Knowing How to Paint Safely in the Home
Home improvement is something that many American homeowners consider, and this often involves repainting old furniture, walls, or even a wooden deck for a new look, and color matching is often a popular route, since many homeowners want a consistent visual theme in the home. Floor paint, gloss varnish, spray paint, and more are options for remaking the visuals of a home, and even deck paint should be considered, since a wooden deck is a large investment and should look its best. Expecting parents can also have fun painting new furniture and the walls for a baby’s room, but how to safely paint baby furniture may be a concern that should not be neglected. The best paint for baby crib work is not always what parents think it might be, and there is more to consider than just the color. In fact, the wrong paint can be a substantial health hazard for the newborn, and VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, are a major threat to anyone’s health, especially for infants and toddlers. How to safely paint baby furniture? This means taking airborne toxins into account, and VOCs may be found in rugs and carpets too, another arena to consider.
Health and Paint and Carpets
How to safely paint baby furniture? This starts with knowing about interior decoration in terms of health hazards, as allergens, VOCs, and even cognitive damage are all involved in this. Despite not being exposed to vehicle exhaust, indoor air is often very dirty, and this can often cause or aggravate allergies in babies, children, and adults alike, and a number of studies have been done to see where this danger comes from, and how these airborne particles and fumes might impact human health. The Survey Research Institute at Cornell University, for example, found that 83% of travelers will choose an allergy-free room if they could, and the same study revealed that 59% of travelers reported wanting to choose one hotel room over another based on availability of allergen-friendly rooms. This is often a bigger issue for babies and children. The Dampness in Buildings and Health study conducted in Sweden found that among children who have multiple allergic symptoms, PGE exposure can nearly double the chances of those children developing allergic sensitivities to other allergens, too. Finally, a study also found that cognitive scores among adults are significantly higher, often as much as 101% higher, when the level of VOCs in a building is lowered for a few weeks, and the same was true when VOC levels of the outdoor air nearby were also lowered.
Safe Painting and Carpets
Interior decoration is about more than looks. It’s also about safety and construction materials, especially when a newborn baby is being brought into the picture. How to safely paint baby furniture? Not just any paint will do for a baby crib; regular paints with a lot of VOCs will practically poison the air of the baby room, and this can wreak havoc on an infant, so expecting parents are strongly urged to know what kind of paint they should get, and why. Nearby baby supply stores may have some baby-safe materials such as low-VOC paints, and parents can ask store associates to show them paints in the desired colors that are also low-VOC. Paint primer and finisher can also be used on these paints when painting a wooden baby crib. “How to safely paint baby furniture,” in short, is about the health of the infant as well as the paint style.
Protecting a home against VOCs doesn’t end with painting a crib. Adults and pets may also suffer from high VOC levels in the air, and this can be prevented with awareness and the right materials. New paint jobs can involve using low-VOC paints on anything, not just a baby crib, such as a wooden deck or even the living room or kitchen walls, to keep everyone in the household safe. The carpet is another issue. Old carpets build up a lot of materials and may give off a lot of VOCs, a hazard for anyone, especially a new baby. Maid services can be hired to perform a deep clean, or contractors can tear up old carpets and put down new, low-VOC carpets.
