You only have four more weeks to go. Do you think maybe you could be running on hypersensitive mode? Your husband says he doesn't notice it, but you do, so I wonder.

I haven't used Harmony for a really long time. It is SW's no VOC line. Colorants can add trace amounts of VOC's, but I've never noticed any significant odor from the colors with more colorant.

Have you asked friends, family if they notice anything just to get a balanced perspective? Since you sense a problem and your husband does not, he may have gotten used to the smell, if there is one. Outside parties may help you determine if there really is something to follow up with SW about.

I only use ICI's Lifemaster in my own home because I am a bit of a green freak so I totally understand the concern. To be honest with you, if it were me, I don't think I'd be stressing out about it a whole bunch. If the colors have dried to the touch normally, the feel dry not tacky and everything otherwise appears normal for a freshly painted room, I bet it will be okay.

I'd want to see what other people could detect and I'd follow up with SW's Architect and Designer Answerline 1-800-321-8197.

Volatile Organic Compounds are defined by the good ole EPA as "any volatile compound of carbon".
There are chemicals that would be considered VOCs but are exempt from listing.
See 40 C.F.R. 51.100(s) for the list.

A "VOC free" product thus may actually contain volatile carbon compounds and meet the letter of the law.
Ammonia is commonly used in latex paint products to keep the latex in solution and is NOT a VOC (no carbon).

There are many non-carbon compounds that still have a discernible smell and are NOT covered by the VOC label.

I personally don't think I can help you because I don't think that there is anyone out there that will be able to convince you that this room is "safe" for you or your baby....& thats because you can smell the fresh paint. I say this because of what you wrote. Regardless I will give it a shot.

I have had a few rare requests to use this type of paint but by other manufactures. I don't think that there is that big of a difference in them. After 20+ years of painting you would prolly think I could not smell paint but I could even smell this stuff. I made a personal conclusion several years ago that certain odors can affect people both physically & psychologically.

Things have smells & odors. When I was a boy I remembered a few times smelling some spray paint odors in school shop class & I felt physically ill because of it. But now these same kinds of products have no effect on me. As I have thought about those days & wondered why I don't have the same reaction I deduced that it was more than likely a defensive reaction by my body saying "GET OUT! THIS IS BAD!". This happened because it was an unfamiliar odor.

There have been several studies about how different odors affect people. In the past couple of months I happened to be watching something on TV which totally reinforced this conclusion. From your post I would bet a million bucks that you don't watch shows like "Future Weapons" but this was where I learned of a recent study.

Ok everyone I know I am really getting off the beaten path of the garden forums but hear me out please cause this is important & I have dealt with this same issue in the past! We have all heard of chemicals like pepper spray. Yes this may not have much effect on a crack head during an arrest but it has been proven not be be effective at all on some people that aren't crack heads. So answers to these kinds of questions have been sought out.

The defense dept has been working on different odors that can be an effective non-lethal way of repelling or controlling people in dangerous situations & found that people can be brought under control by nauseating odors. You might be surprised to know that one very effective odor to disable some African people is CINNAMON! Yes cinnamon. Why would such an odor which you & I prolly find to be quite delightful cause a nauseous reaction to some Africans? Welp its simple.....they have never smelled this before!

Without starting to make the readers of this thread sick with other odor comparisons we all have wondered how some people do some of their jobs because of foul odors. Well they have gotten used to them.

So newmum I think you are just extra sensitive to this new odor. I personally don't feel that the odor of the paint you used is any less noticeable than regular paints. I am not trying to be sarcastic at all but the fact is that pine trees create a huge amount of VOC emmisions in their natural state. So do other trees. I mean if you are worried about chemicals so much than you need to realize that there are many things even naturally that people can get freaked out about. & I only mean this as clarifying that your babies room is safe. Its just gonna take a lil while for this odor to die down & soon you won't notice at all.

Hope that helped & congrats on the new crumb cruncher!

Hi Newmum!
One thing that MAY help is a GOOD quality de-humidifier!!
* Buy one with a decent capacity, and one that can run down to 40 degrees F.
* Too small of a unit takes a long time, and doesn't do a good job.
* This sounds silly, but if you have to use it in a cooler basement, it'll keep running!
* Also, look for one that'll auto-start after a power outage...many don't have this feature.

