Remove lingering fresh paint smells using 59p natural item you likely have in the cupboard

Paint smells can linger (Image: Getty)

While ventilation is very important in helping to air out any newly painted room, the smell may still linger for some time.

Say, for instance, you recently painted a bedroom (or about to) – and you don't have another spare room to stay in, or sleeping on the couch isn't appealing – you will want to remove the paint odour as soon as possible.

Jimmy Englezos, the paint expert at Ronseal, explained paint smells because of "volatile organic compounds", which are compounds that evaporate from the paint into the air.

These volatile organic compounds (VOCs) help to reduce paint drying times – by looking at the back of a paint tin, you can see what VOCs percentage the paint has. The lower the VOCs, the less smelly the paint will be once it's drying on your walls.

Thankfully, there are natural remedies that can absorb VOCs to help get rid of the paint smell – and you don't have to keep losing paid-for heat by having the windows open.

Baking soda can absorb the paint odour (Image: Getty)

Baking soda

Mr Englezos explained: "Baking soda naturally absorbs smells and odours and can be picked up for as little as 59p from supermarkets.

"Simply pour several tablespoons into bowls or plates and leave these around the room overnight to absorb the smell. It can also be sprinkled onto soft furnishings such as carpets and sofas and then hoovered up the next day."

Lemon juice

While water already absorbs paint odours, adding lemon slices will "give off a clean citrus scent that helps to mask the paint odour" – and a single lemon can be picked up in a supermarket for as little as 27.5p!

Activated charcoal

Another great alternative, albeit slightly more costly is activated charcoal, which can be picked up at hardware stores. "Like with baking soda, leave it in small bowls around the room to soak up the paint odours overnight," Mr Englezos advised.

Paint smells can linger for weeks if steps aren't taken (Image: Getty)

Onions and coffee grounds

While onions and coffee grounds can most definitely mask the scent of fresh paint, these odours may be off-putting to some.

"Slice up several onions and place the pieces on plates around the room to release their scent," said Mr Englezos. He warned: "After a while, throw these into the household waste – never use them to cook with as they may have absorbed some of the VOCs."

Ground-up coffee will also offer the same benefits, which should also be discarded after soaking up the VOCs.

Additional tips

Ventilation will help remove VOCs, but only if the windows or doors are ones leading outdoors. Any interior doors left open will only spread the VOCs around the house, which can be problematic.

"A great solution is to use an air purifier as this will actively remove the smelly particles from the air," added Mr Englezos. "Another solution is to angle an electric fan at an open window to direct the fumes out of the home."