How to Get Rid of Paint Smells

After you paint a room, the only thing that should linger is how much you love the color scheme you chose. In reality, the fumes from the paint can still stink up your space long after the last coat dried. Whether you're adding a fresh coat to your kitchen, your bedroom, or any other room in the house, the odor can be unpleasant. It's all thanks to VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), which come from the materials used to make paint and emit that "freshly painted" odor.

While you can reduce the chance of this outcome by choosing a paint formula with low VOCs, fumes are often still detectable. Regardless, here's how to get rid of paint smell if you find yourself in this very situation.

Get a Few Fans

Open windows are a must for any paint project, but fans will help whisk fumes out of the room faster. Place box fans at the center of the room, angled toward windows if possible, and in the doorway. (Fans will make paint dry faster, so be sure to finish your work beforehand.) One thing to note: Prevent fumes from wafting through the rest of your home by making sure to turn off the air-conditioning or heat and closing air vents in the room.

Break Out the Buckets of Water

Sometimes, the simplest solution is the most effective. Place buckets filled with water throughout the room and let sit overnight. The water will absorb the paint vapors. Interestingly, this is a trick that goes way back—all the way to the 1899 book The Expert Cleaner.