How To Get Rid Of The Spray Paint Smell On Clothes?

Are you struggling to get rid of the spray paint smell on clothes or even inside your house? Is the spray paint smell stuck on your clothes or furniture? Are you thinking of how to get rid of the spray paint smell?

Spray paint is becoming more common these days. But the smell of spray paint is not very good. Fortunately, there is no way to worry.

The smell of spray paint will go away in a couple of days on its own. However, there are some ways you can do to get rid of the spray paint smell.

You should always try to eliminate the smell of the spray paint as quickly as possible.

In this article, you will learn safety precautions and how to get rid of the spray paint smell from the room, clothes, and other items.

Is Spray Paint Smell Harmful

The spray paint smell is not harmful. But the chemicals of smell are harmful.

Spray paint contains hazardous chemicals that are known as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).  These chemicals are emitted when the paint is released and during the drying time. Paint fumes also contain VOCs, and it affects your health.

VOCs have long and short-term effects. Short-term VOC effects include headache, dizziness, breathing trouble, and irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat. When you get some fresh air, these symptoms also go away.

Long-term effects of VOCs can damage system of nervous, liver, and kidneys.

How Long Does It Take For Spray Paint Smell To Go Away Naturally

The spray paint smell doesn’t last long on the items. These smells can last days or even weeks.

If the room that has just been painted has poor ventilation, the smell will have nowhere to go. And it will take longer to get rid of the spray paint smell.  If your room is well-ventilated the smell may be gone in approximately 24 hours.

If you just cannot smell the spray paint smell, it doesn’t mean the air is fully fresh and safe. VOCs can still be even if you cannot notice the spray paint smell.

How To Get Rid Of The Spray Paint Smell Out Of The House

The ways I will describe below will help you to get rid of the spray paint smell of the house. And they prevent the smell from settling into other items.

Spray The Paint In A Well-Ventilated Area

The fastest and best way to get rid of spray paint fumes dissipating is to paint outside. If you paint outside, the fumes will go further, and the paint dries faster. Eventually, the faster the paint dries, the faster smell will go away.

There are also some other ways that will help to get rid of the spray paint smell if you have to paint inside the house. You should spray paint in a well-ventilated room in case you need to paint inside.

Spraying paint outside or in a well-ventilated room provides good airflow and helps the paint dry faster. The smell of the paint comes from the solvents that are reacting to other particles of the environment. When the paint is dry, the solvent is gone, and the smell of the spray paint disappears.

Spraying paint outside or in a well-ventilated room is also better for your health.

Get An Air Purifier

Air purifier sanitizes the air and is the best way of dealing with spray paint odor. It can remove pollutants, allergens, toxins, and VOCs from the area. Some air purifiers have a HEPA filter that allows smaller particles to be removed. 

If you are dealing with a large project or a lot of smaller projects getting an air purifier is the best method when it comes to getting rid of the spray paint smell.

Paint The Area With Low-VOC Spray Paint

Low-VOC spray paint cannot remove all the spray paint smell, but it can decrease the harsh odor. Oil-based spray paints contain more VOCs, so you should avoid using oil-based paints. Water-based paints have fewer VOCs than oil-based paints.

Any spray paint that contains 50 grams per liter of VOCs is considered low-VOC spray paint. You can even find zero-VOC spray paints at the paint store.

You can look at the grams of VOCs and how many are there per liter and find out whether it is a low-VOC or a zero-VOC spray paint.

Use Water-Based Spray Paints

Water-based spray paints also produce fumes and leave a smell, but their smell doesn’t last long as oil-based spray paints. The reason is water-based paints contain fewer VOCs.

They also dry faster than other types of paints. Paint will stop producing fumes when it is completely dry.

Use Lemon Water

You can use lemon for different kinds of purposes. You can use it for cooking, baking, and improving your health. But using lemon is also popular to get rid of the spray paint smell. It can eliminate all kinds of smells.

You should slice the lemons into a bowl with water.

You should leave the bowl (or even larger dish) of lemon water overnight in the spray-painted room, not longer. According to the result, you can use as much lemon water as you may need.

You should place the slice of lemons and water into the bowl or bucket that you don’t usually use for your food.

 Tip: It is better to use fresh lemon than using lemon juice.

Use Coffee Grounds

If you have an allergy to coffee or you aren’t a fan of coffee, you are better not to use this method. Coffee grounds remove the smell of the spray paint, but they leave the smell of coffee, making the room smell like a coffee shop.

You can place the fresh coffee grounds in the containers around the room.

Do not use the coffee grounds you used to get rid of the spray paint smell.

Use Baking Soda

Baking soda can absorb different odors. You can put baking soda into a dish and place it around the room.

You can also pour baking soda onto the carpets, furniture, or other items and vacuum them the next day.

Place activated charcoal in the room

Charcoal is the best product to get rid of odors. You should get activated charcoal to get rid of the spray paint smell. You can buy bags of activated charcoal or a canister of it. You should pour the charcoal from the canister into the bowl.

You should just place bags of charcoal or bowls around the room and leave them for a night.

You can use a bag of charcoal for other rooms or other items to get rid of any kind of smell until they no longer absorb odors.

