Painting a child’s bedroom
A natural instinct for most parents when they are preparing for the birth of their baby is to decorate. While colour and price are commonly the most immediate considerations when choosing paint, parents should now also consider what’s actually in the pot of liquid they are about to coat virtually every surface in the child’s bedroom in. After all, children commonly spend more time in their bedrooms than anywhere else and the effect of chemicals on human health has a lot to do with exposure time.
Virtually all conventional paint contains a cocktail of petrochemicals. Even water based emulsions contain a wide variety of synthetic ingredients. Research has found that exposure to these chemicals can have serious adverse effects on human health particularly that of children and the elderly. We have at some point all felt the ill effects of fresh paint fumes, but few people know that ‘off-gassing’ of harmful fumes into a room can still be measured years after decorating.
It’s not all doom and gloom though, natural healthy alternatives are now making their way onto the UK market. Modern Natural paints have been developed in Germany over the last thirty years using as many top quality renewable ingredients as possible. Production methods are high-tech with special attention to the environment and human health with plant oils and clays taking the place of petrochemicals. Natural paints now offer a good selection of colours and finishes. Most are very easy to use and perhaps the most surprising revelation is that they cost no more than many conventional decorative brands.
There are now many brands of Natural paint to choose from with some better than others. Buying your paint from an independent supplier who carries a range of brands should insure you avoid the few inferior products on the market especially those brands calling themselves ‘Organic’ as there is no such thing as Organic paint and they often differ little from conventional products. Questions to ask your paint supplier include: is your paint made from renewable ingredients, do your products contain acrylic and what is the VOC levels in your products.
It seems then that along with organic foods and avoiding synthetic clothing children in the UK can now avoid having their bedrooms coated in chemical based paints and can instead enjoy the warm tones natural healthy paint can offer. Surely a reason for parents and their children to breathe a little easier!