I pretty sure this'll help!
Faron

Thanks for all the replies.. I haven't yet had visitors to get a balanced perspective, but I am quite sure it isn't just me. Just to clarify... my husband DOES detect an odor, but it just doesn't bother him as much as me. He has slept in the room a few times so far, whereas I want to, but just cannot. And that is with exhaust fans on 24/7, so whatever is making the smell is going to only get stronger once the windows are closed up. Also I noticed the walls are still a little tacky, and he also agrees they are tacky! I thought, wow, the paint hasn't cured yet, and he said that's impossible, no paint takes a month to cure, and that our walls must be tacky for some other reason. There are a few places where drips occurred, and in those spots, you can press a fingernail into the paint and notice a mark, but I don't think the entire room would smell from just a few drips.

I might want to try the dehumidifer idea, but how would that work? Should I close up the windows and door to the room and then run it inside? Or should I leave everything as it is (exhaust fans in window, door ajar a few inches) to keep a constant flow of air going through the room to the outside. If so, could the dehumidifier keep up with removing the humidity fast enough, as the air is vented outside or would it just end up being a waste? Or maybe I should put it right outside the door to the room, so that the dry air flows into and through the room on its way outside?

One thing is for sure, I will never again use no-VOC paint. He repaired & painted a small section of our hallway (with regular cheap latex white paint) maybe a month prior to this, and it never bothered me at all. (but it was on unpainted drywall, and the bedroom was done over very old latex paint. Not sure if that makes a difference or not) I only thought to be extra cautious with the bedroom/baby room so that is why I decided to choose something I thought would be the wisest choice - never again!!!

If the paint is not completely dry in a mater of a few hours (look on the can) there is something wrong with it.
There is no way is should be anything except completely dry after 24 hours.

Painting over a defective layer like this usually requires removing it or the new paint will not dry and stick to the surface.

You might try washing it off with spic and span type cleaner and a large size sponge, allowing the wall to dry completely, priming, and then applying a high quality paint.

I agree. As I mentioned before, if the walls don't look and feel normal, then I would absolutely follow up with SW.

They should not feel the least bit tacky at this point and the both of you never should have detected much of ANY odor at all! I would agree that something could be wrong. Have no clue what, but this doesn't sound right to me.

If SW asks for your gallon(s), be sure to save some. Don't give it all to them. It's not unreasonable to expect one of their experts to come out to look at the situation. Definitely push for appropriate restitution.

If you were my client, I'd be raising holy heck on your behalf. I'd expect a full repaint with product and labor included all on SW's dime.

It could be that the base paint is No VOC, but the colorant they add has VOC's. A lot of companies do this and trick you. Baby Safe Finishes makes a truly No VOC paint, I have painted every room in my house with their paint. The colors are limited because they use only No VOC Colorants. Also they are made in USA unlike many other companies. www.babysafefinishes.com enjoy!

Here is a link that might be useful: Baby Safe Finishes

Baby Safe Finishes ought to review some of the facts and rethink the wording in some of the statements about their paint and no VOC paints in general.

Surfactant leaching can cause paint to feel tacky a very long time though it usually happens only in areas of very high humidity like bathrooms. Of course, there's no telling how "no-voc" is going to perform.

How long did this take to get better? We are having the same issue with BM Natura.

I just used SW Harmony and it stunk pretty bad and for quite awhile (48 hours)! I was not happy because my son gets Migraines and paint odors can trigger him (I did paint when he was gone for a weekend and then kept the door to the room closed with the fan running for several days----real fun in the dead of winter BTW!).

Anyway, I started doing more research and I spoke to one paint store rep (independent "green" type of store) who told me that the whole low/no VOC thing is really pertaining to the paint's effect on the environment---NOT on how the smell/chemicals in the paint may affect a person sensitive to them. I found this quite enlightening and am now leaning toward a natural paint---BIOSHIELD---which uses natural clay as the colorant. Unfortunately, there isn't a dealer close by for me to go and see it :(

It's true. Lo/no VOC does not have one fat thing to do with odor.

A very high-quality lo/no VOC paint can have a very strong fragrance, or odor depending on your point of view.

Lo/no Voc and smell are two separate issues to consider in your "green" paint choice.

Thank you for the confirmation Funcolors-----I just wish I'd known this a year ago!

A pail of water with fresh squeezed lemon juice will help absorb paint odors.

Or, perhaps running a dehumidifier will be beneficial. Be sure to replace/clean the filter thereafter.

