Eco-friendly painters: how to protect your family when painting
Traditional paints often contain toxic substances that linger in your home long after it has dried. These nasty vapours are not pleasant to breathe in, especially for young children or those suffering from respiratory conditions, such as asthma.
What’s more, if not disposed of responsibly, the hazardous chemicals found in house paint can leach into the groundwater, potentially damaging the natural environment.
It’s no wonder so many homeowners are choosing eco-friendly painters over their competitors.
Let’s jump into the issue of eco-friendly paint in a little more detail.
Potential risks of paint
Paint typically contains chemicals that can cause detriment to humans and the environment.
Let’s breakdown these risks.
How does paint affect human health?
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a branch of the World Health Organisation, classifies painting as a carcinogenic occupation. Health conditions, including lung cancer, lymphoma, and leukemia, can develop as a result of long-term exposure to toxic paint. Of course, if you paint your home just once or twice throughout your lifetime, you are unlikely to develop these more serious ailments.
In the shorter term, conventional paint may cause you to develop a pretty bad headache and irritated eyes, particularly before the paint fumes have had time to settle. The air in your home over the following years may also put your family at a higher risk of developing allergies.
How does paint affect the environment?
Paint generally contains solvents and other nasty chemicals that can wreak havoc on the natural environment – including on animals. If these toxic chemicals leach into the groundwater, they can disrupt delicate ecosystems and destroy habitats.
The release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during the drying process is another concern. VOCs add to the formation of ozone, the most hazardous component of the pollution we usually refer to as smog.
How eco-friendly painters mitigate these risks
The good news is, you don’t have to choose between your family’s health and freshly painted walls. Eco-friendly painters like us use low-VOC paints where possible. Low-VOC paints offer several significant benefits, including:
- Little to no odour
- Safer fumes that are unlikely to irritate the eyes or airways
- Minimised air pollution
Responsible paint disposal
Even low-VOC paints can harm the environment if not disposed of properly. Depending on how much paint you have left, we suggest using one of the following disposal methods:
- If you have less than 4cm of paint left, leave it out to dry and then recycle the tin.
- If you have a substantial amount of paint left, do not put it in your general waste or recycling bin. Instead, take it to a dedicated recycling centre for treatment.
Hire eco-friendly painters today
If you are concerned about the wellbeing of your family during the painting process, get in touch with our friendly team. We are passionate about keeping our clients – and the environment – happy and healthy. Call today on 07 3829 5735 or fill out the form on this page, and we’ll get back to you shortly.
