# How to get rid of smell after re-staining wood floors? (Please help)



## Anchor Fence

Hi,

over a month ago I sanded & re-stained the floors in my house. still to this day there is a strong smell in the house. I also painted the house but the smell is not one of paint.

I was wondering if anyone could share some advice as to HOW I can get rid of the smell of having newly stained floors?

Thank you in advance.


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## RhodesHardwood

The smell usually leaves in just a few days. Have you tried changing the furnace filter?


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## Anchor Fence

Thank you for the response.

I have changed the furnace filter. Maybe I will try and trouble shoot a little more...

Any idea of how to eliminate such odors 'in general'?


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## Erikfsn

After redoing our floors the smell lingered for a while, then my wife found a bag full of rags in a corner that had some of the chemicals on them. The smell went away when the bag did.


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## Floor Surgeon

Cross-ventilation is the best way to go. I am sure it is cold as hell in Michigan right now, but the method is to open a window on one side of the room and put a fan facing out and then open a window accross the room. Most HVAC systems do not change the air in the room fast enough to keep up with the solvents gassing off. You probably used polyurethane topcoats which will take much longer to cure and therefore continue to release solvents for a month or more. Waterbased finishes are a little easier on the nose to begin with and also cure much faster.


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## astor

How about getting the dog into the tub and let him dry out in the house:laughing:.That will eliminate any smell of poly.:whistling


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## astor

Erikfsn said:


> After redoing our floors the smell lingered for a while, then my wife found a bag full of rags in a corner that had some of the chemicals on them. The smell went away when the bag did.


You are such a lucky person, that may had cause a fire.


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## CarpetbaggerEnt

I would look for any rags left in the house first. There are activated carbon air filters you can get for central HVAC systems that will scrub the odor out of the home in a day. Also, there are commercial air purifiers you can rent that will do the same - have used them in fire restoration jobs.

A cheap and easy method is new coffee grounds in pantyhose. Cut some squares out of a pair of panty hose big enough to hold 1 cup of coffee grounds. Tie them up and put them where air will circulate around them. The grounds will absorb the odors in a few days. It's an old trucker's trick they used in refer units - spread on the floor and wait 2 days - no odor.


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## Anchor Fence

Thanks for the tips! I did have the old lamb cloth(s) that were used for staining the floor still in the house in a garbage can (house was not currently occupied so the garbage was not taken out often) and I did use oil based poly.

I have removed the lamb cloth(s) and other rags that may have been used and will certainly try the "pantyhose/coffee" technique. Should I just place them near heater vents on the ground or anywhere on tables etc?

Thanks again for the assistance.


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