A B737-300 FLT DIVERTS BACK TO PHX WITH A RETURN LAND CREATED BY FUMES IN THE CABIN SMELLING LIKE LATEX PAINT. ON THE RETURN THE PIC FORGETS TO DSND TO FL280 FROM FL290. CTLR REMINDS HIM OF OVERSIGHT. NEAR PHX PIC EXCEEDS THE 25O KT RULING UNDER 10000 FT.

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AFTER TKOF FLT AND CABIN CREW NOTICE FUMES LIKE A LATEX PAINT SMELL THROUGHOUT ACFT. FUMES WERE NOT THAT INTENSE SO WE WAITED TO SEE IF THEY WOULD DIMINISH IN INTENSITY. PUT ON 1 AIR CONDITIONING PACK ON APU BLEED TO ISOLATE SOURCE OF SMELL. I DONNED MY OXYGEN MASK. FUMES CONTINUED SO WE HAD A JUMP SEATER FROM ANOTHER COMPANY WHO FLEW B737'S GO BACK IN CABIN AND CHK IT OUT. HE SAID FUMES WERE STRONGEST IN FIRST GALLEY AND BACK NEAR ROW XX 'NEAR ACFT'S AIR CONDITIONING DISTRIBUTION OUTLET.' ALSO ABOUT THIS TIME THE THIRD FLT ATTENDANT SAID DOOR XX SEAL WAS SQUEALING. WE DECIDED TO RETURN TO OUR DEP POINT (PHX); CONSULTED WITH OUR COMPANY DISPATCHER/MAINT AND ZAB. RETURNED TO FIELD; LANDED OVERWT AT 124000 LBS. IT'S AMAZING HOW EASILY DISTRACTED YOU GET IN POTENTIAL DICEY SITS. ZAB HAD TO REMIND ME TO DSND TO FL280 FROM FL290. I HAD FORGOTTEN TO PRESS LEVEL CHANGE. ALSO; WHEN I WAS DISCUSSING WITH PHX APCH WHETHER OR NOT WE WOULD DECLARE AN EMER (WE ELECTED NOT TO DECLARE AN EMER); I NOTICED I HAD DSNDED BELOW 10000 FT ABOVE 250 KTS. TRAINING REALLY PAYS OFF. MY HATS OFF TO THE CREW AND THE JUMP SEATER. EVERYONE COMMUNICATED WELL AND KEPT THE FLOW OF INFO COMING. CRM REALLY DOES WORK.