Air-Purifying Paints: What are they for?

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These days, we’re faced with all sorts of nasties in the air in our homes, and it’s through no fault of our own. Whether you’re a city-liver or a rural homeowner, it’s just a fact of life that in the modern age, we can’t really avoid being subject to tiny amounts of carbon dioxide, benzene, trichloroethylene and even formaldehyde as a side effect of industry, energy production and by-products of things we have around the home.

Thankfully, there are some really easy fixes to improve air quality and tackle formaldehyde in the home, best of all being air-purifying paints, which is a breath of fresh air after years of wall paint getting a bad rap for containing VOCs. 

In this post, we cover what air-purifying paints are and why they’re great for your home.

Why do we need air-purifying paints in the home?

We all know that there’s stuff in the air that isn’t optimal for our health, as mentioned above, and that paints can help combat some of the nastier ones that we can’t avoid. More recently, we wrote about how and why formaldehyde is found in your home and what to do about it. Aside from avoiding formaldehyde-containing materials, air-purifying paints do a great job of filtering out nasties like formaldehyde and improving air quality.

If you’re concerned about home air quality, we’ve written all about formaldehyde in home renovations.

air purifying paint products

How do air-purifying paints work?

There’s no one-size-fits-all rule for understanding how air-purifying paint products work. In general, they incorporate materials and technologies that absorb toxins like formaldehyde and neutralise them within the paint surface.

As a bonus, these products also tend to be more environmentally and allergy-friendly so they’re a smart choice all round.

air purifying wall paint in a living room

Which paints are air-purifying?

Take note, not all paints are air-purifying as standard these days. In recent times, a handful of paint manufacturers have brought out air-purifying paint products in their range so let’s go through some ones we’re keen on.

  • Johnstone’s Trade Air Pure: the household name in paint has released a bio-based product that claims to neutralise up to 70% of formaldehyde in the surrounding space plus it’s made from 45% renewable raw materials. 

  • Tikkurila Optiva Clean Air: as the newest product in Tikkurila’s range, Clean Air one captures formaldehyde by bonding it to the dried paint film and it’s a good choice for those with allergies. 

  • Lakeland Paints Atmosphere Purifying Paint: Lakeland has always been focused on the eco side of the paint world and this product in particular uses zeolite (a mineral) to zap VOCs and off-gassing for a minimum of five years. 

Who knew paint could do such amazing things?!

We hope this post has been handy in understanding how air-purifying paints can work to combat formaldehyde in your home. Have you tried any of these products before? Let us know!

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