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Interior paint now comes in a variety of environmentally friendly options. These include low-VOC, no-VOC, and Natural Paints. Regular latex paint is also considered to be more environmentally friendly than oil-based paints.

The most environmentally friendly interior paints are Natural Paints like milk paints. Non-toxic and made from all natural ingredients, milk paints have been used for thousands of years. Milk paints contain no solvents and are completely biodegradable. Harder to apply than more modern paints, milk paints are also harder to find, and are usually only available through special-order or on the Internet. Other Natural paint options include Bio Shield and Livos, also available on the Internet.

Many well-known paint manufacturers are beginning to offer environmentally friendly no-VOC interior paints. No-VOC or zero-VOC paints have a VOC, or Volatile Organic Compound, content of less than 10 g/L. The American Lung Association reports that VOC's can cause a number of health problems, so reducing the number in paints is important for good indoor air quality. Sherwin William's no-VOC interior latex paint is called Harmony, and is carried at most of their stores. Lifemaster 2000 made by ICI (maker of Glidden) is another good no-VOC paint. While a bit harder to find than regular latex, no-VOC paints are easy to use, have very little odor, and are much more environmentally friendly.

Low-VOC paints have more VOCs than the no-VOC paints. Some have rather high levels actually, so read the labels. Good environmentally friendly interior paint in this category include: Sherwin William's Duration Home Interior Latex, Benjamin Moore's Eco Spec Interior Latex, and Glidden Spread 2000. Commonly available, these paints apply just like traditional latex and have less odor.

Standard latex paints are not terribly environmentally friendly, but are still a better option than oil-based paints. Unlike oil-based paints, latex paint are water-based and generally non-toxic. Latex paints can be safely disposed of once all the water has evaporated out, and do not require any special handling.

Learn more about this author, Vicky Harper.
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