Cookout Test: How To Protect Yourself From Formaldehyde/VOCs After Renovation

[@firstnamelastname9918]

I'm sorry, but this is extremely unscientific. Of course the levels will drop when the windows are opened, but what do they rise to again the next day? To have levels double during the "cookout" seems very insignificant to me considering the total amount of formaldehyde likely to off-gas over the next month from new materials, etc. I do affirm the use of heat to speed off-gassing, but do this more scientifically. I would presume it would take multiple cycles of cooking and venting to put a serious dent in it. And my body is a super sensor of formaldehyde and various (petroleum-derived) VOCs in that make me extremely to seriously ill (by "seriously" I mean medical emergency).

[@thebrilliancyofreality4408]

We did the whole burn out method about 5× and 8 hours in each room. Honestly it did help a lot. We also used the chemical spray that designed to help with the situation. We also repeated the method close the doors burn out and then open the doors air out and just kept repeating the pattern one week later everything's OK

[@SmartAirFilters]

It's great to hear that you had success 😎

[@catherinecheung207]

@@SmartAirFilters do you think it will work on gas furnace and air vent duct work inside the wall ? Someone used major spray paint in my house and I think it went inside the furnace and air ducts possibly ….

[@SmartAirFilters]

@@catherinecheung207 possibly yes, but it's best to test it (quite expensive). Unfortunately, we cannot give you a clear answer. Do you use carbon filters?

[@Quinn.Trades22]

Thanks for sharing. Glad everything is ok

[@alanmlkbanda]

Burn out method ? Why you calling it like that ? Are you referring to cookout ?

[@lenihazlett8506]

Question about the cookout. Should I remove furniture first. I’m worried that the released VOCs might be absorbed by the house furniture.

[@SmartAirFilters]

You'll want to leave the furniture in there! Furniture gives off VOCs and formaldehyde itself, so leaving it in will also help the furniture off-gas at a slightly faster rate 👌

[@eternalwarrior-yp2qx]

The effect this method has will be minimal unless you increase the temperature a lot. Off-gassing will still continue after cooling down. We're also not sure if it will really stay at 0.1 (in your test) in the long-term. The off-gassing would take several years for the chemicals to be in the safe level.

[@SmartAirFilters]

Yes, that's right. Paddy set the heating to approximately 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius). Research has shown that formaldehyde 'off-gases' 1.5-3 times faster in this environment. Of course, it is best to have an air quality monitor to ensure that the air is clean. The air in our office is of very good quality. 💪

[@TheMrshawnpaul]

Interesting, I kind of discovered this by accident and it’s good to know that it’s a valid method. I recently purchased and assembled a composite wood cabinet. The smell was strong to begin with, so I moved it out to my balcony. It was about 90*F outside and the sun was directly hitting the cabinet some of the time. I noticed that when I went to go check on it the smell was really bad. I was a little concerned that the sun may damage the paneling, so I moved it around a bit so the same spots weren’t being constantly hit by the sun. I’m happy to know that should help reduce the amount of offgassing in the long term.

[@SmartAirFilters]

That's fascinating! It's amazing how sometimes we stumble upon effective solutions without even realizing it.

[@beaverdctor]

If I have done a cook out and clothing or fabrics were inside the room, must I wash EVERYTHING after?

[@firstnamelastname9918]

Your clothes will absorb some amount of the VOCs and formaldehyde and offgas them later. But the method he shows in this video I'm personally not impressed with (at least not with doing it once). I'm very sensitive to these chemicals, so *I* would be washing them. Using heat, you're essentially spreading the chemicals around, but mostly into the air. This is beter if you can just open the windows on a hot and dry day

[@johnl8173]

Would buying boxes of charcoal help absorb some of the excess?

[@irw4350]

Lakeland Paints in UK has a range of paints to neutralize 98% of all formaldehyde & VOCs in the air down to 1ppm - just paint it on your walls & woodwork & the paint does the rest 24/7 - independent lab results - just ask.

[@alanmlkbanda]

That’s great to know. I was actually gonna comment about simply going for paints that have no formaldehyde(if that’s possible) or with less formaldehyde even.

