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What’s the Best Non Toxic Paint?
Non-toxic paint has become increasingly more important to the public as information has come out about how dangerous the emissions are to our health. In response to the alarm about toxic paints, companies have developed Natural paints, Low VOC, and Zero VOC paints. VOC’s are volatile organic compounds.
They, among other chemicals, are what make paint toxic. VOC’s can leech out of paint for years. To avoid them, many paints have now been made from natural ingredients that don’t contain VOC’s and are entirely non-toxic. Take a look at our picks:
Best Non Toxic Paint Brands
Ecos Paint
For 35 years, Ecos Paints have been perfecting their “recipe” to help their customers create a healthier environment. Their high-quality paint is non-toxic, has Zero VOC’s, and no traditional paint odor. Each product is free from herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides. They help you find the right color with their color matching form. Once you find the perfect shade, you will be buying the best in organic paints that are designed for people who suffer from chemical sensitivities.
Clare Paint
Clare premium interior paints are Zero VOC and are GREENGUARD Gold certified. You can find the perfect color for your space by using their Clare Color Genius two minute quiz. Clare paint offers an alternative to the old fashioned, endless sample spots. They ship (for free!) their Perfect Color Swatch to you, which lets you sample in an instant by just peeling and sticking it to your wall. Once you find the right color for you, you will be buying high-quality paint that is self-priming and applies an even finish that resists dirt, grime, and mildew.
Anna Sova
Anna Sova Food Paint smells like a milkshake! This is their claim and they prove it with their ingredient list for their paint. The patented paint is made with up to 96% of food-grade ingredients including milk casein, bamboo cellulose, food emulsifiers, fungicide, bactericide, mildew retardant, and preservatives. It applies and protects like standard interior wall paint. Anna Sova uses cutting edge Degussa pigments that contain no VOC’s, are APE-free and are water-based. Using their paint in your home can help reduce your household VOC’s.
The Real Milk Paint
The Real Milk Paint is made from 100% organic materials and thus is environmentally friendly, has no VOC’s, and is non toxic. It’s sold as a powder that you’ll have to mix with water. You can then mix it with pigment powders to create just about any color you want. The Real Milk Paint Company also offers paint remover, crackle, waxes, and tung oil to finish off your wooden projects. They also sell Citrus Solvent as a natural paint thinner. They offer you so many toxin-free alternatives to create beautiful spaces.
Read More: How to Improve Air Quality at Home?
BioShield
BioShield Healthy Living Paints are beautifully versatile and easy to apply. They can cover most surfaces, from plaster to concrete – all without VOC’s or solvent. The paint is a breathable, economical, and washable paint with a high-hiding capacity making it good for covering up existing paint. BioShield also offers a unique interior clay paint that is made with naturally occurring earthborn clays and pigments. It’s self-priming and spatter resistant.
Dunn Edwards Everest Paint
Everest is a line of ultra-premium, Zero VOC, and low odor acrylic paints. It’s self-priming and applies easily. It’s ideal for use on high-end residential and commercial projects. Their paint features exceptional hide, adhesion, and sheen uniformity. It has superior scrub resistance and washability.
Cloverdale Paint EcoLogic
Coverdale EcoLogic paint is formulated with latex resin and ceramic microsphere technologies. It’s a 100% acrylic latex waterborne finish that claims to have fantastic resistance to stains, burnishing and abrasions when compared to other flat latexes. It contains a fungicide to make it mildew resistant and therefore, suitable for kitchens and bathrooms. It will leave a gloss-free finish that applies smoothly and meets the VOC standards in the USA.
Sherwin-Williams Harmony
Harmony is an interior acrylic latex paint that is formulated to reduce common odors from cooking, pets, and smoke to help keep rooms smelling fresh. It is a Zero-VOC formula which is GREENGUARD certified for low chemical emissions. It’s also been GREENGUARD certified for children and in schools. The paint contains ingredients that inhibit the growth of mold and mildew on the surface. In addition to that, it contains Formaldehyde Reducing Technology that helps to reduce certain levels of VOC’s from various places in the home.
