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Green your nesting instincts
By E. E. Kane
Posted in: Home, Lifestyle
How to make room for a baby, eco-style
With a fresh coat of pastel paint in the nursery, your baby's first room may be inviting, stylish, and even sterile, but that doesn't mean the nest is healthy.
Harmful toxins called volatile organic compounds (VOCs) evaporate from solvents in paint, adhesives and finishes in furniture, and chemicals used in some upholstery and linens.
New products using traditional materials and chemicals could emit harmful levels of VOCs, especially when they are first installed.
Keep baby (and expectant or nursing mothers) breathing pure, healthy air:
1. Use paints that contain no VOCs, even after the color tint is added. Freshaire Choice paints, carried by stores like Home Depot, claim to have no VOCs, as do Mythic's Non Toxic Paint, and Benjamin Moore's Natura line.
2. Consider buying secondhand furniture, which has had a chance to off-gas for a few years. But beware vintage furniture, which may have an unsafe design or lead paint.
3. Shop for certified organic linens and clothing.
