What Makes Wood Stain Emits Unpleasant Smell? In general, wood stains are made using toxic ingredients for human beings, which also causes a strong smell.
This smell is produced because the chemical ingredients in the stains are harmful. The strong smell is usually in acrylic and oil-based stains.
Applying those stains on your wood surface will create a chemical reaction emitting a smelly effect. This wood stain smell resembles the smell of fireplace smoke.
What Ingredients Can Cause The Stain To Emit Strong Smell
Arsenic and formaldehyde are the two volatile compounds responsible for producing the smell of Wood Stain.
This smell is emitted when you paint the wooden surface and will continue to smell until it cures.
The best way to eliminate this bad smell is by using water-based stains that don’t have these harmful ingredients or using stains that have ultra-low VOCs.
Are The Fumes Of Wood Stain Easily Set Afire?
Yes. This is because the vapors from wood stains can be flammable during the curing process. This is also why you are always told to stain your surface in a room with a proper ventilation system.
However, when the toxic stain evaporates, and the wood surface has cured, it is no longer flammable.
How Toxic Is The Wood Stain Smell?
Besides having a strong unpleasant smell, wood stain is also very dangerous for humans, animals, and the environment.
Some wood stain brands even explain how toxic their ingredients are for living beings in their products.
For this reason, you might notice the dangers of wood stains for human beings in the products. For instance, the products may cause eye and skin irritations, and even they can be cancerous.
However, these harmful effects don’t last long. Once the surface is cured, the harmful substances are gone.
How Long The Toxic Effect From Wood Stain Will Last After Application?
The toxic, unpleasant smell will typically stay for 24 to 48 hours. Depending on the stain types, environment, and other factors, it can be longer.
As long as the wood stain hasn’t fully dried. It will continue to emit a toxic and unpleasant odor. The time it takes to dry depends on the conditions of your working place.
You can remove the offensive smell by speeding up the drying process. To accelerate the drying process, you can use an air conditioner and dehumidifier.
The Dangers Of Inhaling Wood Stain Substance For Humans
When a person inhales the toxic smell of wood stain for extended periods, he/she will experience many side effects.
The following side effects are the results of inhaling the toxic vapors of wood stain:
- You will experience nausea and vomiting
- Some people report that the smell induces headaches and dizziness.
- The toxic vapors can also give irritation to the skin and eye.
- Prolonged exposure can cause even more danger to the human body, such as respiratory issues, impaired vision, and even nervous system problems.
The Effective Ways To Get Rid Of Wood Stain Smell On Your Furniture
Here are the best ways you can do to remove those offensive wood stain odors from your furniture surface:
Provide Enough Ventilation To Remove The Stain Smell
Ventilation is the most important thing when dealing with wood stain smell. This is because when the stain is still in the curing process, it emits toxic smells, and the unpleasant smells accumulate over time.
That’s why you need to provide escape ways for the smell by providing ventilation. Open all windows and let fresh air come in.
Leave the windows open overnight to let the smell get out of the room. Do this trick for 3 to 5 days to completely remove the smell.
Use An Air Purifier or Fan To Kill The Bad Smell
Opening windows are not suitable when you are working in the winter season. So you need to find other ways to speed up the curing process.
One of the best ways to accelerate the curing process is by using an air purifier or fan.
You can use air purifier devices such as HEPA filters. The cleaner will remove the stain vapors in the air. You can also use ceiling or exhaust fans to eliminate the offensive smell.
Activated Charcoal Works By Purifying Pollutants
You can also use activated charcoal as a remedy. It will attract particles such as wood stain vapors, and as a result, the odors will disappear.
Put some activated charcoals in a bowl or other container. Using more than one container is recommended to speed up the process.
Then, place them inside the room where the stained furniture is. The bad odors will gradually disappear as you frequently change the carbon charcoal inside the containers.
Do this for 2 to 5 days to get the best results. Combine this method with a fan or ventilation method.
Onions Can Remove Wood Stain Smell Effectively
It may sound ironic that onions can remove smells as they are smelly. However, they do remove bad smells, including the smells from wood stains.
Onions produce a smell when they absorb odors. In conclusion, the smell of onions can neutralize the air from other bad smells.
Here are the instructions to remove the wood stain smell on furniture using onions. Firstly, cut an onion into small equal sizes and put them in a container.
After that, pour water into it. You can use more containers to speed up the air-neutralizing process. After that, put the containers on the wooden surface where the stain smell occurs.
Leave them for 48 hours or more. After that, do a smell test to check if the smell has diminished. You can also replace the onions every 24 hours.
Use Lemon or Orange To Absorb The Wood Stain Smell
Citrus fruits such as oranges and lemons can remove unpleasant wood stain smells. You must slice the lemon and peel the oranges to remove the odors.
For the starter, use three peels of oranges in large sizes and put the peels in a container. Place them at the sides or angles of your stained room.
Leave the containers for a few hours. The offensive odor will decrease gradually. For lemons, you need to slice them into tiny slices and put them on flat plates.
After that, put the containers on the sidewalls where the stained surface is. Wait for a few hours and then replace them. This method works best in a closed room.
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