Sign up now for your FREE Newsletter. You will receive a Newsletter twice a month providing tips, techniques, and fun projects for your garden. Sign up now
Sign up now.
Fresh Paint Water-based latex paint has fewer toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) than oil-based paint. VOCs can be respiratory irritants and cause your eyes to itch and burn. Some VOCs can cause more serious health effects, such as interference with brain function and slowed reflexes (if levels are high enough in the room or house).
Keep in mind, though, that even the least-toxic paints will release VOCs into the room for days or weeks after painting. The best way to deal with VOCs, aside from avoiding them in the first place, is to thoroughly air out the room for a week or so after painting.
Also, absolutely avoid paints that contain mercury compounds as fungicides. These are often sold as "bathroom paint" or "kitchen paint." Mercury is a toxic metal that can damage the nervous system and brain—and can be emitted as the paint dries.
Wall-to-Wall Carpet If you have wall-to-wall carpet in the baby's room, you may want to remove it since it's a potential dust collector and a haven for molds, fungi, and other respiratory irritants. Carpet shampoos aren't a big help, either, as some of them can also irritate the respiratory system.
Replacing old wall-to-wall carpet with new synthetic wall-to-wall carpet isn't your best option, though. New carpeting, like new furniture and new paint, can emit formaldehyde, a cancer-causing chemical, and VOCs that can pollute the air in the baby's room and in the house. The best solution is to replace the wall-to-wall carpet with area rugs that you can shake out or wash on a regular basis. Choose sturdy rugs with nonslip rug pads to avoid a tripping hazard.
Old Wallpaper If you have faded, outdated wallpaper covering the baby's room, you might decide to update the look with new wallpaper. Today's wallpapers are often made with or coated with synthetic plastics, though, and the adhesives that affix them to the walls are also synthetic plastics that emit vapors as they dry. The smell of a newly wallpapered room reminds you that VOCs are being emitted, so wallpaper and ventilate the room well before a pregnant mom or new infant is in the house.
Overstuffed Furniture Overstuffed furniture may be comfortable, especially when cuddling with baby, but it collects dust and can be a source of dust mites and allergens. If you decide to keep a rocking chair with an overstuffed cushion in the room, try minimizing the dust problem by covering the cushion with the new allergen-barrier fabrics sold as pillowcase covers or mattress covers, then put a zippered slipcover over that. Since new fabric can also be a source of indoor air pollutants, choose washable fabric and launder it first. Again, do this before the baby arrives so that the new fabric will have released any VOCs.
Heavy Curtains How often do you take down those heavy drapes for a good cleaning? Probably not too often, just because doing so is a chore. The longer between cleanings, however, the more dust and pollen (which are respiratory irritants) the drapes collect. So replace them with washable, lightweight fabric curtains. By using washable curtains, you can throw them in the washing machine on a regular basis to get rid of the dust and pollen—plus, you'll save on dry-cleaning bills. You'll also avoid the potential release of toxic dry-cleaning chemicals (perchlorethylene or trichloroethylene) into the baby's room after the drapes are cleaned.
