Nursery Decorating - How Do You Get Rid Of The Smell Of Paint?

Question

Hi, I'm expecting a baby in March next year & to save money on a new nursery/bedroom range I decided to use my old bedroom suite which was black ash (yes very 80's I know) & paint it white as the walls are a pastel green. I got some special Melamine/MDF paint from B&Q & slapped on a few coats.
It looks great & I had fun hanging up the ickle clothes I'd bought so far on their hangers but I cannot get rid of the smell of the paint & the clothes are smelling of it too now.
I'd left the doors & everything open for about 2/3wks before hanging anything in the hope the smell would have gone/faded except it hasn't & I've even tried stick on air freshners inside but it's not working. Anybody got any ideas on getting rid of the paint smell?

Answer 1

a cut onion, over night works, dont know why but it works, believe me i have done it

Answer 2

its probably best to not as you say allow her to sleep in there for at least a week , all the time ensuring that perhaps this is the radiotor set to hottest in the house , by lowering the thermostats apon all thye others leaving that one at top,hotest! i am allergic to paint smells and simply avoid until the toxicity has more or less gone.IT MUST be left on at HOTTEST. Onions are very good at absorbing the toxins and it is also very healthy to leave 1/2 an onion in your fridge at most times for the same reason. Chop a few in half ( more the better in this case). Dont go polluting with Candles or even Febreeze.Leave it ventilated and also it may not be such a bad idea to borrow a small De-humidifier throughout this week.Of course directing the smells torward an open space with a small fan may also help. Well done for asking and also for being a good parent

Answer 3

One of the answers was half right slice up or grate a couple of onions and leave them in 3 or 4 dishes around the room change this after 2 days and also add the same amount of any citrus fruits slice and placed in different bowls this should remove the smell and also leave a pleasent aroma,but the problem seems to be that you have used old paint which has gone off or not entirely dried out,you should never use cheap paint ,or paint which is out of date,hope this helps,also remove all fabric from the room and wash it this includes curtains and bedding as this absorbs the smell of paint

Answer 4

They do say not to decorate a babies room too close to the birth because the fumes stay for a while about 6 weeks iirc.

It will fade, but it takes time.

I know it's not nice to think it but god forbid anything happens to the baby, you'll have to come home and clear that room out, so perhaps you should hold back on getting too many clothes, toys etc. and have it prepared in boxes just in case. When I was born some of the shops wouldn't let you have big things like cots etc. until the baby was born because of the risk of something going wrong like having a still born. It was also considered bad luck to be too prepared.

Congratulations! I hope you have a wonderful birth and a wonderful experience of motherhood.

Answer 5

hi my little girl is now 17 months, but i can still remember what it was like lookin like a beached whale and trying to decorate a nursery by myself as my little girls daddy is as much use as a chocolate fire guard, it may sound strange and hippy-ish but as a practicing wicca i did a cleansing ritual on the nursary using an insence stick, that should get rid of your paint smells and all of the smokey residue will be long gone in time for baby's big arrival. good luck with the baby ans save all the energy that you can cos your going to need it xxx

Answer 6

I had exactly the same problem, with exactly the same B&Q paint; my wardrobe was teak laminate though....not as fancy as black ash !

I researched the problem on the internet and lots of decorating sights recommended a bowl of white vinegar left in the room. I tried it and it actually worked !

It has to be white vinegar though, can't just get your Sarsons malt out of the cupboard !

Answer 7

i had the big paint smell problem in my living room, put a bowl of white vinigar in the corner for 24 hours and the smell should go and keep the windows open during this time it works honest

Answer 8

slice an onion in half and put it in a bowl of water on the window sill with the window open slightly,this gets the paint smell away and believe it or not you cant smell the onion either

Answer 9

all you can do is let it air out longer we done the same! It may take some time to get out of there like ours although it still has a REAL LIGHT smell and I painted mine light blue 2 months ago! BEST WISHES

Answer 10

Okay, I don't know what to tell you on what to use. But have you gone to home depo or menards and talked to a specialist? I am sure they would know a way to get rid of it. Otherwise, hmm, just ventilation and fans. Or I know my dad put a top just gloss coat over my daughter's and it dried fast and smell was gone. Good Luck!

Answer 11

Apparently, if you put a cut onion in the room, the smell will be absorbed by it. Of course, the room may then smell of onion! But make sure you keep it well ventilated and it will go soon.