Turpentine Smell In House? (Possible Causes & Fixes)
There’s a bitter chemical smell in your home, but you can’t tell what it is. At first, the odor reminds you of wet paint or nail polish remover. If you haven’t recently painted your nails, you might actually be smelling turpentine, a fluid made from distilled pine wood. So why are you smelling turpentine? And how can you get rid of it?
Turpentine is commonly used in paint thinner, soap, and cosmetics. Its strong, formaldehyde-like scent is most noticeable when paint thinner is used in the home. If you smell turpentine, your HVAC might also have a refrigerant leak. Clean up any refrigerant leak or paint thinner spills, and clear up the smell using odor eliminators.
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What is Turpentine?
Turpentine, also known as distilled or genuine turpentine, is a fluid made from distilled pine wood resin. This fluid has a really strong scent, similar to that of nail polish remover or formaldehyde.
Turpentine has a fast evaporation rate, and thickens easily. It is most often used as a paint solvent, and is effective at cleaning paint brushes. The smell of turpentine can also be mistaken for the chemical odor of refrigerant.
Causes of Turpentine Smell in House
Turpentine is a difficult scent to pin down. You might smell it and think it’s something else. Or you think you’re smelling turpentine when in fact it’s a completely different substance. It’s important to figure out what you’re really smelling, so that you can take steps to rid it from your home. Here are common causes of a turpentine smell in house, some of which may not be turpentine at all.
Paint Thinner
If you are smelling a powerful chemical scent in the air, it may be turpentine. Turpentine is often used as a paint thinner. When mixed with paints, this turpentine-based paint thinner allows paints to be spread more evenly over a surface.
Has anything in your home recently been painted? It’s likely that this is the cause of the turpentine smell. Paint thinner smells can make you dizzy or lightheaded when inhaled.
This odor is considered not safe for your health. That’s because of the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) found in paint thinner.
What are Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)?Volatile Organic Compounds are a variety of chemicals frequently used to manufacture paints, thinners, refrigerants, and drugs. With a high vapor pressure and low water solubility, these contaminate groundwater and pollute the air.
VOCs can be emitted as gaseous fumes, which may cause adverse health effects when inhaled. Are you picking up on a chemical scent similar to turpentine or nail polish remover? You are likely smelling the VOCs in paint thinner or refrigerant.
AC Refrigerant Leak
The turpentine smell in your home might actually be explained by an HVAC refrigerant leak. Is the odor strongest right near your HVAC system? Do you see any condensation around it, or small holes in the pipes? You might have a refrigerant leak on your hands. This can happen for a few different reasons:
- Improperly installed new AC unit.Â
- AC unit defects or damage.Â
- Weakened pipe joints.Â
- Metal erosion of pipes due to VOCs (formic acid).Â
Keep in mind, turpentine is not actually in refrigerant fluid, it just has a similar smell. When refrigerant fluid leaks out of the pipes in your air conditioner, the VOCs in it emit a strong chemical odor. The chemicals in this odor can cause adverse health effects, like dizziness, nausea, and trouble breathing.
A leak will eventually cause low refrigerant levels in your AC, which will increase your electric bill and affect your home’s humidity. So are you concerned about VOC poisoning or low refrigerant levels?
Ask yourself if your electrical bill has been higher than usual. Is your AC not blowing cold air? Do you hear the pipes hissing? All signs point to an AC refrigerant leak. Call in an HVAC technician ASAP, as VOC leaks are unsafe to come in contact with.
How to Get Rid of Turpentine Smell
Hopefully by now you will have identified the source of turpentine smells in your home. To recap, it is likely one of these:
- Nail polish remover or lacquer Â
- Pure turpentine oilÂ
- Paint thinner made with turpentineÂ
- Refrigerant fluidÂ
The good news is, it should be obvious whether you’ve recently painted in your home. Nail polish remover is also an easy cause to eliminate. If you haven’t worked with paints lately and don’t have pure turpentine oil laying around, you probably have a refrigerant leak.
