Essential Painting Tips for People with Asthma

Tony 03/16/2020
Essential Painting Tips for People with Asthma
Essential Painting Tips for People with Asthma


Asthma is a condition that affects 25 million Americans. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, one in 13 people have asthma. Those with asthma must take steps throughout their lives to make it livable—because, unfortunately, even the simple act of breathing can be difficult for someone with asthma. If even walking up the stairs can cause problems, then home renovations may seem impossible, especially in regard to painting. People with allergies may detest the current sight of their walls, but they may not be certain if they can tolerate the paint fumes, constant dust, and any other triggers.

Luckily, with the help of eco-friendly paint producers and new techniques, even people with asthma can paint their homes and avoid asthma attacks in the process. If you want to transform your space, then check out a few of these essential painting tips for people with asthma. Take a look, and then get to painting!

Painting Tips for People with Asthma

Do an Initial Check for Lead Paint

The first step to a successful paint session is ensuring the home contains no lead paint. Lead paint is a no-go for any painter, but even more so for those with asthma. Lead is a toxic metal that was regularly used in paint for homes up until the late 1970s. When you start scraping, sanding, or otherwise disturbing the material, it becomes an airborne hazard. The particles of lead float around in the air, and once inhaled, they can cause a plethora of health problems. This is an even harsher hazard for people with asthma, since their lungs are already chronically inflamed. If your home was built before the 80s, your best bet is to bring in a specialist who can properly remove the lead paint from your home.

Lessen the Chances of Dust

One of the main steps to a proper paint job is sanding the walls. Even if your home doesn’t contain lead paint, sanding still sends a lot of dust particles and other matter into the air. With already inflamed lungs, your body may not like this process. Luckily, you can take a few different steps to reduce your lungs’ reaction to these floating particles. For example, consider wearing a face mask specifically designed to filter the air around you. An additional precaution you can take is to stock up on asthma medication so that you don’t have to run to the store if the dust becomes too much to handle.

Take Breaks

Another important way to lessen the effects of dust and painting on your lungs is simply by taking breaks, especially when it comes to the sanding process. You may be on a roll (literally) with the painting process, but if you wait too long to take a break, it’ll be harder for your lungs to recover. Take breaks after each section you sand. Head to an area with clean air flow and take deep breaths to get that fresh air filtering through your lungs.

Ensure Constant Clean Air Flow

One of the most essential painting tips for people with asthma is to ensure the constant flow of clean air. Throughout the painting session, try to allow as much clean air to filter through the space as possible. Open windows to let in fresh air; add air purifiers to the room you’re painting; and vacuum with a HEPA filter after sanding and after applying each layer of paint. The HEPA filter will act as another type of air purifier. The more you can do to ensure clean air, the easier your painting experience will be.

Look for the Right Paint

When it comes to the actual painting process, make sure you choose a paint that won’t irritate your lungs or other areas of the body. In short, you want to look for a paint that’s VOC-free, nontoxic, no-odor, and free of harsh chemicals. When you choose a standard paint that contains VOCs, chemicals, toxins, or odors, you put yourself at greater risk of an asthma attack. At ECOS Paints, we provide painters with the healthy products they need to complete their projects. We’ve helped our customers create healthier living environments with our premium VOC-free, nontoxic, no-odor, paints. Even better, our coatings (approved by the British Allergy Foundation) were developed without the harsh chemicals typically found in conventional paint products that may cause asthma and allergy reactions. We want to make sure that everyone can have a successful painting experience. Below, we lay out some brief explanations of what you won’t find in our paint.

VOCs

VOCs stand for volatile organic compounds, and they’re found in a variety of products—conventional paints in particular. Typical harmful VOCs such as formaldehyde and toluene can cause irritation and illness. Our paints conform to CDPH 01350, so they’re much safer products to use.

Toxins

Completely different from the lead paint we talked about earlier, our paints are nontoxic, specifically concerning oral toxicity, skin irritation, and other respiratory effects.

Odors

That paint smell that permeates the home when people paint? You won’t get that with ECOS’ paints. Since our paints are free of VOCs and harsh chemicals, they don’t give off that harsh smell that can be detrimental to indoor air quality and your health.

At ECOS, we take it even further and offer air-purifying products as well. These products contain a unique filtering technology that absorbs harmful VOCS, so they can actually improve your home’s overall indoor air quality. It’s a great option for people who suffer from asthma.

Consult with a Doctor

Before taking on a painting project, make sure to consult with your doctor. Even with all these preventative measures, painting could still trigger your asthma. Talk with your doctor to ensure this is something they think your lungs will be able to handle.

As we mentioned, you can turn to ECOS Paints for your non-toxic wall paint. We offer a range of shades so that all your wildest painting dreams can come true. Shop our products now!


 
Painting Tips for People with Asthma

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