Simple Painting Safety Tips from West Sacramento Urgent Care Doctors

Summer is often the best time to repaint a few rooms in your home. After all, a fresh coat of paint can easily help make any room look more vibrant. It can even raise the value of your home if you’re looking to sell it in a few months. Right now, you may have decided to paint the room yourself to save on hiring a painting contractor.

There is nothing wrong with this approach. However, you should properly prepare yourself for the task. Paint contains chemicals that can adversely affect your health, so you should take care when handling it. You can keep you and your family safe by following these tips from West Sacramento urgent care and occupational health practitioners:

Keep Air Moving

Paint fumes can easily lead to bouts of nausea or lightheadedness. To avoid this, the Consumer Product Safety Commission suggests that you do the following:

Open all doors and windows to the outside (not the hallways). Curtains and blinds should be pushed back so that there is nothing blocking the airflow to ensure cross-ventilation. Place a box fan securely in the window blowing out to ensure air movement… An air conditioning unit should not be substituted for the use of a fan. In addition, bathroom/kitchen exhaust fans do not always vent out-of-doors and should not be relied upon to increase ventilation.

Dress the Part

Paint thinner is a skin irritant that can cause contact dermatitis. Wear gloves, preferably construction gloves, at all times. If you own a full body jumpsuit, wear it while working; if not, wear a loose long-sleeved shirt and pants while painting.

Lay Down Cloth

If you have long beddings or canvas sheet that you no longer need, lay them out on the floor instead of plastic. This is preferable because plastic is a slipping hazard.

Although your home is bound to look lovely after repainting, your health should always take priority. In case you begin to suffer symptoms such as dizziness, asthma, or rashes, do not hesitate to visit an occupational medicine facility and urgent care in West Sacramento like U.S. HealthWorks Medical Group. An experienced doctor can help alleviate symptoms.

(Source: Healthy Indoor Painting Practices; Consumer Product Safety Commission)