Mommy Goes Green

In Week 5, we were “supposed to” clean our windows.  I got lazy and did NOTHING.  My only excuse is that it’s been raining forever ( or so it seems ) and I lack motivation to do much outside when it’s raining.

I’m getting back on track this week because my walls have little black handprints on them.  I can’t for the life of me figure out where they came from. 

Before you start touch up painting, get yourself a greener paint ( and I’m not talking about color ).  Many of them work just as well as regular paint without the nasty smell or chemicals lingering in your house.  Conventional paints contain a bunch of chemicals that off-gas into the air in your home – the air you and your kids are breathing into your healthy bodies!   

One of these chemical compounds are Volative Organic Compounds (VOCs ).  According to the EPA, at room temperature, volatile organic compounds are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. VOCs include a variety of chemicals (e.g., formaldehyde, benzene, perchloroethylene), some of which may have short- and long-term effects. Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors than outdoors. A study by the EPA, covering six communities in various parts of the United States, found indoor levels up to ten times higher than those outdoors — even in locations with significant outdoor air pollution sources, such as petrochemical plants.

A wide array of volatile organics are emitted by products used in home, office, school, and arts/crafts and hobby activities. These products, which number in the thousands, include:

• personal items such as scents and hair sprays
• household products such as finishes, rug and oven cleaners, paints and lacquers (and their thinners), paint strippers, pesticides (see below)
• dry-cleaning fluids
• building materials and home furnishings
• office equipment such as some copiers and printers
• office products such as correction fluids and carbonless copy paper
• graphics and craft materials including glues and adhesives, permanent markers, and photographic solutions

Many of these items carry precautionary labels specifying risks and procedures for safe use; some do not. Signs and symptoms of VOC exposure may include eye and upper respiratory irritation, rhinitis, nasal congestion, rash, pruritus, headache, nausea, vomiting, dyspnea and, in the case of formaldehyde vapor, epistaxis.

Personally, if something is going to cause irritation, rash, headache, or nausea – I’d rather it be my husband or daughter than some chemical.  

Finding paints with low or zero VOCs is pretty easy to do these days.  Note: the definition of non-VOC paint means that untinted, the paint contains <5gL of VOCs.  Home improvement centers like Home Depot to paint retail shops like Sherwin Williams carry low or zero VOC paint.  Three years ago I painted the nursery with a low VOC paint from Benjamin Moore and the smell was non-existent.  When I tried to use the same paint in a bathroom, there was a smell.  Apparently, the size of the room can make a difference in terms of smell.

If you want to take safe painting a step further, check out Green Seal paints or natural paints.

Green Seal outlaws a bunch of other chemicals including carcinogens, mutagens, reproductive toxins, hazardous air pollutants or ozone-depleting compounds.  Look through the list of Green Seal certified paints – many are ones you’ll find locally such as Benjamin Moore’s Eco Spec, Olympic Paints Zero-VOC Olympic Premium Interior ( available at Lowe’s), and Miller Paint’s Acro Pure Interior Acrylic line.  

Natural paints are derived of materials such as chalk, clay and lime.  Bioshield Natural Paints paints are primarily from naturally-derived raw materials including citrus peel extracts, essential oils, seed oils, tree resins, inert mineral fillers, tree and bee waxes, lead-free dryers and natural pigments.

Bottom line – stay away from conventional paint products and buy a better paint, for your family’s health and the environment.  

If you want to jump ahead to week 7, check out the entire MGG Guide to Green Spring Cleaning. You can also print a copy to keep it on hand for each week’s task.