Non-toxic paint brands we love

If you’re looking to paint your home, it stands to reason you’ll want non-toxic paint. You might think that comes as standard, but that isn’t actually the case. Lots of paints contain volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, including xylene, formaldehyde, benzene and ethyl acetate. Exterior paints are loaded with fungicides that prevent the growth of mould and damp, but they give off harmful chemicals that can then accumulate indoors. For this reason, you should absolutely never use exterior paint indoors.

Interior paint has fewer chemicals, but whilst you’re painting it still releases chemicals that can be harmful to your health whilst you are painting, which is why you should air out your house, and wear a mask whilst painting.

If you’ve inhaled paint, you might experience some of the following symptoms:

• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Itchy or watery eyes
• Throat irritation
• Lightheadedness
• Runny nose
• Difficulty breathing.

Serious stuff, right? So it’s a really good idea to look for non-toxic paints if you can, especially if you are painting indoors, and definitely if you live with vulnerable adults or children.

Lakeland Paints

Lakeland Paints call themselves the ‘original eco-friendly paint’, and their paints are free from odours and VOCs.

They say they have been selling this type of paint since before it was ‘a thing’. Their pains are certified as organic, natural, and vegan. They’re also free from VOCs, odourless, and non-toxic. To top it all off, they are quick drying, contain no heavy metals, no plastics, and they come in 372 colours and 108 shades of white.

Phew!

Backdrop

Backdrop is an exterior paint with a difference. In 2020, they became the first climate-neutral paint company. Their paints are Green Wise certified and low in VOCs, low odour, and sent in a can you can recycle.

Graham & Brown

We love Graham & Brown because they don’t only offer non-toxic paint, but also non-toxic wallpapers that match. They make it really easy to match that wallpaper to your paint, and we find that really useful.

They’re not only low VOC, they’re also water-based, and have 400 shades of paint to choose from. They mix your paints to order, and plant trees to offset emissions, which means they are carbon-neutral.

The Real Milk Paint Co.

Did you know that you could make paint from milk? Well, you can. The Real Milk Paint Co. makes paint from organic milk protein, which is healthier than water-based latex or oil-based paint. They have loads of cool shades already, and offer the option of blending your own custom colour. They’ve been around since 1995, and are VOC free and odourless. Add water, and the paint will work on raw wood, dry-walls, and concrete!

Coat

Coat are amazing, and are officially a B Corp, which means they have an amazing climate credential based on evidence that proves their social and environmental impact. The paint is low VOC and water-based, uses 100% recycled and recyclable packaging, and carbon-neutral delivery partners.

Graphenstone

Graphenstone paint is free of VOCs and also actively improves air quality by absorbing CO2 with the organic lime in its formula. Three 15 litre tins will absorb the same amount of CO2 as a fully grown tree over a year. Pots are made from 100 percent recycled and recyclable plastic.

Little Greene

Little Greene’s tins are used making 50 percent recycled steel and are fully recyclable. Their paints have the lowest eco-rating available, with almost 0% VOCs present in their paints. Their wallpapers come from sustainable forests and in 2004, Little Greene were one of the first UK paint manufacturers to achieve the European environmental standard BS EN ISO 14001.

Our commitment to non-toxic home decor

Ely Mattress is committed to non-toxic home decor. Our mattresses, which we’ve been making for forty years, are made from natural materials, which means they too are free from VOCs, which can be harmful to health.

When inhaled, VOCs can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat, cause difficulty breathing and nausea, and damage the central nervous system and other organs. Some VOCs can also cause cancer. It is vitally important you make sure they are not in large doses in products you have in your home. They’re present in mattresses more often than you would imagine.

We use wool, horsehair and cotton to make our mattresses. These natural materials are breathable, which means they regulate your body temperature and stop you from sweating. This prevents your mattress from becoming a breeding ground for mould and other nasties.

Our mattresses are also naturally hypoallergenic and fire resistant, without the need for harmful chemicals to make them this way.

Ely Mattresses are available in cot size for your little ones, single, and adult sizes.

For more information on the materials we use and where they are sourced, read about our thirteen layers.

For more information on sleeping safely and soundly in your home, please read our blog.