Read More: Where to buy non-toxic cleaning products?
Benjamin Moore Natura
Benjamin Moore website offers a helpful paint calculator which allows you to enter the dimensions of the room and calculate how much paint you’ll need, keeping in mind that you’ll use two coats and won’t be painting the ceiling. They make their own resins and proprietary Gennex colorants. Benjamin Moore Natura Paint paint has been certified to be asthma and allergy-friendly. They’ve also earned Silver level certification from the Cradle to Cradle product innovation institute.
Behr Premium Plus Paint
Behr Premium Plus Paint has excellent coverage and stain resistance. It’s scrub resistant so you can have a beautiful color and finish for years to come. They have a “Paint your Place” option to be able to upload a photo of the room you want to paint and virtually test the colors. Behr offers a huge selection of both indoor and outdoor paints. They have GREENGUARD Gold certification, so rest assured that you will get top quality non-toxic paints.
What Are the Benefits of Non-Toxic Paints?
- The non toxic paints in our review are durable, cost-effective, and much less harmful to human and environmental health. Some of them even have essential oils in them that give them a pleasant scent! The reduced toxins benefit everyone, but especially people with allergies and chemical sensitivities.
- They cause less contaminants in the landfills and in groundwater. Even the paint that does end up there, is not deemed as hazardous waste.
- Non-toxic paint products also perform well in terms of coverage and hideability. This is a bonus when you need to cover flaws from previous coats.
- They’re water-based, so any messes are automatically easier to clean up.
- That distinctive (not to mention, toxic) smell of fresh paint is a common complaint from people who have to spend time in that room. One amazing benefit of non-toxic paint is that it’s low odor during application, and no odor once it’s cured. That’s right, no off-gassing. So, painted areas can be occupied sooner with no problem odors.
- On top of that, non toxic paints are quick-drying and non-yellowing.
- Non-toxic paints are all around better for the environment and your body.
What is the Difference Between Low-VOC and No VOC?
I mentioned briefly in the beginning what a VOC is, but why are they in paint at all? There are a couple of reasons. In particular, they can help prevent the growth of mold and mildew and help the paint dry quicker. But, as it turns out, they’re not absolutely necessary. Many low-VOC and no-VOC paints are proving that. The difference between the two is really just as simple as it sounds. The amount of VOC content concentrated in the paint.
Every board and committee may have differing opinions on the lowest possible content to classify a paint as low-VOC or no-VOC. But, to be considered no-VOC qualified, you have to have traces below a certain number that is determined by the Federal Trade Commission. Even no-VOC paints will still likely contain traces, but less than is considered harmful.
Read More: Best Plants to Detoxify Your Home
How to choose the best Eco Paint?
- Is it the right kind of paint for the room? For instance, is it mildew resistant for a kitchen or bathroom?
- Is it certified to be toxin-free?
- Do you like the gloss or shine of the brand?
- Will the color change if you have to cover another old color?
- Is the color going to reflect the mood you want in that room?
- Do you need no-VOC or will low-VOC paint be okay?
- If you’re painting the playroom or baby room, is the paint certified to be child-friendly?
- Do you want additional aromatherapy options to be added to your paint? Will your supplier have that option?
- Do you need to have a particularly high scrub-resistant paint if you clean your walls regularly? (any toddler parents know what I mean)
- Do you need indoor or outdoor paint? Not all brands offer durable, toxin-free options for both types.
- Does the brand you’re considering offer extreme weather-resistant paints?
- How many coats will you need to have sufficient coverage?
- What surface are you going to be painting and is the paint you want compatible?
Read More: How to create a chemical-free home?
Conclusion
If you want to paint your walls with non toxic paints, there’s a wide array of products you can choose from. Using non-toxic paints will help you dramatically reduce the amount of toxic chemicals in the air and improve air quality at home. Better air quality equals better well-being and health for you and your family so it’s definitely an investment that will pay off in the long-term.