Indoor Plants

Some species of indoor plants are considered air purifiers. These include snake plants, aloe vera, spider plants, and more. These air purifier plants don’t help immediately to get rid of the spray paint smell. But they still help get rid of the smell.

Get your flowers out of the room while spraying paint, not to paint them. After completely spraying the paint, you can place them into the room. They will remove toxic particles and the spray paint smell from the room.

Onions

Onions seem to have a worse odor than spray paint. But they help to get rid of the spray paint smell.

To use the onion to remove the spray paint smell, you should slice the onion into thin silver or in half. Then you should place them in bowls, put them around the room, and let them stay overnight.

The odor of the onion will hide the spray paint smell. You should throw away the onion the next day. Don’t try to use it to make food or to eat. They are now likely to contain VOCs and may be toxic to your health.

Do Not Use Candles

Candles make the room smell better. But they also release VOCs. Although they release much fewer VOCs than spray paints, candles aren’t the best solution to get rid of the spray paint smell.

Candles help by replacing the smell of spray paint. But they add more VOCs in the air by mixing with VOCs of spray paint, while other ways also help to decrease the amount of VOCs.

How To Get Rid Of The Spray Paint Smell On Items

Different surfaces have different ways to get rid of the spray paint smell. Below I will show you different surfaces and the ways to get rid of the spray paint smell on each of them.

Get Rid Of The Spray Paint Smell On Wood

Before doing anything to remove the smell of spray paint, make sure the surface is completely dry. If the surface isn’t dry, you should wait until it dries thoroughly.

To remove the spray paint smell, you need some tools:

vinegar	a mixing bowl
a rag	a fan

After the top coat of the paint is completely dry, mix two parts of water and a part of vinegar in a bowl. Then apply the solution to the wood item using a rag. When you have finished coating the surface with the vinegar solution, turn on a fan, pointing the fan towards the wood item.

A fan helps the vinegar dry and speed up the curing time. If you notice the smell of the spray paint again, you can repeat the process again until the surface is without any smell of spray paint.

You can also leave the wood furniture outside under the sun to remove the spray paint smell and to help it dry faster.

Get Rid Of The Spray Paint Smell On Plastic

Any of the suggestions mentioned in the earlier sections can help to get rid of the spray paint smell on plastic. Lemon water, vinegar, and activated charcoal placed near the plastic item will get rid of the spray paint smell.

Use spray paint that is designed for plastic items. They will be zero or low- VOC spray paints. They usually dry more quickly than spray paints designed for general use. After all, the faster the spray paint dries, the sooner the smell disappears.

Get Rid Of Spray Paint On Metal

There are various ways to remove the spray paint smell on metal items. Placing lemon water, activated charcoal, or any other mentioned ways works well for metal items.

You can also make a mixture of water and vinegar for wood items and use it for metal. Vinegar can remove the spray paint smell on metal. But it may also remove the spray paint from the metal. So, you have to be careful. Dilute the solution and apply a small amount of mixture.

Don’t use vinegar solution until the metal item is completely dry. If it is still sticky to touch, wait again. When the surface has dried fully, apply a light layer of the vinegar solution to the metal item.

Get Rid Of Spray Paint Smell On Fabric

After having used spray paint, you usually notice the spray paint smell on your clothes. You cannot get rid of the smell of spray paint with normal laundry detergents. You need something stronger and more effective. You can use baking soda, borax, or vinegar to get rid of the spray paint smell.  

Follow the steps given below to get rid of the spray paint smell on clothes using baking soda:

Step 1:

Mix 1/2 cup of baking soda into a sink or bucket full of water.

Step 2:

Add the smoky laundry and periodically stir the mixture as the clothing soak.

Step 3:

Wash the clothing as usual when the odor has dissipated.

You can let a piece of fabric soak in a bucket of hot water and cinnamon, and after an hour or two, the cloth will definitely reduce the smell if it isn’t too strong.

You can follow the instructions on the box of borax when washing clothes. Or you can fill a bucket with warm water and ½ cup of vinegar or baking soda. Then let the clothes soak in the mixture until the smell of the spray paint disappears. After that, you can wash the clothes as usual.

Get Rid Of The Spray Paint Smell On Canvas

Are you trying to get rid of the spray paint smell on the canvas?

Well, there are more solutions. You can try to use vinegar on a rag, but the paint may smudge if it is not fully dry. You can also put charcoal, lemon water, or any other items mentioned above near the canvas. These ways help to decrease the smell of spray paint.

 But the best way is to put the canvas in a well-ventilated area. This will not only help to get rid of the spray paint smell but also ensure your paint is set and speed up the drying time.

Final Verdict

Spray paint smells bad and affects your health. The fumes of the spray paint can cause trouble breathing, headache, and dizziness, and long-term fumes can damage your nervous system and cause damage to your kidney and liver.

The best way to avoid the smell of spray paint is to paint outside. But it isn’t always possible.

Fortunately, there are other ways to get rid of the spray paint smell on different items. You can use air purifiers, indoor plants, vinegar, baking soda, coffee grounds, and many others to get rid of the spray paint smell.

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