[@irw4350]

@@alanmlkbanda how would you tell if they have no formaldehyde? The manufacturers mostly dont even know themselves about their own products

[@PopToons]

I’m dealing with a fix in my apartment bathroom ceiling which has no windows, just a vent-fan. First the hole was sealed with plaster , but then a oil based primer spray paint can was sprayed over that ( the problem), then regular paint. I can still smell the primer, I don’t even think it’s meant to be used indoors. I’ve tried using reg fans to air it out throughout my home but I don’t think thats healthy. Been currently using the water and lemon buckets which helped but with the vent fan off the primer just keeps off gasing so the vent isn't powerful enough. I don't want to spread it to the rest of my home. My bedroom is across from it which has the nearest window but if I fan it out through my bedroom wont that contaminate my bed n stuff? Would using a Hepa air purifier in the bathroom work instead? And then just keep testing the air with a voc tester?

[@SmartAirFilters]

A HEPA filter won't help with the smells, for that you'll need a carbon filter! Check out our article here for some more info: smartairfilters.com/en/blog/remove-formaldehyde-from-home-fast/ Another option would be to use a fan to simply try to ventilate that room. It sounds like the bathroom isn't well ventilated so doesn't get much fresh air. Using a fan to blow in fresh air will help remove some of the smells and reduce any VOCs you have in there. Breathe safe!

[@MrBojo-jv4qq]

Why use the paint with formaldehyde in the first place?

[@SmartAirFilters]

In many countries, the construction industry is badly regulated and it's difficult to buy VOC or formaldehyde free paints etc. Still, in most cases no company guarantees that their paint or furniture doesn't contain formaldehyde, just that it's below a certain threshold. Adding enough new stuff into your house in one go could still tip you over the edge

[@PhoenixSoleil]

Thank you so much for these videos and your website. They’ve been very helpful. At 5:22 in the video you mentioned adding 20 kg of carbon. Could you please clarify how many kilograms of carbon are present in each carbon filter that you sell? Additionally, I would like to know the maximum number of filters that can be layered on the model of the Blast. Furthermore, how can one determine when the filters have become saturated and need to be replaced? In my situation, I have a recently remodeled space with a strong paint smell. It appears that the majority of the odor is coming from the attic area. Interestingly, I've conducted four cookouts so far and noticed that the smell was even more intense during the third one and fourth compared to the second. Since the attic space doesn't have any windows, It’s a very large crawlspace. I've been relying on a fan to blow out the air after each cookout. I have air purifiers when I’m not used on a cookout but I’m not sure that they’re helping because they don’t have enough carbon in them.However, I believe using an better air purifier could be a helpful solution to tackle the issue long-term. I would appreciate any advice you have!

[@alanmlkbanda]

Great question. Too bad it was ignored like it was. Especially when you put all that time in writing this. It’s disrespectful even.

[@alanmlkbanda]

How do you know how much carbon were in your filters ?

[@chuckmaddison2924]

I've just assembled a small cabinet for the kid. The smell from it unbelievable and now i feel sick

[@VenturaIT]

Carbon filters only remove about 9% or less of any VOC.

[@irw4350]

that's just plain wrong. Old style gas masks relied on charcoal (carbon) and those gases are (mostly) VOCs - if they were only 9% efficient then many many people, soldiers etc. firefighters around the world would be dead because of that

[@ezioauditore5616]

so we can say one cookout is like 3 months of off-gasing? just asked a comment in your website

[@SmartAirFilters]

Has anybody else faced formaldehyde issues when moving into a newly renovated flat or office? What have you done to solve formaldehyde? And has anybody else run any cookouts at home!? Leave a reply and let us know 👇

[@irw4350]

Lakeland Paints in UK has a range of paints to neutralize 98% of all formaldehyde & VOCs in the air down to 1ppm - just paint it on your walls & woodwork & the paint does the rest 24/7 - independent lab results - just ask. Exported to 56 countries so far.

[@pinkspace6687]

I’m in the U.S. and we’re buying new furniture for rooms. The VOC’s are horrible! Of course I’m the only one affected. We’ve put them outside, in a spare room, wiped them down with soap and water, then white vinegar. It’s exhausting. They still smell. It’s very humid here now and I have a deck . Should I take some of the small furniture outside, cover in plastic for a few days and then see what happens?

