bowls of ground coffee work on the same principle, with the bonus that what's left behind is a smell most people are happy to live with. Use fresh grounds and throw them away once the paint smell has gone, rather than tipping them back in the caddy.
7. Mask What's Left With Scented Candles
Candles don't remove paint fumes, they cover them. That's handy for the final faint smell once the room has been aired, but only light them after the paint is dry and the window has been open for a good while. Solvent-based paints give off flammable vapour, so never have a naked flame in a room while gloss or oil-based paint is still wet.
How To Stop Paint Smell Lingering Next Time
The easiest smell to get rid of is the one you never let build up. Before you open the tin, plan for airflow and decent drying conditions:
- Keep the windows and door of the room you're painting open while you work, and close the doors to other rooms so the fumes don't spread through the house
- Choose a low VOC, water-based paint for walls and ceilings, and a water-based satinwood or gloss for woodwork where it suits the job
- Let each coat dry fully before the next goes on, as thick or rushed coats stay soft for longer and keep giving off odour
- Paint on dry, mild days where possible, because cold and damp air slows drying right down
- Put the lids back on tins and take used trays and brushes out of the room as soon as you stop
If the room is cold or damp, gentle heating and a dehumidifier for damp rooms speed the drying up, and the smell goes with it.
Which Paints Smell The Least
Water-based emulsion is the mildest of the everyday decorating paints, and most of the best emulsion paints for walls and ceilings now come in low VOC versions. Woodwork is where the strong smells come from. Traditional solvent-based gloss and satinwood smell far stronger and for longer, so a water-based option from our satinwood paint roundup is the better choice for any bedroom that has to be slept in again within a day or two.
Whichever paint you use, fresh air through the room is what clears the smell. The bowls and candles are there to mop up the last of it.
Your Questions Answered
How long does paint smell last?
How long paint smell lasts depends on the type of paint, how thickly it went on and how well the room is ventilated. Water-based emulsion in a warm room with the window open clears far quicker than solvent-based gloss in a cold, closed room. Keep air moving through the space and the smell fades as the paint dries and cures.
Is it safe to sleep in a freshly painted room?
It's best not to sleep in a freshly painted room until the paint is dry and the smell has mostly gone. Fumes from fresh paint can cause headaches and irritation, and children, pets and anyone with breathing problems are more sensitive to them. Air the room well, and sleep in another room until the smell has cleared.
Why does my room still smell of paint after a week?
A room that still smells of paint after a week has paint that hasn't dried properly, either because the coats went on too thick or the room is cold and damp. Solvent-based gloss also smells for longer than emulsion. Warm the room, run a dehumidifier and keep a window open, and check soft furnishings, which hold on to the smell.
Do low VOC paints still smell?
Low VOC paints still have some smell while they dry, but it's much milder than standard paint and clears faster. That makes them a sensible choice for bedrooms, nurseries and rooms that need to be used again quickly. Ventilation still matters, so keep the windows open while you paint and while the coats dry.
Which method clears paint smell best?
Fresh air clears paint smell far better than any of the bowl remedies. Open the windows on opposite sides of the room, set a fan in the middle of the floor angled towards the open window, and keep the door to the rest of the house shut. Charcoal, vinegar and bicarbonate of soda only mop up what's left once the air has done its job.
Are cut onions or coffee grounds worth trying for paint smell?
Both soak up paint odour, but we'd use them second. Halved onions on a plate are an old decorator's trick, though you swap one smell for another, so only use them in a room you can air out afterwards. Fresh coffee grounds in a few bowls leave a smell most people are happy to live with. Throw them away once the paint smell has gone.
Is it safe to light a candle to cover paint smell?
Candles cover paint fumes rather than removing them, so only light one after the paint is dry and the window has been open for a good while. Solvent-based paints give off flammable vapour, so never have a naked flame in a room while gloss or oil-based paint is still wet.
Why does gloss smell so much stronger than emulsion?
Traditional oil-based gloss is a solvent-based paint, and it releases far more VOCs as it dries than water-based emulsion does. That's why one freshly glossed door frame can smell stronger than a whole room of new walls. For woodwork in a bedroom or a rental that needs to be back in use quickly, choose a water-based satinwood or gloss.
Eddie spent five years as a self-employed painter and decorator before going part time to become one of the main writers at DIY Works. From garden fences to mist coats on fresh plaster, painting and decorating is his speciality.