DIY: Painting without the fumes

8:08 PM



I heard of a way to paint your home and not have to worry about smelling all the wet paint fumes. It's actually a very simple trick. Add a tablespoon of vanilla extract per pint of paint and mix it in REALLY well. It doesn't affect the paint but it will get rid of the smell and you will be able to breath more easily with your next paining project.



Stephanie

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15 comments

  1. love these ideas. If you want your blog more popular to add on ads to make money I think you can like it to facebook to share and like it. So then when I read a post I can click "like" and other friends can see it. Go to moneysavingmom.com to get ideas about how to make money with your blog. I like this painting idea and the pillow idea. I also just got coconut oil for chirine to try out. Also, this is your cousin Joseph wadsworth who is married to monise blog...http://chocolateonmycranium.blogspot.com/

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  2. I will have to try this idea. I am going to paint my kids room pretty soon!

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  3. Love this idea! Does it work with the imatation or just the pure?

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  4. I believe that the imitation works just the same. Never tried it before but I would be surprised if it didn't work the same.

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  5. I read that vanilla discolored paint over time but almond was ok... I don't remember where so don't take my absolute word for it.

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  6. I would LOVE to know if anyone has tried this and has had a noteworthy experience!

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  7. If you buy the low VOC paint, it doesn't have the strong smell that the regular paint has. It is worth the extra few dollars per gallon to me.

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  8. Do you think I could take my vanilla (or almond, then it would smell like frosting) and my tsp to the store when I got my paint and have them mix it when they mix the colors? Or even after they mix it, just have them put it back on the shaker thing? Worth a shot! What's the worst that can happen? They say no, and you have to mix it by hand when you get home?

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  9. The "smell of fresh paint" is volatile organic compounds (VOC), that offgas at low (ambient) temperatures. These VOCs can cause free-radical damage which lead to cancer. When you realize this, they suddenly don't smell so "good" anymore. We have been conditioned to associate the smell of fresh paint with the "newness" of a painted room, but you can also willingly dis-associate that smell as it isn't the SMELL itself that makes the room new. VOC's offgas LONG after you quit smelling that smell. No or low VOC paint is widely available now, but we have to CHOOSE it.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volatile_organic_compound
    http://www.epa.gov/iaq/voc.html
    http://toxics.usgs.gov/definitions/vocs.html
    http://www.treehugger.com/culture/vocs-volatile-organic-compounds-indoor-air-quality-and-respiratory-health.html
    Now...why would you want to use vanilla to simply MASK their smell???
    That "new paint smell" (whether you mask it or not) can kills brain cells (depending upon the paint additives, which almost NO company divulges), harms the environment irreparably, and causes long-term cellular damage that can lead to cancer. Low and No-VOC paint is readily available now, though the various brands vary GREATLY in quality (and price isn't necessarily an indicator). Good brands work as well or better than harmful paints. AMF Safecoat and Mythic Paint are two brands that get good reviews, though there are others. (I have nothing to do with either company.)

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous, I don't doubt that there are chemicals that are included in paint that could be harmful. Your statement about the paint industry hiding what is in the paint does not hold up. We use paint in our contracting business and that information is widely available to contractors, resellers, homeowners or anyone who is interested.

      My grandfather, father and brother were painters all of their lives. My grandfather was not even part of the generations that was availed water based paints so only used the oil-based products that were soluble with turpentine and the like. My dad and brother were availed the benefit of water based paint products and the science that has gone into making better and better products. My grandpa and dad were close to 90 when they died. They worked with, breathed, and lived with these products every day of their lives, having shops in their garages and basements. My brother still does the same and is very healthy.

      I find many of the claims of uncontrolled, undivulged dangerous chemicals to be wildly suspicious at best. Irritants exist in many things, even in nature. Taken in gross quantities many things can be harmful. If everything were so dangerous to man and the almost idolized planet, I doubt that we would all still be here. I just can't reconcile the number of people I know, who have worked in the paint industry all their lives and are healthy, with the information you are espousing.

      The human body is intricately and wonderfully made and can actually overcome more obstacles in this life than many would lead you to believe.

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  10. I don't like the idea of "masking" the smell of paint. Like the anonymous poster said, the smell is from VOC's, so instead of masking the smell, you should use low or no VOC paint.

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  11. Now why would anonymous people comment on a blog only to be negative? There is a nice way of putting information out there without being nasty about it. People are still going to buy the harmful paint, so why not mask the smell?

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  12. You can also chop up an onion in a room when you are using solvent/oil based paints to kill the smell. Post 2010 there have been restriction on the VOC content of all paints and so they are not as harmful as they once were anyway.
    _________
    HarriDec

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  13. Please make sure you specify that this only masks the smell and that people should still stay well ventilated and opt for low VOC paints as much as possible.

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  14. It also cuts the smells of cigarette smoke. Just a good tip to know...

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