A fresh coat of paint can quickly breathe new life into your home’s interior. Make sure you aren’t compromising your health in the process, however. Indoor air quality suffers if you don’t take the right safety steps. Here are ways to diminish IAQ concerns when painting interior surfaces.

Use the Safest Paints

Many types of paint include harmful chemicals, called volatile organic chemicals or VOCs. These can have a direct impact on health.  When painting the interior, only choose paints that are intended for indoor use and, whenever possible, use paints that are labeled no or low VOCs.

Keep in mind, however, that even the safest paints can emit some harmful chemicals during their application and afterward. You can diminish the impact by ventilating your home.

Ventilation

Ventilating the home while painting can be as simple as opening exterior doors and placing a box fan in a window. The goal is to bring in as much fresh air into the home as you can while drawing the harmful elements outside. Make sure you aren’t just recirculating the bad air throughout other rooms in the home. Position the fan to blow air from the work area directly outside.

Keep Children and Pets in a Safer Area

There are many reasons to keep pets and children out of a renovation area, but IAQ concerns are among the biggest. Pets and kids are extra susceptible to health risks from paint fumes. Seal off the work area from the rest of the home by closing interior doors or using plastic sheeting and keep kids and pets out.

Dispose of Paint and Paint-Soaked Materials

Even a little bit of latex paint left in a can or on rags can impact air quality in your home. Contact your local  waste management office to learn how to safely dispose of these items. In most cases, dried latex paint can be disposed of with regular garbage.

For other tips regarding IAQ concerns, please contact us today at Powers Heating & Air. We’ve been serving the Peachtree City area for many years and look forward to helping you.