How to Safely Remove Formaldehyde After Renovation

Renovating your home can be exciting but at times there are hidden dangers we overlook. One such hazard is the presence of formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is a colourless, strong-smelling gas used in the production of many household items and building materials such as particle board, plywood, glues, varnishes, floor finishes, etc. 

Formaldehyde poses a serious health risk. Prolonged exposure can lead to respiratory issues, skin irritation, and even more severe conditions like cancer. This makes it a problem that demands immediate attention.

This article outlines effective ways to eliminate formaldehyde after renovations. But before that, let’s understand why it’s so important to avoid formaldehyde exposure. 

What are the health risks of formaldehyde exposure?

Prolonged exposure to formaldehyde can cause serious health risks. Here are some of the key health concerns caused by high-level exposure:

Short-Term Exposure

• Exposure to formaldehyde can lead to irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat. Usual Symptoms include a burning sensation, watery eyes, and sore throat.

• It can lead to coughing, wheezing, and difficulty breathing. Those with asthma or other respiratory conditions such as COPD are particularly vulnerable. 
• Direct contact with formaldehyde can cause skin irritation and allergic reactions, such as dermatitis.

Long-Term Exposure

• Formaldehyde is classified as a carcinogen in humans. It can cause myeloid leukemia and cancers of the pharynx, sinuses, and nasal cavity.
• Prolonged exposure can lead to chronic respiratory issues, including bronchitis and COPD. 

Steps to safely remove formaldehyde

It’s essential to remove formaldehyde completely after a renovation and ensure a safe indoor environment. 

Here are four effective methods to help you eliminate formaldehyde from your home. 

1. The Cookout Method

This is one of the most effective ways to remove formaldehyde from a home. The underlying principle is quite simple. Formaldehyde has a low boiling point of -19°C. If you heat the room, formaldehyde and other volatile compounds will evaporate. 

Here is how it works: 

• Seal the room by closing the doors and windows. This might sound counterintuitive but helps to trap the volatile gas. 
• Next, use a room heater to raise the temperature to 30°C or more. This causes formaldehyde trapped inside material like plywood to be released due to heating. Maintain the warmth for 4-8 hours to ensure all the formaldehyde is released. 
• The last step consists of opening the doors and windows and turning on a fan so that the accumulated formaldehyde escapes. 

The Cookout Method is highly effective for formaldehyde removal and for best results, you should do it 2-3 times in a row. 

2. Ventilation 

Proper ventilation is a simple but powerful method to remove formaldehyde from your living area. Fresh air circulation can dilute the concentration of formaldehyde and other VOCs and reduce its harmful effects on your health. 

Here is how you can maximize ventilation: 

• Open all the doors and windows and let fresh air circulate freely. The circulating air would disperse the formaldehyde molecules by diffusion. 
• Use exhaust fans to push out air. These fans are usually installed in bathrooms and kitchens and push indoor air out through a vent. 
• You can improve ventilation by opening windows on opposite sides of a room or hall. This is known as cross ventilation. 

The one drawback of this method is it does not work easily when the weather is cold and it is difficult to open the doors and windows. 

3. Air Purifiers

Air purifiers with activated carbon are excellent for removing formaldehyde residue. They are made from carbon-rich materials like coconut shells, wood, or coal and have millions of tiny pores. 

When air circulates through these pores, a process called adsorption (not to be confused with absorption) removes impurities in the air. Contaminants such as formaldehyde stick to the surface of the filter and clean air passes back inside the room. 

4. Indoor Plants

While plants do not act as fast as the other methods given above, they offer a natural, long-term solution for air purification.

Peace Lily, Aloe Vera, and Boston Fern are some of the best species for air purification and formaldehyde removal. However, while plants are helpful, they should not be relied upon as the sole method of formaldehyde removal.

Sometimes you just don’t have the time and mindspace to try out these tactics on your own. In many cases, the formaldehyde levels are a bit too high for these methods to work. In such cases, you can ask a professional formaldehyde removal service to help you out. 

Hassle-Free Formaldehyde Removal in Singapore 

At Lumiair, we provide safe and effective formaldehyde removal solutions. Here is an outline of how we ensure a clean and healthy living environment. 

1. Our team begins by conducting a thorough inspection of your premises to identify formaldehyde sources and assess contamination levels.
2. Based on the findings, we develop a personalized treatment plan for your home. Generally, this includes air filtration, surface cleaning, and targeted treatments for formaldehyde-emitting materials.
3. Our advanced air filtration system with HEPA filters and activated carbon captures and neutralizes formaldehyde molecules. 
4. Our experts use specialized cleaning agents to remove formaldehyde residue from walls, furniture, and other surface.
5. We again conduct air quality tests to ensure formaldehyde levels have been reduced to safe standards.

Formaldehyde contamination is a serious health risk. At Lumiair, we are dedicated to creating safe and healthy indoor environments. As a leading formaldehyde removal service provider, we offer the most advanced solutions that deliver tangible results quickly. If you suspect there is formaldehyde contamination after renovation call us today.