Bringing an old room back to life oftens includes a paint job. Picking the right colors for your room can be an experience all on its own, but what about those nasty fumes that engulf the air you're breathing? Symptoms that can come from paint exposure can cause you to feel light headed, dizzy, dehydrated, blurry vision, headaches, and nose/eye/throat irritation.
Replace your air filter before you start painting.
Trade out that dirty, clogged HVAC filter for a carbon treated air filter that will help absorb gases and odors from your indoor air. Carbon Air Filters help remove paint odors.Besides replacing your HVAC filters with a carbon treated air filter, you should ventilate your home. Its very important to ventilate your home while painting to keep the air circulating. Painting inside a room where the polluted air is stagnant can only increase your chances of inhaling indoor air pollutants and heighten your chances for paint exposure.
Ventilating Tips
- Open windows not only in the room you are painting, but the surrounding rooms as well
- Circulate fresh air by opening the door
- Don't shut yourself in a room while painting. Keep the door open.
- Turn on an exhaust fan while painting the bathroom, laundry room, or kitchen
- Use a portable fan or ceiling fan to circulate air
- Turn your HVAC cooling system fan on
- Wear a protection paint odor respirator mask (local hardware stores carry them)
- Take frequent breaks when painting by leaving the room for fresh air
- After painting leave the area for a couple hours, but don't stop ventilating the room
For more information on paint exposure visit the Environmental Protection Agency.