Goodness - this post dates back to 2007.

kimcoco, I know. Garden Web is so amazing. ♥

God bless 'em for keeping up their archives. It's truly a treasure trove of information here.

So many wonderful members who have contributed so much useful and beneficial content. The tribe here on GW deserves some ♥ too!

I know this post is very old, but it's good info on the SW Harmony. Thanks for that. My own experience is that Lifemaster smells less than "regular" paints I have used. But when I painted a cabinet with it and had my head stuck in there, I could still smell something pretty strong.

It is definitely helpful for those of us who are sensitive. However, I think it sounds like the SW Harmony is not the best choice in that case. I've had someone trying to get me to try SW paint, so thanks for the warning!

I am also curious if they perform less well in general. Does anyone know?

I just finished painting my kitchen using Mythic non-toxic paint and it's AWESOME!!!! Almost no odor ( and what odor there was wasn't a typical paint smell) and it went away within hours. It seemed to cover pretty well too. I'm happy to report that my son had no negative reaction to this paint! YAY!

Wow scrappykat, very cool! I see they have a no-voc colorant system, very nice. Don't we have a couple Ace employees here? What can you folks tell us about Mythic?

here you go
Faron is the Ace guy but as far as I know, they don't sell it( but I don't know a whole **ll of a lot)

Here is a link that might be useful: mythic

jessicaml is with ACE as well.

I have heard great things about Mythic - but like Chris, I don't know that much about it.

Bump! Faron and Jessicam1, can you tell us anything about Mythic?

Hi. It's been 10 years now and you may no longer even live there, but did that paint odor ever go away. I am having the same trouble here. The landlord agreed to use low or no voc paint, but it smells even after 2 weeks. Have you tried other safer? paints over the years that have worked for you, line Mythic, Safe Coat, or Bioshield? Thank you, Scott

I have loved BM Natura paint - virtually no odor! The key is to make sure the painters are using the Natura, and as well as Natura trim paint. If they are using a primer or semi gloss on the trim that's smelly, then the Natura wall paint was pointless. Good luck!

Did you ever find the solution? Having similar problem and airing out does no good.

I have never had an issue with no voc, please go back to Sherwin Williams for help. There must be a defect of some kind in the paint.

i have the same problem with zero voc, tried to air out the room for a month now, and there is still stinky odor, its not a paint odor, it definently comes from the paint but stinky,

inbox me if you have the same issue with Benjamin Moore, may file class.

11235.us@gmail.com

Having the same problem with BM's Natura and it was used without primer as the wall was repainted with the same color. I believe that the colorant is the VOC culprit for two reasons: we used a non-colored Natura flat for a ceiling back in 12/2018 without incident and my building biology friends said that the third party VOC certification is only for the base. There is no HPD (Health Product Declarations) for the colorants. Those HPDs are used to disclose product ingredients and health hazards. While I am not an attorney, I believe that this qualifies as a deceptive business practice. What is BM hiding? We have reached out to four law firms in our area that do class action to see if any of them are interested in pursuing this. Strongly suggest that others follow suit (pun intended) .

Forget all the recommendations about lemon in water, charcoal, vanilla extract, onions, even air purifiers (our IQ Air Pro filters will now have to be replaced as they have been compromised by the smell). None of them will work. Neither will dehumidification. Putting the space under negative pressure (if you can) may reduce the stench somewhat. We set up medium weight roofing tarps (with non-smell green painter's tape) to separate our sunroom (wall was painted) from the rest of the house. We are going to apply the AFM Transitional Primer as the blocking agent to be followed by EVOS paint.

For those sickened by the paint, you may want to consider taking the GPL-TOX test which checks for multiple VOCs. Might also be helpful in proving damages if it comes to that. Also, sauna is very good for detoxifying from VOCs, but obviously the key is the address the problem at the source.

Good Luck to all of us.

Finally someone is stepping up to the Plate and admitting they are doing something weird to paint! It used to smell like PAINT. Then it went away. Sherwin Williams perfumes it’s paints and it is unbearable! Benjamin Moore sells perfumed scents to add to their paints now - WHY? They then warn that if you don’t like the perfume you have to prime the wall and seal it, then Re-paint. Please pass on this warning to others who will invariably develop sensory hypersensitivity to these products.

