What are Low VOC Products?

When you’re trying to improve the indoor air quality of your home, one of the most common families of chemicals that you should keep in mind are volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These are known to contribute to numerous health problems including headaches, throat and eye irritations, and damage to the nervous system and liver. According to the EPA, a dozen of VOC pollutants were found to be two to five times higher indoors than you would find outdoors.

Many of these contaminants are found in your everyday household cleaners. Other products that give off VOCs include:

Paints
Finishes
Solvents
Paint Thinner
Disinfectants
Aerosol Sprays
Air Fresheners
Wood Preservatives
Adhesives
Carpets
Sealants and Caulks
Stored Fuels

Buying and using products that give off low-VOC emissions can help minimize how many pollutants are released in the indoor air of your home. This can reduce or even avoid some major steps you would have to take to clean dirty air.

What are Low-VOC Products?
Low-VOC products refer to products that are low in VOCs or volatile organic compounds. They are low-maintenance, low-emitting products that are designed to minimize “off-gassing” of potentially flammable and hazardous vapor emissions. They benefit your health both short-term and long-term and reduce your need to use other products that emit pollutants which dramatically improves the quality of your indoor air.

Conventional Products vs. Low-VOC Products
Low-VOC products have been said by local retail suppliers to have been significantly improved to where they actually match or surpass the solvent-based products; specifically the low-VOC latex paint. Other regulated low-VOC materials like adhesives, finishes, sealants, composite-wood systems, caulks and coatings are improving steadily to where they provide performance that is comparable to more volatile products. These low-VOC products can be found in any of the hardware stores, paint stores or building supply outlets.

In addition to using low-VOC products in your home to improve air quality, there are other things you can do as well, such as installing a whole house fan in your home, which helps to improve your home’s ventilation. By installing a whole house fan in your home, you help to draw the stale indoor air from your home through the attic vents and pull in the fresh outdoor air. Whole house fans are also a great way to cool your home and save on energy costs.