[@fancyflamingo]

@@irw4350 thanks for this info. can you paint it on an already painted wood cabinet? 🙂

[@justhavingfun9798]

I have a nightstand that I would like to restore/paint. It has the California 93120 Phase 2 Complaint for Formaldehyde label. What do I do? How can I fix it?

[@CelestialTrailblazer]

The billion dollar question is which air quality monitoring devices are you suing to detect formaldehyde ?

[@mariahrollins2890]

I have heard that doing what you suggest here plus using ammonia in bowls gets rid of it even better. I actually came here looking for directions of how to do this with ammonia

[@SmartAirFilters]

Do you have any source of information about the mentioned way?

[@alanmlkbanda]

Ammonia can be its own emitting problem. Can’t it ?

[@thebrilliancyofreality4408]

My TVOC was 1.44 and HO was 0. 14, Hopefully it won't kill us to live there We're going to try a few cookouts ourself

[@alanmlkbanda]

What’s TVOC, HO ?

[@MyahMoBear]

I just got a new really large fluffy chaise lounge right out of the plastic and its in a very small room. We cant even go into the room now and it is burning our throats, nose and eyes significantly. I work from home so I cant leave. can I just shut the door, heat it up with a portable heater, then open the windows to vent...or do we have to leave the house for a specific amount of time to do a cookout even though its not the entire house?

[@SmartAirFilters]

Hey, it's best if you check what materials the chaise lounge is made of, but also contact its seller. The gases that are released during a cookout are dangerous and should be avoided for your own safety. Here are our various articles on cookout: smartairfilters.com/en/?s=cookout&searchblogs=1%2C9

[@alanmlkbanda]

@@SmartAirFiltersyou say this and in the video the guy is literally walking into a cookout room without a special mask

[@findingmyhealing57]

can u do videon on air quality devices

[@SmartAirFilters]

Great idea, we should be releasing one soon!

[@micahcruz8604]

What device were you using to get a rough measurement of formaldehyde? The only way I've found to successfully measure it is an expensive lab test.

[@SmartAirFilters]

You're spot on @micahcruz8604 - there's no way to measure formaldehyde precisely except in a lab. In this test, we used an MX iBrid, but they are expensive. There are some consumer products on the market, like the Temptop Zaraman0077 mentioned, and we also offer the QP Pro which has a VOC sensor: smartairfilters.com/en/product/qp-pro-air-quality-monitor-qingping/

[@jasminefrichtl806]

Use mineral paint instead of water based paint its safer

[@SmartAirFilters]

Great idea!

[@echandler673]

Can you use bamboo biochar in cloth bags instead of carbon filters?

[@SmartAirFilters]

Bamboo biochar is essentially 'activated carbon' or 'activated charcoal'. We've tested these in the past, and found that there's not enough airflow going through the bags to make them useful at adsorbing formaldehyde and/or VOCs. We'd recommend a carbon filter or running a cookout like in this video.

[@AlejandroTaylorEscribano]

You should have run the test for a day to see if the levels go up again over time.

[@SmartAirFilters]

Great point. Viewing the longer term impacts are important. I'm excited to say we're running more tests and should have more data out soon!

[@Louie.Oxford]

​@@SmartAirFiltersupdate?

[@citticat2]

I read where jacking up the heat just increases your bill.

[@karawaller9772]

How much do we need to increase the temp?

[@sukiseay6918]

Wht if u Cant heat up ur space,??? Im dieng here,,,,, its my #1 alergy, wokeup n surgry 1 time, Cant breath, cant sleep 4 coughng all nite,,,,

[@SmartAirFilters]

Great question. Increasing humidity is another way to increase the rate of formaldehyde off-gassing. Check out our article on the subject here: smartairfilters.com/en/blog/remove-formaldehyde-from-home-fast/

[@Kegels_gti_16V]

My doughters room has a strange smell since we bought the house 8 years ago, we have tried allot except the cook out,, is this a thing to do after 7years since the Renovation? For this summer, we put the kids in the same room to test if she get’s better health, barking for a year now.. 😢 Hope to fix it soon… 😩😩

[@SmartAirFilters]

There is no obstacle to perform a cookout after such a time. Someone in the comments under one of the videos wrote about a newly purchased sofa that emitted dangerous gases with unpleasant odors. Do you happen to have an air quality monitor? On our site (smartairfilters.com) there are 2 models that do, among other things, measure tVOC: (Total Volatile Organic Compounds). That way you will be able to confirm/exclude the cause, but you will also know how the tVOC level changes during the cookout. Let us know if you need any help.

