Eco-friendly paints are a better alternative to traditional paints as many have low-to-no VOC content, minimizing toxin exposure and improving indoor and outdoor air quality. When you are moving into a new home, you really want to start out with a healthy environment! Choose one of these paints and move right in without worrying about that overwhelming new paint smell!
What are VOC’s?
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in paints are chemicals that easily vaporize at room temperature and contribute to air pollution and health issues. VOCs are released into the air as the paint dries, and these compounds can have short- and long-term adverse health effects. VOCs are a group of organic chemicals that have high vapor pressure at room temperature, leading them to evaporate and enter the atmosphere easily. They are found in many products, including paints, varnishes, and solvents.
In paint, VOCs primarily serve as solvents that help the paint spread evenly and dry properly. VOCs contribute to the paint’s durability and its ability to adhere to surfaces and improve the paint’s flow and leveling properties, making it easier to apply.
Examples of VOC’s include benzene, formaldehyde, xylene, toluene, and ethylene glycol. Exposure to these chemicals is at its highest when paint is wet—as it dries VOC’s evaporate into the air, lasting for hours and sometimes even days.
VOCs released from paint contribute to indoor air pollution, which can cause respiratory issues, headaches, dizziness, and other health problems. Interestingly, VOCs react with nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the presence of sunlight to form ground-level ozone, a key component of smog, which is harmful to the environment and human health. Prolonged exposure to high levels of VOCs can lead to more serious health problems, including liver and kidney damage, central nervous system issues, and increased risk of cancer.
Selecting an eco-friendly paint for your home can minimize the negative impacts of VOC’s on your health and the environment.
Eco-Friendly Paints Explained
Eco-friendly paints mean that they don’t contain airborne chemicals or gases that will impact your health. Eco-friendly paints use lower or VOC-free ingredients in their formulation as well as reduced hazardous chemicals like heavy metals and other toxins. The use of biodegradable and renewable materials also reduces paints’ carbon footprint.
EPA notes that the effects of VOCs are about two to five times higher indoors than outdoors, and if you’re stripping paint during a home project, studies show that it can skyrocket up to 1,000 times higher. Please keep those windows open when you are striping paint!
If you are thinking of a new coat of paint, here are the best eco-friendly VOC-free options that are safe for your space.
Eight Eco-Friendly Paints
ECOS PAINT: The environmentally friendly ECOS Paint is free of VOCs and odors and offers a colorful selection of organic paints for interior and exterior walls (and a transparent ingredient list!). Best of all, a gallon covers 560 sq. feet, more than most traditional options. Used by the Louvre, Westminster Abbey, and the Getty Museum, these made-to-order paints mix quality and environmental consciousness like no other.
CLARE PAINT: Clare Paint is dedicated to bringing designer-curated colors and environmentally-friendly paint right to your door. 100 percent of its paints are zero VOC and Greenguard Gold Certified, while its factories have low-waste production methods, recycled packaging, and water conservation systems throughout. This company offers swatch kits and the Clare Color Genius quiz to help you narrow down your options.
The Real Milk Paint Co. Milk paint, made from organic milk protein, is a healthier alternative than water-based latex or oil-based paint used by many commercial options. The Real Milk Paint Co. has tons of great color options—including loose pigments so that you can blend your own custom color. The Real Milk Paint Co. has been innovating since 1995, and its formula is biodegradable. Even the waxes and finishing creams are non-VOC and odorless! Just add water, and it’ll work on raw wood, drywall, and concrete. It is a great option for painting child furniture.
The Organic & Natural Paint Co. The Organic & Natural Paint Co. is a British company founded in 2012 with a focus on the importance of air quality in the family home. The founder’s family experiences genetic breathing conditions which propelled the development and production of their eco-friendly, organic, and nontoxic paints. Every single product (including their wood finishes) is VOC-free and uses natural raw ingredients in its formulation like clay, to create a ‘breathable’ paint that’s safe and functional for interior and exterior use.
Benjamin Moore Eco Spec Benjamin Moore is a well known national brand and the Benjamin Moore’s Eco Spec line is a100% acrylic interior paint with zero VOC’s and emissions—it’s also Green Seal certified for its protective limits on toxins and sustainable packaging. The brand uses a patented Gennex® colorant on its paints which offers excellent color retention while ensuring the paint remains zero-VOC even after tinting. This paint is quick drying and certified Asthma and Allergy Friendly.
Behr Premium Plus Behr Premium Plus is budget-friendly while still meeting the low-to-no VOC criteria. Both LEED and GREENGUARD GOLD certified, these paints are extremely durable while being well priced. Stain and mold resistant properties within the formula keep the paint looking fresh well into the future. Best news yet, Home Depot sells Behr so it’s easy to find and use.
Backdrop Backdrop spent a year curating 50 of the best colors for homes—and became the first climate-neutral paint company in 2020, Its line of interior and exterior colors are Green Wise certified, are low odor, and sent in a recyclable can. Although Backdrop’s paints are only low-VOC, they are worth considering for their highly pigmented exterior paint colors and seamless selection and shipping process (many receive their orders the following day!) The website includes a paint calculator and offers essential painting supplies if you are a DIY-er at heart.
Graham & Brown Graham & Brown makes it easy to coordinate your colors by offering eco-friendly wallpapers and paints to match. As a carbon-neutral company, the brand mixes your paints to order and plants trees to offset emissions. Though Graham & Brown is low-VOC rather than VOC-free, it does offer nearly 260 water-based paint colors and wide range of finishes (including metallic and glitter topcoats).
If You Need a Painter!
Once you have picked out your perfect eco-friendly paints, you will probably want someone to do the painting for you. Rest assured, I have your painter. Whether you want someone inexpensive or someone who will do a really high end job with special finishes and textures, I know who you should call. After all, that’s my job to simplify your life! Let’s talk paint choices at 240-401-5577 or you can email me at lise@lisehowe.com. I would love to hear from you.
