Painting the walls in a designer-approved color is a sure way to change up the feel of any space. But let’s say you give your bedroom a makeover, coating it in the “color of the year” or rolling on a color that will help your home sell for more money. After you wash your brushes and fold up the drop cloths, is it okay to sleep in your newly painted bedroom?
The short answer? No. You should retreat to a guest bedroom or get comfy on the couch. Health experts say it’s not a good idea to sleep in a bedroom while the paint is still drying. In fact, depending on the type of paint you used, you may need to consider your bedroom off-limits for several nights.
“It’s best to wait about 72 hours before sleeping in a freshly painted room,” Raj Singh, MD, FACP, a primary care physician at HEALOR in Las Vegas, says.
That’s because the fresh paint smell actually comes from volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which help paint go on smoothly but can also pose health risks and make you sick. If you feel your eyes watering, get a headache or sore throat, become dizzy, or have problems breathing, leave the painted area immediately. Keep reading for more information on the health precautions you should take when painting your bedroom.
When Is It Safe to Sleep in a Room After Painting?
Singh recommends staying out of a bedroom for a minimum of 24 hours after painting but says that ideally, you should wait 72 hours or three days.
The exact amount of time it takes paint to dry depends on the climate. In hot, dry cities, paint may dry faster compared with places where the humidity is high, Singh says.
How long you should stay out of a freshly painted room also depends on the type of paint you or your contractor used. Water-based paints are much safer than oil-based paints and emit fewer chemicals, Singh says. Oil-based paints can omit VOCs such as formaldehyde and benzene, which have been linked to cancer, he says.
If your room has been freshly painted with an oil-based paint, he says, it’s best to err on the side of caution and wait the full 72 hours before you settle back in. Anyone who has allergy issues or asthma should be extra cautious, Singh says, as the paint could be an irritant.
Don’t have a spare bedroom? Avoid some of the inconveniences of waiting for paint to dry by shopping for paints that are labeled as non or zero VOC, Jeff Manning, CEO and founder of ABG Builders, a multi-state general contracting and development organization, suggests. These emit fewer chemicals and may allow you to get back to your normal routine faster. Check the manufacturer’s instructions on your paint for details.
How Can Paint Fumes Make You Sick?
So, aside from accidentally smudging a freshly painted wall, why shouldn’t you sleep in a bedroom you’ve just painted?
Most paints contain chemicals that evaporate into the air, and these chemicals can cause a wide range of health problems. How sick you feel can depend on a number of factors—things like how many chemicals are in the air, the length of exposure, and any pre-existing medical conditions you may have. Some immediate symptoms include eye and throat or lung irritation, headaches, dizziness, and vision problems, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
People who are exposed to chemicals and high levels of paint vapors over a long period of time, such as professional painters, could be at risk for more serious health problems, including nervous system damage and liver and kidney problems. The EPA also says some chemicals in paint have been shown to cause cancer or reproductive and developmental issues in laboratory animals.
One more thing: If you’re pregnant and nesting, it may be tempting to paint a nursery before your baby arrives. But pregnant women shouldn’t take on any painting projects themselves and should stay away from freshly painted rooms, especially if oil-based paints were used, the EPA cautions.
Indoor Painting Safety Precautions
The best time to paint is when the weather is dry, usually in the fall or spring, and allows you to keep windows open for ventilation. The EPA recommends propping windows open for two to three days after painting to reduce your risk of exposure to paint vapors.
Running a dehumidifier in the room can cut down on drying time significantly, home improvement and interior design expert Tony Hoang, owner of What A Room, adds. “Low humidity causes paint to dry faster by allowing moisture to evaporate more quickly,” Hoang says. “This is especially useful in areas with naturally damp climates where paint seems to take forever to set.”
Be sure to take frequent fresh air breaks during any at-home painting projects, and use fans to help ventilate the area. Setting up several fans so that they blow from different angles and opening a window near one of them creates strong cross-ventilation, Hoang says. This can help rooms dry faster and pushes the fumes out.
Bottom line: If you can still smell fumes from the paint, you should assume it’s not safe to sleep in the bedroom.
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