Children take in more air for their body weight than adults, spend much of their time close to the floor, and put toys, cot rails and table edges in their mouths. If you only change one room, make it theirs.
1. Paint with VOC ≤1 g/L
Natural wall paints with declared ingredients and near-zero VOCs mean you can paint in the morning and the room is ready to sleep in that night.
2. Furniture without formaldehyde glue
Cots, bunk beds and storage are usually MDF. Ask for solid wood or AgriBioPanel, which has zero added formaldehyde.
3. Food-grade finishes on anything they chew
Cot rails, toys and table tops should be finished with a food-grade oil rather than lacquer.
4. A natural floor
Vinyl play mats and PVC floors contain plasticisers. Natural linoleum or a jute rug on stone are better places to crawl.
5. Natural-fibre rugs and fabrics
Choose jute, cotton or wool over polyester, which sheds microfibres into dust.
6. Air it out
Whatever you choose, ventilate well for the first weeks after any work.
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