How To Get Rid Of New Drywall Smell
Ask an expert is an occasional feature where we get a question asked by our readers to our Healthy Home Director Carl Grimes, HHS, CIEC.
Reader Question: How do I get rid of the “new build” smell?
The “new building smell” you are asking about is a combination of the entire mix of chemicals that “evaporate” from new paint, putty, flooring, roofing, wood, and other building materials. They are rightly called VOCs – Volatile Organic Compounds Read more: how to get rid of the new drywall smell Read more: How to jailbreak your phone without a computer The most effective action is to remove the source of the VOCs. If the source disappears, there is no more discomfort or other reaction. In this case the source cannot be deleted because the source is the house itself! So the next best course of action is to reduce VOC emissions.Read more: how to add fonts to paint Reducing “build new” VOC sources, rather than eliminating, can often be achieved by “baking”. The idea is to warm the entire house structure to speed up the escape (evaporation) of chemicals from building and finishing materials. Think about how long it takes for a pan of water on the counter to evaporate completely. Then how much faster it will happen if you put it on a warm burner on the stove. It will still take some time, but it will go faster than if you were just sitting on the counter at room temperature. This is what “baking” does for a home.
The general guidelines will apply to most situations:
- Close the door and raise the heat to 85-90 F. Leave it on all day and all night for 3-5 days. It is equally important to open doors and some windows for 15-25 minutes at least twice a day, three times is better. This will allow the indoor air to be exchanged with the outside air.
- It takes at least a day, depending on the outside temperature, the heated air can also heat the items, materials and structures of the house. Two or more days in elevated temperatures are needed to achieve the reduction. When the chemicals evaporate into the air, the air can only absorb so much. If the “charged” air is not ventilated to the outside and is replaced by outdoor air, chemicals can begin to be absorbed back into the interior, materials and structures.
- After 3-5 days have passed, turn off heat and ventilate thoroughly by opening windows and doors. Let the house cool for at least 24 hours before re-entering.
- Evaluate your experience in the home to determine if the “baking” was successful, “good enough,” or needs more work. If it needs more work, repeat “baking”.
If you find that this and other methods are not enough, (based on your personal response, ranging from “annoying” to “devastating”) the only remedy may be to remove yourself from source. In other words, move to another house.
HHave a question you’d like Carl to answer? Send us your questions from our Ask an Expert page.
To learn more about VOCs, visit the EPA or view our infographic here. Read more: how to switch from htc to samsung
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