How to filter air from new building material chemicals?

Question

It isn't a bad smell but surely not a safe smell for children or myself. Its a 30r old house we just rennovated 100%. New paints, glues, flooring, cabinets. everything emits the new smell of building products. I chose all low voc and low formaldehyde products and did hardwood instead of carpet but it still smells of fumes, Surely these aren't good for our lungs to breathe in day and night. I have opened windows and fans are circulating wihen its cool and in humid weather using AC but still I smell it when I go there.The furnace ducts were professionally cleaned this weekend, of course that didn't halp with the new fumes but we did it anyway. We have to live in it next week to start the school year in it and don't want to breathe this in or for my family too. What can I do. I get headaches from strong fumes and my skin reacts too. My head hurts every time I go there.I know I can just take tylenol but still our poor lungs.

Answer 1

We had the same problem and had to bring in filtering duct fans. These are commercial fans , built inside a metal box and they are hooked up to round ducts that bring fresh air into your house. They have foam filters that you can spray with GO GREEN, a pleasant smelling air freshener. We ran one upstairs and one downstairs for four days and it was much better on the fifth day. Fresh air that is circulated into the house and the house air is circulated to the outside. HVAC companies have these if you can not rent them from the Rental Shop / local supply house. They are commercial blowers, so they move a lot of air. We bought several boxes of natural air fresheners in waffer form and set them in front of the blowers. This circulated a natural fresh smell. We used cedar chips also. We noticed a big differance each day and even after a week the house had that new paint smell but slowly went away in  the second week . If you used only low voc and odorless, low formaldehyde products the smell is not harmful, just annoying to breath. We hung several house, room fresheners in each room, used airwicks at the windows, put out  natural fresheners like flowers, and used fresh food,like baking fresh bread and having new house parties days before we moved in and then continued with baking fresh bread, cookies, brownies with scented candles at night. All together worked well and now we have a wonderful remodeled house that has that bakery smell from all the fresh baked goodies. Truth is only time and fresh circulated air will make that remodeled house smell go away. We even had friends that stopped by with fresh dough so we could have a baking fresh bread, cheece and wine get-together/party.

Sleep with the fans blowing at night helped. The best advice is call several of your friends and have a little picnic with fresh breads and wine. In two weeks the smell will be small but the friends calling for another picnic will be great. It is a nice night to bake fresh sourdough loaves and have cheece and wine, now that you remind me.