Painting Safely Around Pets

Interior painting is a quick and affordable way to remodel your home. But it can bring enormous issues for your pet.

Even the safest paints can produce skin irritations or illnesses if your pet accidentally gets a hold of them. Also, there’s the problem of your pet making a mess by walking through the paint, or worse, running through an open door or window.

Here’s all you need to know about painting safely around pets.

Don’t Mix Pets and Paint
The way to keep your pet safe when painting your house is not to have him or her there.

You can board them while the project is being done or let your pet stay with a dependable family member or friend.

If removing the pet from the home isn’t a viable choice, keep them in a secured room far from the work. If they can go outside, put them in the backyard with lots of food, shade, and water. Make sure you oversee them. Make sure to keep the painting area animal-free. This keeps your noisy furry family member from messing with supplies and paints.

After your job is finished, keep your pet out of the area for two days until the paint completely dries.

Throughout the entire job, watch your pet. Call your vet if you see any strange behavior like difficulty breathing, tremors, or loss of coordination. All are signs of toxicity.

Be Prepared
Speaking of the vet, anytime you’re doing some serious home remodeling, it’s a good idea to keep your vet’s number handy in case your pet gets into any paint or hurts themselves with any tools.

Pet-Proof Your Walls
After all this work, you want your walls to stay clean. The higher the sheen of the finish of the paint, the more durable it is. Semi-gloss paints, used on trims, are the purest no-VOC product to clean. For walls, eggshell-colored paints that are available in no-VOC lines and washable are great options.

However, it is important to note that semi-gloss paints are shiny and could highlight imperfections in your walls. A matte finish is a better choice. It masks imperfections and is washable.

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