Are you getting your home painted with a fresh coat of your favourite colours and wondering if the regular paint is a safer option or not? Well, by regular, if you mean the VOC based paint, then apparently, no, it is not. It is harmful to both humans and pet and on a long run, can cause severe health issues. So if you want to know what it is, why it is not recommended and what are the alternatives then read this guide thoroughly. You will know everything you need by the end:

Should You Ask for Non-VOC Paint?

Short for Volatile Organic Compounds, VOCs contain carbon that easily vaporizes which makes them unstable and hazardous. Once the carbon enters the air, it reacts with elements in the surrounding and damages it. Furthermore, when inhaled by humans, it can cause breathing issues, headaches, watery eyes, and asthma and so on. While the EPA has specified a limit of VOC levels which is ‘acceptable’ it can still be quite high for some paints.

Therefore, it is better to not use it or do it in very low quantity. So the answer to the question; should you ask painters to use non-VOC paint is YES, you should! Now some people might say; I won’t be there during the painting process so there is no risk of inhaling the fumes. Well, yes, you are right but the problem is that even the dried paint can release toxins if the VOC content is very high which means you will be breathing them for years to come.

Benefits to Using No or Low VOC Paints in your Home

Now your question is answered so if you want to leave, you can. However, if you want to know what you will get in exchange of discarding the use of VOC paints then stick until the end. We will discuss the main benefits of using no or low VOC paints:

• Clean Air: The primary benefit of using non-VOC paint is that you will live and breathe in cleaner air. Using low or no VOC paint means your walls or roofs will not release dangerous toxins that you won’t even know you will be inhaling all the time. So whether someone in your home has breathing issues, or allergies, they won’t be in constant discomfort due to inhaling carbon.
• No Odours: Whether you paint the home by yourself or get help from painters, the chemical odour can be quite uncomfortable. And depending on the paint, it can stay inside your home for a few weeks. However, using no VOC paints means the odour will not be as bad and it will go away a lot quicker.
• Affordability: Many homeowners believe that getting the safer, non VOC paint means shelling out more money. However, this is not entirely true. You can get it in the same price range as the high VOC paints from any hardware store in your neighbourhood. The long term safety this paint offers will be well worth the money.
• Easy to Clean: You can easily clean the stains, smudges and scuff marks from the walls painted with Low or no VOC paints. Whether your children made art on the wall or spilled something, using the solution of soap and water should clean the wall quickly.

What Are My Options?

Now that you know why you should use the VOC paints and the benefits of low or no VOC paints, you might be wondering; what kind of paints do I use then? Well, there are three kinds of paints that you can ask for from the hardware store, let’s look at them:

• Low-VOC: As discussed above, these are the paints that are very low on the VOCs so their damage to your body will be near to none. These paints are made with water instead of petroleum which means they have lower levels of chemicals like formaldehyde. Go for the low-VOC paints having less than 200grams of VOC per litre.
• Zero VOC: Although they are called zero VOC paints, they have a very negligible amount of VOC but it is near to nothing. So you won’t face any health issues that may come with high VOC or even low VOC paints. Go for the zero VOC paints that have 5 grams or less VOC per litre.
• Plant Based: Many companies produce non-toxic paint that is made using organic materials such as mineral dyes, beeswax, essential oils, plant oils, natural latex, resins and talcum etc. These paints have no amount of VOC and are the closest to the nature.

Using no or low VOC paints will cause little to no fumes when being applied and while drying. Therefore, people who are even allergic or have asthma can easily breathe after the painting process is completed. The good thing is that the cost of these paints is very similar which is why you won’t have to go out of your way to afford them.