[@Kegels_gti_16V]

@@SmartAirFilters I Will try the cook out methode next week, when it is our vacation.. We only have a IKEA air quality monitor.😅 I Will take a look at your website! I’ll keep u updated🤞🏻👍🏻

[@SmartAirFilters]

@@Kegels_gti_16V thank you! Can't wait for updates.

[@AdrianaJSC11]

Sounds to me like you should get it tested for mold

[@SmartAirFilters]

​@@AdrianaJSC11 yes, when mold is released into the air, it can also be detected as PM particles 😷 (here can help again air quality monitor)

[@spainweddingphotography]

We have MVHR in our flat (we live in a new built) but it seems it is keep bringing formaldehyde back to the flat and a "cook-out" doesnt work as it always comes back, even though the ceiling extractors are closed. When we open them, things gets lot worse. I know they supposed to suck out air, but formaldehyde just keeps coming back to the level of 0.1 mg/sqm2. Is it possible that because we live in the 9th floor the buildings ventilation system just accumulates all Formaldehyde in the flat and it gets stuck on our floor?

[@SmartAirFilters]

This sounds like a tough one to diagnose. How are you measuring the formaldehyde in your flat? Are you sure it’s not the formaldehyde monitor that’s off? We recommend using your nose to detect for formaldehyde (as unscientific as that sounds!). Here’s more info: smartairfilters.com/en/blog/formaldehyde-detectors-not-accurate-monitor-formaldehyde-home/ With that said, new flats will generally take 2-3 years to off-gas completely, so it’s possible that some things in your home are still off-gasing. In this case, your best bet may be to install air purifiers with carbon filters, and replace them regularly.

[@Gillanzipine]

T hanks for this video

[@SmartAirFilters]

What part of the video did you find most interesting?

[@Thundermind]

Hey, our office is also located in HK too...May I know if our staff can contact you regrading our Formaldehyde issue?

[@SmartAirFilters]

Hey Thundermind! This reply comes a bit late, but we'd love to help you with solving your formaldehyde issues. Send us an email to [e-mail] and we'll help sort you out. Breathe safe!

[@KennyLeeSundowners]

Hi. Recently remodeled my Mobile Home. I Later got a rash from the siding. I did research and the siding I bought has formaldehyde. Do you think I should remove it? I just put a coat of lacer on it, in hopes of sealing it. What are your thoughts on that?

[@nevinkuser9892]

Laquer would just make it even more toxic indoors.

[@SmartAirFilters]

Hey Kenny. As nevinkuser9892 says, laquering will likely make the situation worse. The formaldehyde will get out either way, so you should try to do it in a 'controlled' manor. Try running cookout tests like the one in this ideo when you're out of the house, and make sure to air it on days when the outdoor weather is nice.

[@jasminefrichtl806]

Cook outs still take long time to air out but not as long as air out with cold air

[@SmartAirFilters]

You're absolutely right. Since Paddy cranked the heat up to 30 degrees Celsius, formaldehyde will off-gas 1.5 to 3 times faster, according to research.

[@faedri]

Really awesome to see that you care about your employees and practice what you preach

[@SmartAirFilters]

Thank you! We have great air quality in our office. 😊

[@soulsoothing9829]

I am moving to new house next month. Does it help if I turn on air on (lower room temperature)? We don’t have a heater to increase the room temperature

[@SmartAirFilters]

Great question! Lowering the room temperature won't help with removing formaldehyde. Ideally you want to try and increase the temperature. If you don't have a heater or a way to do this, then you could try opening windows to allow air to circulate around the home. This won't be as effective as a cookout, but will help a little bit.

[@craigkeyintel]

Do you know if any any particulate issues from drop ceiling tiles that would be in a basement?

[@SmartAirFilters]

Good question Craig! We’ve never heard of these kinds of ceiling tiles producing particulate air pollution, but it may be possible, depending on the ceiling tiles. You could test this yourself by picking up a low cost air quality monitor and measuring for PM2.5 around the tiles.

[@georgelewisray]

Thanks !!

[@Shedoy]

Good info thank you

[@SmartAirFilters]

Glad it was helpful!