how long should a house "air out" after caulking windows? i wanted to re-caulk the windows before the winter.

Question

i was looking at the side of the caulk can and the fumes are not good for you. should i caulk the windows and have my family sleep somewhere else for the night? how much time is necessary for this stuff to dry and no longer be toxic?

Answer 1

Forget it for now. Wait until the spring when you can move your familky out for a day or two if the solvent (carrier and curing agent, in the caullk) is acetic acid. (i.e. vinegar). If the carrier is a cyclic organic solvent like benzene, toluene, or xylene, or an aliphatic hydrocarbon like "petroleum distallates" or benzIne, you should move out for about 5 days to be safe. Those chemicals are carcinogenic. In other words they could cause kidney and less likely liver cancer etc. They will also cause respiratory distress and might set up an allergy of breathing distress. Children would be more susceptible to the above medical problems. "exile" times can be shortened by heating the house to 80 degrees F. for a day or two, together with the use of industrial fans to blow the fumes out of the house. Read the product label carefully for the presence of the above-mentioned solvents. Things would be different if the product has a water based solvent/carrier system. (like latex paints have). Times would be much shorter and respiratory distress less likely.
If, (unlikely), anyone, in the family, has severe allergies, asthma, emphysema or c.o.p.d., get an expert to do the job in the spring.
Doc. Dan.

Answer 2

Most caulk dries in about 1-2 hours and if you leave the windows open (I'm assuming you will be caulking around the window frame) you can close them in about the same time. It isn't as toxic as you might think. Also, I would suggest you use a clear caulk, keep a wet rag handy for wiping up spots where the caulk touches and you don't want it there, and be sure to make the hol in the tip of the caulk tube small so you get a small amount of caulk coming out, too much will make your job a mess.

Answer 3

No reason to move out. The smell of caulk is much less than is you painted a room. If your caulking a window you should be doing it on the outside of the house anyway...

Answer 4

1-2 hrs.