Freshaire Paint
Healthy and sustainable paints have not been the most popular topic in the Interior Design world, but lately they have been gaining some traction. Initially these paints were sought out by people with allergies, those that are chemically sensitive and mothers who were pregnant or had young children at home. Now some professionals are using “green” paints more and more often as these paints have hit the mainstream home supply markets.
Home Depot now exclusively carries a new line of paints that are eco-friendly and non-toxic, called “The Freshaire choice“. These paints are becoming common in today’s households that have children, as well as with people who have allergies or pets with allergies. This is because Freshaire paint does not contain any VOCs (volatile organic compounds), which are the harsh chemicals that make paint smell like paint. The lack of these chemicals is also said to improve your indoor air quality while making it possible to paint without opening windows or otherwise ventilating while you paint.
While it’s in everyone’s interest to increase the quality of their air, these paints are only available in 66 colors, so if you plan to use them you might as well put your swatch book down now, you aren’t going to find them in EVERY color yet. You can find the colors on the Freshaire website under the Colors Tab or by clicking this link.
This paint is also GREENGUARD approved (GREENGUARD Environmental Institute or GEI), which is said to be a well-respected, industry-independent, non-profit organization that verifies low emitting products. The organization is dedicated to supporting programs that improve the quality of life and improve indoor air quality.
The packaging of The Freshaire choice, the color chips, brochures and the cans are all as environmentally safe as possible. The chips and brochures are made from recycled materials that can be recycled again, while the paint can is made from 100% recycled material and the label is made from 75% recycled fiber and printed on with soy ink. These paints really are the most eco-friendly paints we have ever seen.
Freshaire paints are made for interiors, ceilings and drywall primers and they come in Flat, Eggshell and Semi-Gloss. At first we thought that this was all and good, but were skeptical that these paints would probably fade very quickly. This does not seem to be the case however, as there is a limited lifetime warranty on the paints. Be careful when shopping for VOC free paints because many paints claim to be VOC free, but nearly all of these paints add VOCs to the paint when the colorant is added.
In addition to the above health and sustainability benefits, the people of Freshaire paints are also instilling and promoting the health benefits of Chromatherapy, which is a holistic therapy method that uses colors and lights to achieve therapeutic and health benefits. It is thought that restful sleep can be easier attained when you are sleeping in a room that is painted in a deep blue color, because it soothes and encourages better dreams. The color turquoise is thought to boost your immune system while it guards your body physically from colds and viruses and helps you stay emotionally and mentally healthy. While we do not think that these claims are necessarily facts, we do believe that you should choose a color that will promote a good mood, while encouraging positivity and tranquil states.
If you have used these paints or have something to add, feel free to comment on this post.
Happy painting!
