Spring and summer are the season for interior and exterior renovations. The sun and the revival, flowering of nature awakens the desire to create and improve, and warm air helps to achieve a quick effect. Therefore, during the warm period, repairs are often made in an apartment, house or cottage. But how to make sure that the use of building materials does not harm health, especially when repairing the interior of the premises? After all, we still have to stay within the limits of the radiation of the vapors of the used paints, varnishes and other chemicals for a long time, which becomes especially relevant when it comes to decorating rooms for children or allergy sufferers.
Now many manufacturers produce lines of environmentally friendly paints, varnishes and other coatings. Such products should be free of components based on volatile organic substances (formaldehyde, mercury, zinc white, lead, cadmium compounds, chlorinated phenols), which is checked when studying the full composition of the paint. The reason to doubt the authenticity of the environmental safety of the paint will be the general wording “does not contain harmful substances” or “based on natural oils” *. For European manufacturers, the evidence that the product does not contain harmful emissions and volatile solvents is evidenced by the presence of the words ELF, VOC-free, Eco-friendly . In order for the paint to receive such a mark, raw materials and additives for it, the equipment on which it is produced, as well as the entire technological process, must undergo a series of checks and tests. It takes a lot of time and is very expensive, so only leading companies with many years of experience in this field can afford such marking. But by purchasing their products, you guarantee yourself peace of mind for the safety of your health.
For finishing walls and other surfaces, oil paints and polymer paints are not recommended for use. It is better to choose water-based materials (water-emulsion or water-dispersion), since they do not emit harmful substances (primarily organic solvents) either during application or during operation of coatings under the influence of sun, heat, water. The undoubted advantage of water-soluble paints is also a low price compared to the above environmental ones.
If you are allergic, asthmatic or a person who is sensitive to smells, you need to choose special hypoallergenic paints. Some of them contain silver ions in their composition, which have bactericidal properties.
* A good "sign" when choosing a manufacturer can be the presence of an ISO 14001 certificate. It guarantees that the manufacturing process of the product meets the international standard aimed at improving the environmental performance of the organization and compliance with environmental legislation. This means that the manufacturer takes into account environmental requirements in the production process, which speaks in favor of his reputation and interests, although it does not serve as an unambiguous evidence of the environmental friendliness of all manufactured products.
See also anekdotig:
- Tip: Vacuum the bag regularly .
- Article: " Note to Housewives: Ecological Alternatives to Household Chemicals ".
- Article: Ecological Footprint: How Many Planets Do We Need? »
- News: " Russians consider the naturalness of products, but are not ready to pay extra for reducing environmental damage " (May 12, 2016)
- News: “ Equipment of industrial enterprises in Russia will be made more environmentally friendly by 2020 ” (April 11, 2016)