After a renovation: how to get rid of paint smell safely and remove cement and paint stains from tiles

The smell is the paint drying. Paint gives off volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as it dries, most in the first days, and oil-based paint, wood paint and varnish smell stronger and for longer than water-based paint. Engineered-wood furniture, adhesives, flooring, new curtains and carpets add to it, so air the whole home, including rooms that were not painted.

• Open doors or windows that face each other, so that a draught crosses the room.
• Stand a fan near a window, facing out, so that it pushes room air out instead of stirring it.
• Run the bathroom and kitchen extractor fans for longer than usual.
• Open built-in wardrobes, kitchen cupboards and newly fitted drawers so that the vapour inside can escape.
• In a high-rise flat, keep balcony doors and windows on their safety latches when small children are home, and close up in heavy rain or strong wind.

Ventilation works. Most popular tips leave the paint vapour in the air unchanged.

No single date fits every job: it depends on the paint, the number of coats, the area and the airflow. With water-based paint and good ventilation the smell usually falls clearly after a few days; oil-based paint, wood paint and varnish can take considerably longer. Read the drying time on the tin, and ask the contractor which paint each room received.

Households with young children, older people, pregnant women or anyone with a respiratory condition should be more cautious than usual. Nobody should sleep in a newly painted room while the smell is strong, and closing the windows to run the aircon only covers it. If anyone gets a headache, dizziness or stinging eyes indoors, they should go out into fresh air; ventilate more and ask a health professional if needed. Before fixing a moving date, check that:

• The paint in every room is fully dry, according to the manufacturer and the contractor.
• The closed-door test leaves no clear smell of paint, above all in the child's bedroom.
• The child's room was painted first and aired longest. If the paint is still to be chosen, prefer a water-based, low-VOC one for that room.
• Paint dust, plaster dust and paint spots have been cleaned from floors, glass and door frames.
• New mattresses, curtains, rugs and wooden furniture have been unwrapped and left to air.
• The aircon has been cleaned since the work ended, because construction dust clings to its filters and coil.

Moving into an apartment in Saigon

The order of work before you unpack.

Glazed ceramic and porcelain usually can; natural stone and porous tiles cannot. Cement removers are acidic, and that acid can ruin some surfaces within minutes, so check the materials list or ask the contractor first.

Fila's instructions for its post-construction cement remover give the core sequence: wet the floor and grout, apply diluted solution to a small area, wait a few minutes, scrub, collect the residue and rinse with plenty of water. Dilution and timing differ between products, so follow your own label.

• Let new grout cure for as long as its maker recommends. Acid on young grout can pit and bleach it.
• Take off thick mortar with a plastic scraper or a stiff plastic card held low. Metal tools chip the tile edges.
• Wet the floor evenly, the grout lines above all: grout that is full of water takes up less acid.
• Dilute the remover exactly as labelled, never stronger.
• Test one tile out of sight and check, once dry, that neither tile nor grout has changed.
• Work on one or two square metres at a time: apply, wait the stated time, scrub with a brush or a non-scratch pad.
• Take up the dirty solution with cloths or a wet vacuum and rinse with plenty of water. Acid must never dry on the floor.
• Where residue remains, repeat the treatment; do not raise the strength.

Soften or dissolve first, then lift with plastic.

A cement remover is corrosive. Diluted hydrochloric acid (HCl), which some people buy loose for the job, is dangerous: it can burn skin, damage eyes and give off pungent fumes. Prefer a dedicated product with clear instructions on its label.

• Never mix an acid or cement remover with chlorine bleach (sold as “Javel”) or a product containing ammonia: toxic chlorine or chloramine gas can result. Rinse the floor clean between one and the other.
• When diluting, pour acid slowly into water, never the reverse, so that it does not boil and spit.
• Wear chemical-resistant gloves, sealed goggles, long sleeves and boots. Open every door and set a fan to push the fumes out.
• Cover marble thresholds, wooden cabinet feet and nearby stainless steel, chrome and aluminium, which acid stains and corrodes.
• Paint thinner is flammable: gas hob off, no smoking, used rags in a closed container away from heat.
• Keep children, older people and pets out until the floor has been rinsed and is dry.
• If a chemical gets on skin or in the eyes, rinse at once with plenty of clean water for several minutes. For a burn, lasting pain or breathing difficulty, call the emergency number 115.
• Never pour concentrated acid or leftover thinner down the drain.

Usually because a thin film of cement, fine dust and grout residue still lies on them; the glaze itself is intact. Once that film is off, the original shine generally returns.

• Mop with a diluted neutral cleaner, changing the water often so that cement dust is not spread, then with clean water, and dry with a microfibre cloth or flat mop.
• A white bloom on the dry floor is usually leftover cement film, or solution that dried on for want of rinsing. Rinse again with plenty of water; if it persists, treat that patch again.
• Never use scouring powder, sandpaper or a grinder on glazed tiles: a glaze worn away cannot be restored.
• Do not wax a tiled floor that is not yet fully clean: wax traps the dirt and makes the floor slippery.
• No steel wool. Its filings lodge in the grout and rust when damp.

UpClean's post-construction clean works in layers. Site debris, tape and protective film are cleared, and fine cement and filler dust is vacuumed from ceilings, walls and floors before any wet wiping. Paint, silicone and cement spots are lifted from glass, tiles and sanitaryware; glass, door tracks, cupboard interiors and bathrooms are cleaned; floors are mopped until no white dust is left. No strong acid goes on natural stone, glazed ceramic or coated glass. An apartment usually takes one to two days.

The price is the floor area multiplied by the rate for the type of home, 1.5 times the deep-clean rate, and never below 1,350,000 VND per visit. It is confirmed in writing after a survey in person or from photos and video.

To book, send the floor area, photos or a video and your moving date to 0968 726 135 on WhatsApp or Zalo, or call between 7:00 AM and 8:00 PM on any day. The quote, the confirmation and the Up Report, the photo record of each area before and after, can be in English. Up specialists are identity-verified and trained to the Up Standard; their names and photos reach you in advance, for registering them and reserving the lift where the building requires it.