You reduce, reuse, and recycle. You decorate and supply your home with environmentally friendly and sustainable products. So, when it needs a little freshening up with a coat of paint, why should your approach be any different?
At Workman’s Friend we strive to be environmentally friendly producers and consumers. Applying a dime-size portion of our cream before you begin a project can reduce the clean-up waste produced after its completion. Instead of using water and endless paper towels to get your hands clean, a simple wipe with a cloth and you’re done. No need for more waste. Ours is an environmentally-friendly alternative.
Related Post: 3 Simple Autumn Painting Tips for Your Home
In addition to that, at Workman’s Friend, we are do-it-yourselfers’ at heart. But when we update any aspect of our home our goal is to do it in the most environmentally-friendly way possible. That includes painting.
Buy Only What You Need
If you keep in mind that a gallon of paint will cover approximately 350 square feet, then the process of buying only what you need gets a lot easier. Yes, sometimes it can be tough to gauge exactly how much paint you’ll need for a project. Some surfaces absorb more paint than others. For example, if you’re painting over a darker color that will require more coverage. Additionally, if you’re trying to coat a piece of furniture that has a lot of previous layers of paint that too will take more. An easy solution is to buy a paint calculator. They’re an easy way to calculate the amount of coverage you’ll need so there’ll be minimal waste.
Look for Low and Zero-VOC Paints
Volatile organic compounds or VOCs are chemicals found in manufactured products. It is these chemicals that create that undeniable heavy-paint smell we all recognize. In many countries low or Zero VOC paint is the only type sold. Scientific evidence has proven that VOCs can negatively impact a person’s health if those fumes are inhaled for an extended period of time.
Invest in Good-Quality Tools
The better the quality of your painting tools and equipment, the better the job you’ll do. Cheap brushes and rollers are just that-poor quality. They’re usually good for only one paint project and then they have to be discarded, thereby creating more waste. Though good quality equipment tends to be more expensive, by spending that money you’re helping keeping one more roller or paint brush out of a landfill.
Dispose of Your Paint Properly
If at the end of your job you have more paint than you want to keep, or the paint you’ve stored can no longer be used, dispose of it properly. That means contacting your local hazardous waste disposal department to find out who and where they accept old cans of paint. The worst thing you can do for the environment is jettison cans of paint into your residential garbage bin. As that paint sits in a landfill it will start to leak and leach into the soil. The list of environmental problems that could entail is endless. Do the environmentally responsible thing and educate yourself about the appropriate ways to discard your household paint.
A Green Outlook
A fresh coat of paint is one of the easiest and most cost-effective things you can do to improve the look and feel of your home. With the advances made in the quality of residential paint, now you can do it without having to sacrifice your environmental principles as well as your health. So with a little time and planning your painting project can not only be a fun one, but a kind one, kind to Mother Nature.
----------
Workman’s Friend Barrier Skin Cream is light-weight and odorless product. Apply a dime-sized portion of our non-greasy, formula on each hand. Then rub them together to ensure the cream has been properly absorbed.