Take these steps to get rid of the turpentine smell in the house.
Step One: Clean Up Any Paint Thinner Spills
If you recently painted in one of the rooms of your home, there may be a paint thinner spill. If any paint thinner comes in contact with a carpet, it will get absorbed by the material. When paint thinner is absorbed, it’s that much harder to get rid of.
If you’ve spilled paint or paint thinner anywhere, especially on carpets or furniture, try one of these methods to clean it.
- Scrub spills with rubbing alcohol. Put rubbing alcohol on a rag. Then vigorously scrub the affected area with the rag. The alcohol helps lift the oil residue from carpet materials. Â
- Lift the paint thinner with baking soda and vinegar. Create a mixture of one part baking soda and two parts distilled white vinegar. Then cover the stain with the mixture, and let it sit overnight. In the morning, vacuum the dried mixture. Â
Step Two: Clear Odors from Freshly Painted Rooms
After cleaning up any paint thinner spills, it is really important to neutralize the turpentine odors. Items called odor eliminators are really effective at neutralizing bad smells. They absorb and break down the odor molecules, dispersing them so they become undetectable to your nose.
Here are some effective odor eliminators. Place these in bowls around affected rooms for the best results:
- Freshly ground coffeeÂ
- Hydrogen peroxide Â
- Baking sodaÂ
- Distilled white vinegarÂ
- Activated charcoalÂ
Place out bowls of any of these items to absorb the strong paint thinner scent from the room. If the smell has been absorbed by fabrics in the room, make sure to clean these.
For furniture, you can spray it down with a mixture of 2 cups of hydrogen peroxide, 1 tablespoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon dishwashing soap.
For larger areas, you can liberally sprinkle baking soda over it, let it sit overnight, then vacuum it up.
Step Three: Ventilate Your Home
With turpentine smell in house, as well as with any overpowering odor, you should ventilate your home to help clear it. This is especially important if you’ve recently worked with paint thinner, or have a refrigerant leak. Take these steps to ventilate your home:
- Open up all the windows and doors, if possible. Let outside air circulate through the home for at least one hour. Â
- Place box fans in the windows. This helps pull bad odors from within and circulates them outside. Â
- Turn on the house fan, if you have one. Also turn on any ceiling fans.Â
The key is to cycle out the “bad” air, and to draw in fresh air. Slowly but surely the harsh chemical odors should dissipate.
Step Four: Fix AC Refrigerant Leak
If you suspect that your AC unit is leaking refrigerant, you’ll want to act fast. Not only is a low refrigerant level costly and bad for your home’s climate control, it’s also bad for your health. Inhaling the VOCs and Freon in some refrigerant leaks can be hazardous to your health. This includes nausea, dizziness, and even death in large doses.
Do not attempt to handle refrigerant leaks on your own. The coil or pipe components will likely need to be replaced. If the damage is severe enough, the whole AC unit may have to be replaced. Call an HVAC repair technician as soon as you suspect a refrigerant leak.
Once the leak is repaired and the spills are cleaned, the turpentine smell should significantly improve.
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Related Questions
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are commonly found in paints, varnishes, sealants, flooring products, and home cleaners. Inhaling VOCs can be harmful to your health. It can cause symptoms of eye, nose, and throat irritation, nausea, migraines, and difficulty breathing. According to the American Lung Association, some VOCs can cause cancer.
Why is Turpentine toxic?While turpentine isn’t explicitly dangerous to your health, it can cause reactions in some people. Certain species of pine trees are distilled to produce an irritating turpentine. Reactions can include skin irritation to the touch, and headaches after inhalation. Ingesting turpentine can have toxic effects.
What refrigerant is used in home AC?Most household AC units use a refrigerant called R410A, or Puron. This is a type of hydrocarbon refrigerant made without chlorine. It’s considered safer to your health and the environment than the other less commonly used refrigerant, Freon. Want to know what refrigerant your AC uses? The sticker on the side of your outside condensing unit will say either R-22 / HCFC-22 or Freon.
More by Jessica Vaillancourt
