Interior painters near me who have worked on commercial buildings are familiar with the smell of freshly painted walls. While some businesses elect to close down temporarily to pave the way for renovation and repainting, others remain open. And for those businesses who choose to stay open while they’re being painted, they would not want their customers or staff to breathe in the paint fumes while operating. They need to keep the paint fumes away from their clients and employees as much as possible.
Some people can tolerate the smell of paint fumes. But for others, it can quickly become unpleasant and even overwhelming. But one thing is certain: paint fumes can be a health and safety hazard.
Interior painters understand the harmful effects of paint fumes, so they take the following steps to minimize the presence of paint fumes around customers, the staff, and themselves.
Make sure that the area has adequate ventilation.
In interior painting, adequate airflow is essential. To ensure you have enough airflow, keep the door open and open as many windows as possible, both within and near the painted area. You can use fans to keep the air circulating in the room and improve ventilation.
Choose safe paints with zero VOCs.
Conventional paints release compounds known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs act as the medium for transferring the paint from the can to the surface and aiding the paint’s flow. However, VOCs also give the paint a strong odor, and they can result in various unpleasant health symptoms like dizziness, headaches, nausea, and irritation to the nose and throat. Even low-VOC paints still emit noticeable odors. Thus, choosing paints with no VOCs is the best way to avoid causing fumes altogether. While popular paint brands like Benjamin Moore and Behr offer zero-VOC paints, you can find more from smaller, direct-to-consumer, and exclusive paint brands. Many of these brands manufacture paints made of safe and organic ingredients.
Use natural methods that mask, absorb, or eliminate the smell of paint.
Believe it or not, even professional interior painters still resort to traditional and natural methods to mask, absorb, or get rid of paint fumes. Here are the following suggestions:
- Fill empty bowls with salt, lemon, and vinegar. This concoction will help absorb noxious paint fumes.
- Place containers of baking soda, which will also help absorb paint fumes.
- Crush up some charcoal and leave it overnight in containers throughout the room. The next day, the room will no longer reek of paint fumes.
- Cut up some onions in quarters and leave them around the room. The cut-up onions will help absorb paint fumes.
- Place some containers of freshly ground coffee beans around the room. Not only ground coffee absorbs paint odors, but it will also make the room smell fresh.
- Place a few drops of peppermint or vanilla extract on cotton balls or bowls of water, and put them around the room. The aroma of peppermint and vanilla is strong enough to mask these paint fumes.
- Leave some buckets of water around the room. The water absorbs some VOC vapors, eliminating paint fumes and keeping the room smelling fresh.
- You can light a candle in the room and leave it burning for a few hours (still, keep an eye on it and don’t leave it unattended). The flame will help burn in flammable contents in the paint.
Is your business considering an interior painting project? Contact interior painters near me and learn more about how they can help. Not only do reputable painters deliver quality work, but they care about your safety as well as their own. They always make sure that your environment is safe when painting commercial establishments.