lover of all life's picture

lover of all life

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paint fumes

my husband and i just painted our entire house, every room including the ceilings. 

my son is 7 months and i am worried about the paint fumes affecting his lungs, sinuses and possibly his brain development. 

 

does any one know how long we should keep staying at grandma's until it is safe to take baby home? 

 

we used acrylic latex paint if that makes a difference. 

we aired it out with the windows open for a few hours and closed them for the night because it was getting to cold. 

 

any tips or ideas of when it's safe to take baby home?

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carolla's picture

carolla

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Wow - big job to do all that painting!  I bet it looks great & you're eager to get back home.  I don't know the specific answer to your question. 

 

As far as I can tell from what I've read, and from experience, better quality latex paints dry pretty quickly & the fumes generally dissipate within a day or two.   We've been doing a bit of painting here too ... and I do notice that I get a bit wheezy - feel like I'm getting a cold - by the evening, but it's gone the next day.  I think it's a bit of reaction to the primer we're using though, not so much to the paint.   So I guess, use your common sense - if you notice symptoms, wait a little longer.

 

As for brain development concerns - you may be thinking about lead based paints - they have been banned for many years now.  You do need to take great care if removing or sanding old paint though.  Latex paint does not have lead in it. 

 

Enjoy that fresh new home - and your growing family!

 

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