What is Low VOC Paint and Why Should I Use It?

Did you know that the air inside your home is about 3 times more polluted than the air you breathe outside? That’s a pretty amazing statistic, and yet when you think about it, it makes sense since the air, and all the toxins in it, is trapped inside our homes.

How do the pollutants, or toxins enter our homes?

• Mold and other fungal growth
• Pesticides and chemicals tracked into the home on the bottom of shoes (this is a good reason to have all who enter leave their shoes at the front door.)
• Produce that is brought into the home that is not organic carries pesticides on it.
• Pest control products such as flea and tick killers.
• Products we use in our homes everyday: all things plastic from containers to bottles to wrap, cosmetics, toys, glues, cleaning supplies and even vinyl floor coverings. These things all seem harmless, but thy each emit toxins that are harmful to our health.

These are just a few of the things that pollute the air in our homes, but what we’re going to talk about today are the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s) found in paint.

The threat of VOC’s

Many people love the “fresh” smell of a newly painted room, but in reality, that smell can be dangerous to your health.  That smell is caused by the drying of the paint which releases the VOC’s into the air. They can cause headaches, irritated eyes, nausea, and even cancer. So you would think that once the paint has dried and the odor has gone away that the threat of these harmful compounds would go away too, but nothing is further from the truth. The real truth is that the paint releases low levels of these toxins for several years to come.

Low VOC Paint

Once it was recognized that paint emissions were toxic and harmful, a safer alternative, low VOC paints were developed. Keep in mind that it cannot be claimed that the odor and toxicity are totally removed, but they are much healthier options. When buying paint, read the label for VOC content and choose the product with the lowest rating.

Many people have wondered if low VOC paints are as good and as long lasting, but paint quality does not have to be sacrificed, manufacturers have worked hard to give us an eco-friendly and durable paint.

At Claffey’s we not only care about the quality of your paint job, but we care about the quality of your air.

Contact us or give us a call for a free estimate – (425) 888-3634

Claffey’s Painting is a full service painting contractor serving Western Washington, Chelan, Douglas and Kittitas Counties. We have painted over 7000 homes and would enjoy the opportunity to help paint yours. We can guide you through all the decision making processes so you get the right paint for the right job, and the professional job you’re looking for.