Low VOC Paint

We recently decided to paint a few rooms in our home, and during my research, I learned that indoor air quality is 5x worse than than the air quality outdoors. That’s slightly concerning, since many of us spend the majority of our time indoors.

As I researched more, I learned that paint is one of the biggest contributors of poor indoor air quality. Traditional paint, the kinds you’ve likely been using, has extremely high level of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. Those VOCs aren’t only a problem when the paint is applied…they “off-gas” for up to 5 years and have been attributed to a multitude of health problems.

But you’ve got to paint, right? The best alternative on the market today comes in the form of eco friendly paint. There are a few quality eco friendly options on the market today, and I suspect as demand for them increases, the supply will as well.

Here’s a brief overview of the options that are available to you RIGHT NOW:

Low VOC Paint

In order for a paint to be marketed as low VOC, it must meet EPA standards of having less than 200 VOCs per liter. Be very careful when selecting Low VOC paint, though. Yes, all of it is better than “regular” paint, but there can be a large difference in the VOC content of even low VOC paints. The best option is to choose paint that carries the green seal standard. Paints that meet the green seal standards have less than 50 VOCs per liter for flat paints, and 150 VOCs per liter for non-flat paints. These are the friendliest of the low VOC paints.

Zero VOC Paints

Zero VOC paints are now available on the market as well. The EPA also regulates what paints can be marketed as zero VOC – basically, they have to contain less then 5 grams of VOC per liter. Some well respected paint manufacturers are now making zero VOC paints. The major downfall to these paints is that they are more expensive than traditional and low VOC paints.

For those who are really sensitive or just want to choose natural paints, there are options available for you too. We’ll cover natural paint choices in another post on My Lil Green Dress.

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