Room painted 6 weeks ago, still smell of paint/gas?

Brendan Burgess

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I had the house painted around 6 weeks ago and there is still a smell of paint or gas from the spare bedroom. The room hasn't been used and so it has not been aired as much.

There is no smell in any other room.

But I leave the window open and the door open occasionally and the smell is still there. It's not really a freshly painted room smell, it's a bit like gas.

There is no gas near the room, so it's not that.

I checked everywhere to see if something had spilt or if a can had been left behind still open, but it's not that either.

Any ideas?
 
chop up 1 or 2 large onions.spanish if possible and leave in the room for a day or 2.it absorbes the paint smell.after give the room a good spay with fabreesze
 
I agree with the onions, they seem to absorb the smell - my dad always does it. As well as placing the onions on the floor, try placing cut ones in a bowl of water too. Seems to help the absorbsion.

Have you tried lighting matches? Sometimes the carbon in them can take away bad smells, although kinda dodge if you can smell gas maybe!

Top tip if you are painting again, add a few drops of clear vanilla essence into the paint. Helps eleviate the smell a little.
 
Did they supply the paint? When paint goes off, it can leave some stench when put on walls.
 

I have had a similar problem with smell persisting now for 3 months. I suspect white spirit may have spilled and seeped into the floor boards. Have tried onions without any success. Opening window does not seem to make any difference. Someone advised leaving crushed charcoal soaked in water in the room may absorb the smell, which I will now try.
 
I've heard that leaving some vinegar or baking soda in a bowl overnight is great for absorbing smells.
 
This may not be relevant but our storage heater was giving off a gas like smell when it was getting very hot a while back. I think it was just a bit dusty. If you have a storage heater in the room this might be worth thinking about as you said it was more a gas smell rather than paint smell.
 
Brendan, Do you still have this problem?

I have had a similar issue. Almost 6 months after painting, fumes are as strong as ever. I suspect painter may have spilled white spirit on the floor boards. Fumes are worse when central heating is on (or when it is a sunny day), although it does not appear to be coming from the radiator.

Any ideas anyone?
 
My grandmother used to suggest the onions for absorbing germs when you were sick - one beside the bed. Which is why you shouldn't keep that leftover half onion for too long.

For paint smells I use loose dry teabags, for some reason they seem to absorb the smell pretty quickly.
 
Brendan, you say "gas" - was the radiator painted? When it heats up this can give an odd metallic/industrial smell for a while, not unlike gas.
 
Hi Brendan,

do you ever put the heating on in that room it could be that the room has not been heated up enough.

If you put a few heaters into the room this will heat it up and dry it out.

Or you could light a few candles in it for a while.

Those ways will definitely get rid of the onion smell anyway. [broken link removed]





[broken link removed]
 
I have just had more than half of the house painted (emulsion on walls) and the house smells of gas. Two rooms were painted five months ago, and still smell, but other rooms were painted in the last month, and the smell is unbearable, especially in the bedroom. I leave windows open all day, and the heating is on. I called the gas board and they cut off the gas, then I had to pay £78 to another company to reconnect. There was no gas leak.

Both gas fitters said they get countless calls from people who have had rooms decorated. I called the paint company and they said it is a well recognised problem, I think he said paint molecules break down and it takes a certain set of circumstances for this to happen. It has happened in all my rooms! They will be in touch with a resolution, but basically the walls need painting with different paint or solution. Great, I left my house for three weeks for the painting to be done, and the upheaval, as we all know, is a nightmare.

So now I face more expense. He didn't say what the "specific set of circumstances" are. My house is 30 years old, well maintained, always heated and has no damp. I have never had this problem before. I always used to by Dulux, but this decorator used Dulux, though trade mix (definitely Dulux though).

Sometimes the smell is much worse than at other times, but my bedroom is disgusting. In fact, I am sat hear in tears, not sure I can take much more of this.
 
A couple of Aloe Vera plants used to work with the old paint brands, including Dulux. I see Brendan's old post is from years back and

i'm surprised because there's new chemicals in paint nowdays that don't break down too easily and would worry about what they do to people's health. I know for sure that Aloe Vera plants work, i'd try daffodils now as they absorb a lot of moisture too and are in season.
 
The guy from the paint company said there is no risk to health, but not sure how accurate that is. I will nip to the garden centre to look for aloe Vera, I have daffs in some rooms now. The smell comes and goes, but is truly disgusting, just like gas. Humidity in house is low, 41%.

I can't wait for the call with the solution/resolution. I do wonder about the trade mix though (apricot white). I never had this problem with years of Dulux from B&Q. I love the smell of paint, this isn't the lovely paint smell.
 
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