Spring is just around the corner. If you are thinking to paint the interior of your house, spring and fall are the best time to do it.
Everyone is aware of the new paint smell, which is caused by the vapor as the paints/stains dries. The vapor may contain gases, including VOCs (volatile organic compounds), known to be highly harmful to health. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) recommends, and many state air quality boards now require that VOC content be below 50 grams/liter. Other gases, while less toxic than VOCs, may also trigger different reactions from different people.
American homeowners on average paint their house interior once every seven years for maintenance or to give a fresh look to their homes. Here are some steps to get rid of the harmful paint vapor in your home.
- Choose zero VOC (volatile organic compound) paints/stains. While the 50 grams/liter regulation is an improvement over older paints/stains, we believe less is better.
- Paint during the time when the weather is drier and not overly hot. Spring and fall are the best seasons for indoor painting.
- Keep windows open while painting/staining. Use a window-mounted box fan to ventilate the room where paint is applied. If you are staining cabinets, try to do the staining outside the house and leave the finished cabinets outside for a few days.
- Run an exhaust fan continuously from the start of the painting project until 3 days after completion. Do not try to use the air conditioning or heating fans to remove the vapors as these fans simply recirculate the air inside the house.
- Avoid entering freshly painted rooms for 2-3 days after completion. Children and people with breathing difficulties should stay away longer.
- Painting is labor intensive. If possible, use a high quality paint which is usually more durable, hence will pay off in the long run.
- Store, donate or dispose of left-over paint properly. The website Paint Care offers tips for doing that and for finding drop-off sites for left-over paint.
Keep health in mind when painting your house. Taking the proper precautions will keep good air quality in your house so that you can enjoy more the new looks of your finished projects.
One of the most frequent questions interior designers here is how to choose colors for a home. We all love color, but some people are afraid of using color in their home. Thanks, I like the blog!
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