Acrylic smell/fume in my apartment


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Old 10-11-10, 06:41 PM
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Acrylic smell/fume in my apartment

So about 3 months ago, the apartment's tub was glazed and the apartment smelled so bad from the chemicals that I had to move to another apartment. I was constantly getting high everyday from the fumes and I tried opening the windows, fanning it out with high powered fans and it was still there.

So I move to the new apartment and it's better but I can still smell the fumes. I got rid of my couch and that helped get rid most of it. Then I put the bed in my friend's backyard and the air in the apartment feels fresher. But once in a while, I still get high off the fumes. I can tell when I'm high because my thought process becomes stagnant and I'm non reactive. So I'm thinking that there's still acrylic chemicals from some of my personal belongings. Now I only have my home theatre system (surround sound, tv), pc , bookshelves and clothes in the room.

To home improvement experts out there, how can I get rid of this smell/chemical? I tried putting charcoal and water in the room and it doesn't seem to be helping (advice from websites). My last step would be to move to another apartment and maybe starting from scratch and getting rid of all my stuff - which would really suck.

Thanks
 
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Old 10-12-10, 04:12 AM
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Welcome to the forums!

Fresh air ventilation has always been the best method of removing paint fumes!

Unfortunately some folks are extra sensitive to the fumes
I don't know any tricks to removing the fumes although anything porous [like fabric] can absorb [and release] odors more than the hard surface items like a dresser or table.
 
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Old 10-12-10, 06:11 AM
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You do seem to be extra-sensitive, an ozone generator might help, can't say for sure
 
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Old 02-28-11, 10:20 PM
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Okay, I'm thinking about moving out because I can still feel the fumes. Is there anyone else with an advice to remove acrylic smell from an apartment?

Thanks a bunch.
 
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Old 03-01-11, 07:21 PM
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An ozone generator is the biggest gun in the arsenal when it comes to removing smells. When someone dies in a house and the body isn't discovered until the neighbors start to complain about the smell coming from the house, they use ozone generator(s) to remove the smell from the house so that it can be sold.

But, you have to know that ozone (O3) works exactly the same way as bleach (NaOCl) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and that is by spontaneously breaking down to form a more stable compound, and releasing a lone oxygen atom in the process. As a result, ozone will have the same effect on your clothes as bleach and hydrogen peroxide do, and that is that it'll both lighten and weaken the fabric. But, this effect is very much less with an ozone generator than it would be by applying bleach directly to fabrics (because of the lower number of oxygen atoms the fabric is exposed to).

Lone oxygen atoms are the horny drunken sailors of the chemical world. They'll react with anything unstable enough to react with them, and that's typically large organic molecules. The way oxygen atoms work is by reacting at different sites on the molecule, thereby breaking it into pieces. Since those pieces have a different chemical structure than the original molecule, they no longer absorb the same wavelengths of light or affect the olefactory glands in our noses the same way. Generally, those pieces don't absorb any wavelengths of light or affect the nose at all. The result is that bleach, hydrogen peroxide and ozone will remove the colour and smell (and probably taste) from organic materials.

To rent an ozone generator, phone around to the places listed under "Janitorial Equipment & Supplies" in your yellow page. There'll be at least one company renting them in your area. To use an ozone generator, you just plug it in and let it work overnight. You don't want to stay in that area for long while it's working.
 
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Old 03-02-11, 02:38 PM
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Originally Posted by Nestor
You don't want to stay in that area for long while it's working.
Ozone is poisonous, you turn it on and leave while it's running
 
 

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