Tried a Zinnser Odour Killing Primer and repainted but Zinsser was unbearable. Dulux/Glidden LIFEMASTER is the lowest odour paint we could find. Yes the darker the colour the worse the smell. But it smells like normal latex. The more expensive Diamond by Glidden is also

a low voc and terrible in terms of odour. Don’t let them hoodwink you into the most expensive paint - it will be HIGH odour. The SW Emerald still smelled after 5 months. The Harmony is somewhat better - at least doesn’t smell like REALLY BAD PERFUME.

we painted our bedroom with Harmony paint over a month ago. I waited two days with windows open and room doors shut before I went in. I didn’t smell anything, but that night and the next day I felt sick. Light headed and hands cold, not able to eat much. I went to er the next day. They have me prednisone to take for a week.. i recently discovered I have asthma., so we rented a house in town for a week (in the middle of a pandemic!) and left that room of our house doors shut with windows open. After we came back home, we left it that way and slept in another room. over a month has passed and I just tried to sleep in there last night. You guessed it. I couldn’t stay in there. I tried to sleep in the other room , but finally had to come downstairs and tried to sleep on the couch. Now what do we do?!?!

Sounds like Harmony is worse than regular SW latex paint. Searching because I am planing to paint our family room that has an enormous looking window (does not open) so concerned about ventilation. Thanks for sharing

"We are going to apply the AFM Transitional Primer as the blocking agent to be followed by EVOS paint."

Did this work?

We just used "Harmony" and the smell is sickly sweet, my wife is coughing constantly!

We just got done with a 2 mth ordeal with stinky paint. We put on AMF Safecoat Transitional Primer and then two coats of AMF Safecoat Zero VOC semigloss. Everything was separated by weeks due to the forest fires and no way to dry it properly. We chose to paint on non smokey days and then aired it out like mad with high powered fans. We also had high ozone. We probably put it on too thick. The end result is it did not cure properly and continued to have an odor for two months. We put a space heater in and heated it to over 100 degrees. We put in a dehumidifier on continuous that also heated it to over 100 degrees.

However nothing worked. The paint was tacky, especially with humidity and there was an odor with any humidity.

Eventually we washed it with plain water and a microfiber towel. This got the almost soapy (tacky when humid) substance off the top and then it felt like normal paint and did not smell any more. My husband washed and I rinsed out the microfiber towels. As soon as I rinsed one I traded it for the one he was using and rinsed that one. We did this continually until all the paint surfaces had been washed about three times. We had to do this over multiple days as washing the ceiling was very trying on his arms.

But in the end it worked. We can now shower in that room with no odor.

One good thing is that although it stunk I did not have negative reaction to the odor so whatever it was it wasn't toxic to me.

I tried washing Sherwin Williams Emerald low VOC with vinegar and water and even a diluted bleach solution ans NOTHING got rid of the sickly sweet perfumey smell that paint should never have.

Hu, is your paint tacky? Does the odor ever go away? Ours was tacky (you could stick toilet paper to the wall). If we aired it out for a month (no showers, opening the window to air the room multiple times per day) there was no odor but as soon as we used the shower in there the odor came roaring back. We found with wiping the walls we were getting off an almost soapy substance. But it was like trying to wipe dish soap off the walls. You had to keep rinsing the towel to be effective.

The first 6 days we tried it we were wiping too large of an area so we were just spreading the stuff around. However we noticed a slight decrease in smell. That was when we developed the two microfiber method with one rinsing and one wiping. In the time it took to rinse one towel the other was used but then changed out for the rinsed one. Thankfully this was a small bathroom shower/toilet area and not a larger room with vaulted ceilings. Even with such a tiny room it took alot of work.

The stuff we wiped off made my hands sticky when wet. I tried cleaning them with baking soda but it didn't come off. I then tried vinegar. It didn't come off. I then tried dish soap. It didn't come off. After my evening shower the stuff was gone off my hands.

I don't know if heating it up prior had any effect on getting to a solution. It was just one of the things we tried to get the paint to cure. We also tried a dehumidifier which transfered the smell to the dehumifier as I think it is now on the coils. When we tried a room air filter it stunk up the air filter so we had to throw it out and buy a new one.

I've have had issues with coats of paint I had applied before the first coat was dry. This created situations in which a strong smell came out of the walls for weeks. In two occasions I ended up tearing down the walls (one was CIL and the other one was Sherwin Williams SuperPaint).

