4 Tips for Less Toxic, More Efficient Painting

Interior painting is one of the most popular home decor projects. There is an infinite amount of paint options on the market in terms of colors, finish and coverage. But how safe are these products? In reality many commercial paints impose risk to human’s health. Some worrying statistics show that the indoors air pollution is higher than outdoors. Wall painting and commercial cleaners are the major contributors to the building’s toxicity because of its volatile ingredients.

Luckily, you can offset the hazards by replacing the conventional paint with its eco–friendly and green counterpart. Going green doesn’t mean that you should sacrifice quality and durability. Eco–friendly paint performs just as good as the conventional solutions, without the chemicals, odors and solvents.

1. Recognize the Hazards

Standard paints and finishes release low-level of emissions in the air during and after the application. What makes commercial wall paint risky is the presence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These are carcinogenic toxins that turn into serious air pollutants after evaporating. Some of your cleaning products also contain VOCs.

There is a link between health issues of commercial wall paint:

• Asthma
• Fatigue
• Dizziness and headaches
• Severe diseases like cancer and heart attack are also associated with the substances in the commercial paint.

Although there is no defined opinion on how long an individual can be exposed the VOCs before getting contaminated. Furthermore, contamination cannot be attributed to a single source. However, conventional wall paint can sufficiently impact individual’s health.

2. Going green with paint
Unlike conventional products, low – or zero – VOC paints and finishes are made of natural raw ingredients and use water as a base, instead of petroleum. Non – toxic solutions present many benefits. They are not only safe for human’s health, but they are also cost – effective and long – lasting. You can achieve the same professional results as you would do with standard paints.

3. Select A Type of Low VOCs Paint
One of the major concerns with eco–friendly products is the lack of variety. This is a common misconception. The market for green paints and finishes is constantly growing and evolving offering various choices and rich color palette. Another regularly mentioned issue is that the paint gets damaged easily, while the color fades quickly. With the existing products, there is no such risk.

There are different types of paint and finishes, depending on the ingredients that are uses. Low VOC products can be made of plant dyes, oils and waxes. Some of the most popular choices are clay paint, lime wash and milk paint. The clay based products are good at absorbing odors and comes in many different tones. Although this paint offers good coverage with only two coats, it is quite expensive. Wall cleaning is not recommended. Lime wash is a combination between limestone and water. It is slightly cheaper, but it can be use only on certain surfaces. Milk paint is also appropriate only for interior painting. The product is made out by mixing clay with milk protein casein and earth pigments.

For more information about eco-friendly non toxic paint read – Color Me Natural, Green & Healthy!”

4. Dispose Safely
Cleaning after the painting and renovating process is just as important as using eco–friendly products. Don’t pour the paint down the drain. You can donate it to a charity organization or other institutions. For more tips: After builders cleaning services in Chelsea

You can make your home colorful and stylish and still have a healthy safe environment for your family with a little research and using eco-friendly, green materials such as non-toxic paint. Don’t pollute the air that your family is breathing every day with toxic fumes! Isn’t your family worth it?

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About the author

Marla

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Hi! Thanks for visiting my blog! I believe in living green, organically, and natural in every aspect of our lives. My mission is to help educate you on how to live green, help save our environment and to help you and your family live a happier, healthier life!