Mommy Goes Green

I spent the holiday weekend preparing my daughter’s ”big girl room” and a lot of that was spent prepping and painting.  ( fortunately, most of the painting was done by my family )

For prepping the room, we pulled out a bunch of paint tools that have been kept in a box in the garage.  After putting them in the bedroom, my super sensitive sniffer detected nasty fumes.  After further investigation, I realized that some paint thinner had been put in the paint box and had leached smell into EVERYTHING in the box.  I immediately threw it all out and went off to the store to purchase new materials.

Eco friendly materials have made their way into the paint world as I found recycled nylon bristle paint brushes, recycled knit roller covers and biodegradeable paint trays.  I had planned to use Benjamin Moore’s Natura Paint, a zero VOC paint, but every store carrying Benjamin Moore paint was closed on Sunday.  So, I wandered over to Sherwin Williams and picked up paint in their Harmony line, also a zero VOC paint.  ( read this postif you wonder why you should even care about VOCs )

I’m not a paint critic and probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between $5 paint and $50 paint but there are 2 things that I do notice: coverage and smell.  The Harmony paint was great, it didn’t dry too quickly or tacky and required 2 coats.  The one thing I didn’t expect was the smell.  While the smell wasn’t as stinky as normal paint jobs, it was still there.  With a little research, I found that Sherwin William’s website does note that Harmony paint is ‘low odor’.  It lives up to it’s claim – low odor, not no odor. 

At the last minute, I decided to add a couple pink stripes to the room using Benjamin Moore’s Aura paint that I already had.  Aura is a low-VOC paint.   The Aura paint had the opposite problem of the Harmony paint.  It had very, very little odor ( they claim it is ‘low odor’ ), but it dries very fast and is somewhat tacky.  I had to make sure that I got to drips very quickly. 

Overall, I’m thrilled with the way the room turned out but a little disappointed in the lingering smell.  I will be keeping the room empty and the windows open for several more days, at least. 

Next up is repainting the nursery for my son, due this fall.  I’ll plan things a little better and make sure I can pick up the Natura paint from Benjamin Moore for his room.  While the Natura paint is more expensive than the Harmony, Benjamin Moore claims that it is ‘virtually odorless’ and emits lower total volatile compounds than any other zero-VOC paint – I want to see if that’s true.

Anyone tried other zero-VOC paints they can recommend?

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.