When fixing things up at home, there's a true satisfaction in a job well done. Yet sometimes, you have to acknowledge that you lack the necessary skillset, equipment, or even the desire to do the job yourself. This can be the case when it comes to painting the interior of your home. This is a task that is often best left to an interior painting services company, who will arrive, comprehensively protect your flooring and furniture and then get to work. At first glance, the only thing they've left behind are freshly-painted walls. At first smell, however, is a different story. Yes, the walls look brilliant. But what about the unpleasant lingering odour of the paint?
Consider Alternative Sleeping Arrangements
You need to plan ahead. Although the smell of the paint can be minimised and quickly dispersed, some scent is going to be inevitable. You might wish to vacate the rooms in question by sleeping in another bedroom for the night or even with a campout in your living room. If the entirety (or even the majority) of your rooms are being painted at once, it can be wise to stay with friends or family for a night or two to avoid inhaling the paint's off-gassing as you sleep. When vacating your home is not possible or convenient, you can take steps to minimise the potentially toxic emissions produced as the paint dries.
Air Circulation
Ventilation is key, and ideally, all the windows in the room should be wide open when the paint is being applied, and they should be kept open as long as possible. If there are security bars in place, leave the window open all night. If there's a ceiling fan, activate its lowest setting once the painters have finished in the room. This will promote air circulation and speed up the process.
Using an Air Conditioner
A split system air conditioner can also be helpful. As the refrigerant circulates across the unit's evaporator before being fed into the room's duct, the heat inside the room is absorbed and expelled outside. The air inside the room is essentially being circulated by the machine, and this will eventually lead to the changeover of the air inside the space, with the scent of the paint being removed as well.
Other Options
There are also a number of small scale setups that will absorb the scent of the paint. Some types of candles are designed to burn away unpleasant scents. You will need to buy a specific candle for this purpose (check at your local hardware shop). A scented candle will only temporarily mask the smell of the paint, and the scent of the candle can ultimately blend with the paint's odour, making the overall smell far more potent. You can also distribute small open containers of baking soda throughout the room. These will help to absorb the smell and can be discarded afterwards.
The sooner that paint smell is gone, the sooner you can enjoy your living space once again, and a tiny amount of effort can speed the process up quite effectively. Speak with an interior painting service to learn more.