Healthy Indoor Painting Practices

Whether you’re painting a small piece of furniture or all four walls of your living room, following good painting practices is just as important as getting the job done.

Paint contains different chemicals and each different type of product poses different potential hazards. Most paint brands contain a hodgepodge of chemicals that evaporate in the air as soon as you open the can. The effects of these chemicals vary and depend upon a number of factors, such as the amount of chemicals in indoor air, how long a person is exposed to them, pre-existing medical conditions and how old a person is. Professional painters are often exposed to paint vapors for long periods, and some chemicals may have already affected their nervous system, liver or kidneys. Some chemicals used in paint may cause cancer and reproductive development defects in laboratory animals; there’s no reason to think they won’t cause the same problems in humans.

Because of these concerns, it’s important to observe safety precautions when painting at home. Here are some of the things you can do.

1. Choose paints that are for indoor use. Never use exterior paints for indoor paint jobs.
2. Use water-based (latex) paint instead of oil-based (alkyd) paint, if possible. Generally, latex paint emits less chemicals and paint vapor than alkyd paint does.
3. Wear a mask and/or goggles. Preventing vapor and chemicals from entering your eyes is just as important as not inhaling them.
4. Wear gloves. Some chemicals seep through dermis or skin, though they do so in smaller amounts.
5. Provide fresh air before and after painting. Open all windows and set up fans around the area that you are trying to paint to keep air circulation going. Even after you’ve finished painting, keep the room ventilated for a couple of hours or until the paint dries.
6. Close containers tightly if you have leftover paint. Dispose of leftover paint, or store them. Be sure to close can lids tightly and store them in a cool dry place.
7. Never use gasoline to clean paintbrushes and rollers. Use soap and water to clean off water-based paint from brushes and rollers. Use paint thinner to remove oil-based paint.