I have leaned from those mistakes and am extremely careful in following the products directives. I have painted my basement 4 weeks ago with Sherwin Williams HARMONY paint. No Voc. I waited four days between the two layers. I had applied a Primer before. I waited for the primer smell to go away before applying the coats of Harmony.

Four weeks in, and my basement stinks. My wife describes it as some kind of gas smell. I personally can not really describe the smell but it's gross. I tried everything. Ognons, coffee grounds and vinegar. I aired the place out with windows opened for several days. I also had a fan, two dehumidified and an air purifier working 24/24 to get the smell to go away. It actually made it worse. When the fans were on, the smell was terrible.

The more I try to air out, the more it stinks. It is not as bad when the place is not aired out, but it is still extremely unpleasant.

I had Sherwin Williams representative over. They said the walls were dry. One said he could not smell what I described. He offered to reimburse me, however require that I sign a waiver stating that I won't sue them. Bunch of crooks. What a shameful company. NEVER BUY SHERWIN WILLIAMS - especially HARMONY.

I am very sad. My walls look very nice. Too bad they smell like poison. I won't be very patient and am getting my cutter and by crowbar ready for the upcoming destruction.

We painted the entire house in Harmony Low VOC, a month later the house still stinks like a sickly sweet smell described by others on this chain. I smelled it at first, ( 1st week) now I do not, friends don't either. My wife can't be in the house. We are living in a rental, it's been over 1 month.

I tried scrubbing the walls with baking soda and white vinegar.

Ozone Machines running 24 hours a day, ( no pets or humans can be inside for ozone)

I was told that perhaps the paint didn't cure properly.

I had the house heated to 120 degrees for 3 full days. Still did nothing according to my wife. ( $3800 bux later)!

I have had a library test done by an environmental scientist to search for all know VOC's.

($1200 bux )

Still NOTHING!!!

We are too scared to paint over it and taking walls out will not be happening on my watch.

Has anyone found the solution?

We are desperate.!

Please help...

RJ in Charleston SC

Tear down the walls. I just did. Now I have no walls in my basement but at least we can use it. No more disgusting smell. Every. Single. Walls. Had to be taken down. If you leave one, it will make the room stink.

my lesson learned is to never buy Sherwin Williams. Never buy noVoc. And paint slowly, a few walls at a time and wait to see if the smell completely disappears before moving to the next one.

I am sorry to tell you but your walls have to be taken down if you want to get rid of the stink.

I recently painted my bedroom with Sherwin Williams Promar 200 NO VOC PAINT. It has been almost one month later and it stinks. The paint burns my throat and my eyes and gives me headaches. I am trying to make a claim against this MASSIVE HEADACHE. The Rep at Sherwin Williams admitted it smelled and wanted to replace it with another paint, however I am stuck with a very huge problem. I intend to make a claim against them.

The VOC-content of Paints HAS NOTHING to do with "Perceived Odors"!!!

Some "Low or near-zero VOC" paints can smell bad to some, while others barely notice. Same with higher-VOC paints.

But, again..... VOC-levels & perceived odors HAVE NOTHING to do with each other!!! Other ingredients/resins that some companies use are the odor sources. All paints are built a little different.

Faron

Gerald, did your paint smell ever resolve?

Has an one used Benjamin Moore Eco Spec? I was expecting minimal odor and it is not minimal. I have not yet moved in and have delayed my move in. I hope the smell goes away. I have MCS. I wish I had known about Evos.

I just had my room painted 2 weeks ago... I have MCS and the contractor knew and approved the appropriate paint. Unbenownst to us, the painters opted to purchase the "fresh air" Paint ScentSations "odor control" additive. I understand that they had the best of intentions, but I have been so sick and came across all of the complaints. When I took the paint can to Sherman Williams to smell and compare a fresh new can of paint.... even they acknowledged that it smelled. We were able to identify what was used and the crew acknowledged that they used it becuse they understood that it would "eleminate the paint odor" instead of the actual process of "odor control" because you are controlling what you smell by adding additional chemicals and odors.

I noticed that a lot of the brands mentioned as ongoing problems with very similar symptoms to my own nd the brands mentioned are on the list of where this product is carried. I had no idea this was a thing and I know someone mentioned the Benjamin moore scented paint but you might see if anyone having issues used a painter that thought they were helping by adding this stupid product.