# Removing an Odor From New Furniture Varnish
When you refinish a beautiful old piece, you not only save it from the scrap heap but may also bring smelly toxins into the house with your work. Volatile organic compounds, called VOCs, are solvents that soften and carry the solid resins and alkyds in varnish. They evaporate, or off-gas, into the air, leaving only the solid, protective coating. Although manufacturers continue to find ways to produce lower-VOC paints and varnishes, you can eliminate the problem of off-gassing entirely by taking a few extra steps with your furniture.
Instructions
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Work only in well-ventilated spaces, such as the yard or an open garage, and dispose of unused varnish after you finish if you do the work yourself. Insist on a guarantee of low-VOC varnish if you take the furniture to a professional refinisher. Most are happy to discuss their methods and materials.
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Place the furniture in a well-ventilated area such as the garage or a garden shed for up to a week before bringing it in the house.
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Ventilate your house once you bring the piece in. Open windows, run bathroom and kitchen fans and use a whole house exhaust fan if you have one.
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Change furnace and air filters after you cannot smell the solvent-smell of VOC off-gassing anymore. Heat and humidity can revive VOCs that adhere to filter media.
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