Good Questions: How To Get Rid of Neighbor’s Paint Fumes?

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Maxwell RyanCEO
Maxwell RyanCEO
Maxwell left teaching in 2001 to start Apartment Therapy as a design business helping people to make their homes more beautiful, organized AND healthy. The website started up in 2004 with the help of his brother, Oliver. Since then he has grown ApartmentTherapy.com, added…read more
published Dec 13, 2006
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Hello AT,

We live on the top two floors of a three-unit building. We have a new downstairs neighbor who is painting her apartment before moving in and the paint fumes are invading our unit. In general, we can deal with this, as it’s a short-term situation–HOWEVER, we are hosting a party tomorrow night (Thursday) and do not want our place to reek of paint, if possible…

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We have candles burning, windows cracked open–any other suggestions to rid our place of fumes, at least for the night?

Thanks, S&T

Dear S&T,

We assume you’re talking about Latex fumes (oil-based paint would be deadly), and until the off-gassing is done, the best thing you can do is mask the fumes.

What masks best?

Cooking.

We don’t know if you ARE cooking for your guests, but there is nothing like the strong odors of cooking (onions, meat, garlic, pasta sauce, even toast!) to do the job. There almost seems like something absorptive about cooking odors.

Outside of that, stick with good candles and avoid cheap ones. Our favorite is the Votivo candle and the FIG is dreamy.

Anyone else?