Painting Without Fumes: Values For Choosing No-VOC Paints

Photo Credit: Flickr/sunfrog1

If you have enjoyed the experience of painting the interior of your home, you may know that it can be quite a smelly job.  Up until a few years ago, all paints contained something called Volatile Organic Chemicals (VOC’s).  Don’t let the term ‘organic’ fool you; this is not a good thing.  VOC’s are nasty chemicals that can pollute your indoor air and create moderate to severe health problems for the occupants.  And the pollution doesn’t stop when the fumes go away.  According to the EPA, after you have polluted your home with VOC’s, “elevated concentrations can persist in the air long after the activity is completed” (EPA, 2011).  Today we are lucky to have paints that don’t contain the harsh chemicals.  They are called low-VOC or no-VOC and they are widely available in most home improvement stores.

I have painted the inside of my house exactly twice.  The first time was in the late 1990’s and the terms low-VOC and no-VOC did not exist in the mainstream language.  I remember having box fans running constantly and every available window and door wide open.  Painting could only happen in spring or summer when it would be appropriate to turn the heat off.  Otherwise, you could really mess yourself up with paint fumes.  Anyone else experience this?

The last time I painted the inside of my house was in the year 2007.  This was a vastly different experience.  It was the middle of winter – not a window needed to be cracked.  I painted the entire house AND was able to live comfortably inside without a hint of paint fumes.  It was because I sought out no-VOC paints exclusively.   I will admit it was still a bit difficult.  No-VOC’s were hard to find and I had to travel to a home improvement store that specialized in sustainable construction, which was well out of my way.  And I also admit that the price seemed excessive.  A gallon of paint cost $35 and I needed quite a few gallons.  My father thought I was crazy!

Back then, I probably was a little unconventional for spending so much on specialized paint, but I had a purpose.  I believed strongly in two ideas:

• My family’s health was worth the extra cost.  I was actively limiting the amount of toxic products in my home so really it was not a difficult choice.  Conventional paints contain solvents and chemicals that I do not want my loved ones exposed to.  Using no-VOC paints would eliminate the possibility of lung and eye irritation, headaches, and dizziness, or other long term health effects such as multiple chemical sensitivity, nervous system damage, or damage to other vital organs.
• Support of the green economy.  My effort to purchase a green product was sending a message to paint suppliers everywhere.  Call it ‘voting with my dollars’ if you will.  By spending my money on green products I was telling the paint industry that non-toxic paint was important to me.  The goal is that if enough people ‘vote’ in this way, companies will realize that green and healthy products are important to consumers and they will provide more green and healthy products that are more economical.

Those are two principles that continue to guide most of my consumer choices.  Thankfully we have some companies in business that recognize the importance of these principles and provide us with healthy and sustainable products.  These days you can find no-VOC paints just about anywhere you can buy paint.  It may not be less expensive than it was four years ago, but there are certainly more options available. 

Environmental Protection Agency. (2011, March 22).An introduction to indoor air quality: volatile organic compounds. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/iaq/voc.html

Eco Home Consultations provides green living consultation services in the Seattle area, focusing on practical ways to integrate green living into your household.  Learn more at www.ecohomeconsults.com or email questions about this blog or other green living issues to Melissa@ecohomeconsults.com.