Make a splash with eco-friendly paint
Who knew that a simple job such as decorating your interior could have so many pitfalls? Have you ever experienced nausea and dizziness when painting? The chemicals that cause those don’t have a great long-term effect either. Conventional paints are made up of formaldehyde, heavy metals and VOCs (volatile organic compounds). Apart from having a detrimental effect on your health, these paints are also extremely bad for the environment. Not only does the production process use non-sustainable resources, but it also produces an immense amount of toxic waste.
What is eco-friendly paint?
Luckily, there is the option of eco-friendly paint. These paints are made from natural ingredients including clay, milk proteins, citrus, balsam and other minerals, and much lower levels of VOCs. An example of eco-friendly paint is milk paint, which has in fact been used for hundreds of years. This is made from the milk protein casein mixed with lime, and has a powdered formula. When the powder is mixed with water, it doesn’t emit any odour and is safe if inhaled.
When shopping for eco-friendly paints, it can get a little confusing trying to find the ones that are actually environmentally friendly, or just labelled like it. Here are a few things to keep an eye out for when choosing eco-friendly paints:
✔ make sure it’s described as low or no VOC
✔ has the certified organic logo
✔ has been certified by GREENGUARD Environmental Institute
✔ check the label for toxic ingredients like titanium dioxide and petroleum
Benefits of using eco-friendly paints
✔ to save the environment - uses renewable, sustainable resources, less toxic waste, and no hazardous emissions during production
✔ for your own health and wellbeing - the solvents in regular paints let off poisonous gasse, and if you’re breathing this in every day it can be harmful in the long run
✔ eco-friendly paints have high breathability, which means they allow water vapour to pass through. This results in less mould, damp and condensation building up.
Cost
Perhaps unsurprisingly, eco-friendly paints are generally more expensive than conventional paints. Basic paints cost around £8 - £38 per 2.5 litre tub. Eco-friendly paints however, can cost approximately £35 - £40 for a 2.5 litre tub, depending on the colour and brand.
OPOH recommends
Earthborn Paints were founded in 2002 - long before the eco-friendly movement kicked off. They are the first UK brand to be awarded the EU Ecolabel for Indoor Paints and Varnishes.
Their paints are produced from clay, which has the added bonus of reducing condensation, mould and mildew. Earthborn Paints offer a wide range of colours for all purposes - interiors, exteriors, wood and furniture. In addition to paints, they also produce decorating products including furniture wax and glaze, primers and wallpaper pastes. All their products carry a declaration of ingredients, so you can rest assured knowing exactly what you’re using.
You can visit their website here: https://earthbornpaints.co.uk/
