When we need to stain a wood surface in our house (for instance, a floor or a piece of furniture), no one tells us how strong that wood stain odor will be! We figure it out later after we are done staining and the smell remains eliminated days after.
Naturally, most of you start wondering how to get rid of the smell from wood stain and do it effectively and fast. That’s because even if we use proper ventilation during the staining process, that odor can be sensed long after.
So today we will tell you how to get rid of the smell of stain on wood, and you will also learn more about the different nuances of this procedure.
How to Get Rid Of Wood Stain Smell In the House?
If you have ever wondered how to get rid of the smell of wood stain, the most obvious answer probably was to ventilate the room where the wooden item was stained. However, if you already tried this method, you definitely figured out that mere ventilation will not work well enough.
This is why, if you want to get better results, stick to a few more well working approaches that include:
- Thorough ventilation
- The use of air purifiers
- Odor absorption
- The use of fans
And now let us explain in detail how to use each of these methods for getting rid of wood stain smell from any wooden surface in your home.
Ventilate
Proper ventilation is a must not only while you are staining wood but also after the work is done. However, ventilation means not only opening the windows in the house!
First of all, after you stained the wooden piece, remove it outside if the weather allows you to do that. Second, remember to turn on exhaust fans in case the odor comes from your kitchen or a bathroom.
Also, all the windows must be opened to cross-ventilate the area and let the smelly air out letting the fresh air in at the same time. To speed this process up, you can place a working fan on the opened window so that it blows out. Another fan needs to be placed in another window close to the door that leads to the room so that it draws fresh air into it.
If the room where the stained object is located has ceiling fans, turn those on as well since they will be able to provide an excellent air circulation thus drawing the odor out of the house.
After all of these measures are taken, allow the air to circulate out of the house for at least eight hours. That might seem to be too long but like this, the whole building will be freshened and aired more properly and thoroughly. If the wood stain smell disappears within that period of time, turn all the fans off and close the windows. But if it remains, don’t hesitate to leave your home ventilating until the wood stain cures!
Absorb Odors
Another way of getting rid of that heavy wood stain smell is to absorb it. To do this, you will need to take several small containers, fill them either with baking soda or with activated charcoal, and locate these containers around the room where the source of the odor is situated.
These containers must stay there for a few hours at least to give you a noticeable effect. Baking soda will absorb the odor and activated charcoal will work as a purifier and air filter. But if the odor remains after a few days, replace the containers with the new ones and let them work until the air in the room is fresh again.
Turn the Fans On
Fans can help significantly when you need to draw the heavy wood stain odor out of the room. If you have ceiling, pedestal and/or exhaust fans in your home, turn them on while staining the wood and leave them working after the job is done.
If you can locate them close to the source of odor, it will speed up the airing process. But even if you can’t do this, by simply working for a few days, the fans will draw the smelly air out of the house easily!
Use Air Purifiers
Air purifier is quite a pricey option, however, it is a very effective one. This device cleans the air by using the Advanced Odor Control system, and it can not only fight the wood stain smell but also get rid of cigarette smell, kitchen odors, and reduce the odors from your pets!
These are the simplest and basically the cheapest ways of how to get rid of the stain smell on wood fast. You can use one of them, but for better results, we would recommend combining several of these. Like this, the airing process will be speeded up and you will get rid of the heavy wood stain smell even faster than you expected.
Alternative Methods Of Destroying Wood Stain Odor
The approaches described above (such as airing or absorbing odors) can successfully be used either separately or all together to get rid of a pungent and heavy wood stain smell. However, if for any reason you can’t make use of any of them it is always good to have a couple of extras at hand. Like this, you will always manage that stinky issue easily!
So if you are looking for an alternative way of removing a wood stain smell from your house, think of a coat encapsulating sealer. This stuff is a very handy and good alternative since such sealers are available without any noxious solvent and toxic chemicals. That means they are safer than other common products because they don’t have that notorious odor.
Simply apply one layer of this sealer before staining your wooden piece, and the stain odor will be way less significant. Or maybe it will not appear at all! In addition, such sealers extend the lifespan of a paint applied.
Another option you can stick to is to make use of a lemon! Yes, the lemon we use for cooking! This is perhaps the cheapest and the simplest way of getting rid of odors that the whole mankind could think of!
All you need to do is to take a bowl of water and a large lemon. Cut a thick slice of the citrus and place it into the water. This lemon water will absorb odors like a sponge if you leave such bowls around the stained area overnight.
How to Avoid Toxic Wood Stain Odor?
It is always better to prevent something rather than trying to get rid of the problem later. It works for the wood stain odor issue as well. Avoiding it in advance is anyway easier and better than twisting your brain about how to get rid of wood stain smell in the house.
And since this smell can be quite toxic because it is a chemical that produces it, it is good to keep a few handy tips in mind that will help you to avoid this odor.
- Ensure you are using low VOCs or ultra-low VOCs that are odorless and water-based.
- When staining wood furniture, do it outdoors (if the weather allows you that, of course).
- Provide a cross air circulation for the indoor stain order.
- Never use exterior wood stains on indoor objects!
- Choose a non-toxic pure color water-based wood stain instead of an oil-based product.
- After the work is done, don’t throw the brush you were using into a bin. Put it into a zip lock bag to stop the odor from spreading around.
These suggestions will allow you to not just fight but even prevent the odor appearance and make the airing procedure much easier and faster.
Like this, you are now aware of how to get rid of wood stain smell in your house easily and with minimal expenses. Since wood stains are usually rather toxic compounds that have quite a pungent and heavy odor, getting rid of that smell can become a point of concern for a homeowner.
This is why we recommend everyone take the simple tips and recommendations we shared today into consideration. With all that in mind, you will manage to cope with even the strongest wood stain smell relatively simply without spending much money on expensive odor removing chemicals.
Luckily, to free your house from that stinky trap, you can make use of things that most of us have in our homes all the time, such as fans, lemons or baking soda. Other “remedies”, for instance, activated charcoal, can easily be bought in a nearest pharmacy. And even if you decide to use a chemical product (e.g. a coat encapsulating sealer), it can be found in any store.
So follow the recommendations we provided you with and be sure that with their help, you will fight that wood stain odor effortlessly!
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