You can get rid of paint smell in a flat within a few hours if you speed up drying and actively move the vapours out of the room. The smell comes from water or solvent evaporating from the film, so three things work: directed airflow, warmth and sorbents.
Where the smell comes from
While a coating dries, its liquid base evaporates. In water-based paints that base is water, so the smell is mild and fades quickly. Solvent-borne products (alkyd enamels, anti-corrosion primer-enamels, stain-blocking paints) release organic solvents, and the smell lasts longer.
The goal is not to mask the smell with a fragrance but to help the paint dry faster and get the vapours out of the room.
1. Directed airflow
An open window gives weak circulation. Solvent vapours hang near a freshly painted wall and slow further evaporation.
- Place a floor fan so the airflow runs along the painted walls towards an open window or extractor.
- Open a window at the opposite end of the flat to create a cross-draught.
- This clears vapour-laden air in 1.5–2 hours.
2. Temperature and humidity
In a cold, damp room paint can smell for days. Optimal drying conditions for most interior paints are +20…+24 °C and humidity no higher than 55 %.
- Turn on a heater or dehumidifier, but only once the paint is touch-dry. Otherwise moving air will blow dust onto the wet coat.
- Even a few degrees of extra warmth noticeably speed up solvent release.
3. Sorbents
Household air fresheners do not bind solvent vapours; they just add their own scent. Porous sorbents work: activated charcoal or silica gel. Spread them thinly on trays, roughly 0.5 kg per 10 m² of floor area, and leave for a few hours.
4. Ozone treatment
After large renovations, cleaning companies use ozone generators: ozone oxidises solvent molecules. Ozone itself is harmful to breathe, so nobody, including pets and plants, should be in the room while the generator runs (usually 30–60 minutes). Ventilate the room thoroughly afterwards.
Avoiding a strong smell when choosing paint
Job | Low-odour option | What smells stronger |
|---|---|---|
Walls and ceilings at home | Water-based paints | — |
Radiators | Water-based radiator primer enamel | Alkyd enamel that smells every time the heating comes on |
Doors, sills, interior wood and metal | Water-based 7-in-1 primer enamel | Alkyd enamels with up to 24-hour drying |
Outdoor metal, rust | — | Solvent-borne primer-enamel |
- For bedroom and nursery walls use water-based paints such as EKOFARBA acrylic paint or DIAMOND 2 acrylic latex paint, where water is the carrier.
- Radiators can be painted in a living room without moving out: 7-in-1 acrylic primer enamel for radiators has no strong odour, withstands heat up to +80 °C and dries in 30 minutes.
- Doors and window sills: 7-in-1 acrylic primer enamel for wood, metal and concrete dries in 30 minutes versus a day for alkyd enamels, so two coats take about an hour.
- Where a solvent product is unavoidable, such as outdoor metal, Zahyst 3in1 anti-corrosion primer-enamel dries in 2 hours per coat, so the smell clears faster than with enamels that take a day.
Safety
- Do not sleep in a freshly painted room while you can still smell solvent.
- Keep children and pets out, ideally in another room or away from home, while you work with solvent-borne products.
- Keep away from open flames while solvent enamels dry.
Tools used with enamels are cleaned with solvent, which also smells. For the right method, see how to clean brushes and rollers. And do not keep cans of leftover paint in living rooms; see how to store leftover paint.
What to buy
For living spaces choose water-based paints and water-based primer enamels. To clear the smell quickly: a fan, a cross-draught, +20…+24 °C and activated charcoal. With water-based paints these measures noticeably shorten the time until the smell is gone. After solvent-based enamels, keep airing the room until the smell has fully cleared, which can take a day or longer.
FAQ
How do I get rid of paint smell in a flat quickly?
Create a draught with a fan along the painted walls, keep the room at +20…+24 °C once the paint is touch-dry and put out activated charcoal.
How long does paint smell last?
Water-based paints have a mild smell that fades quickly. Solvent-borne enamels smell longer, especially in a cold, damp room.
Can I sleep in a room after painting?
After water-based paint and good ventilation, yes. After solvent-borne enamels, sleep in another room until the smell has gone.
Do onions, vinegar or scented candles help?
They mask the smell but neither speed up drying nor bind solvent vapours. Ventilation, warmth and sorbents are what work.
