At a first glance, we may be all about the paint but the truth is, we always put people and the planet first, so we’ve made sure that all YesColours paints contain absolutely no nasties at all. Read on to find out more about choosing paint that is safe for babies and children, suitable for pets and kind to the planet, too.
YesColours paint: child-safe. ✅
Is the YesColours paint ok to use in nurseries and on toys?
Absolutely. YesColours paints are all baby- and child-safe so feel free to splash it onto cots, nursery walls and change stations. You can even use it on wooden toys with confidence. Our Calming Collection looks both fresh and bright in any nursery or child’s bedroom but all our colours are kid-friendly so take your pick.
Better still, YesColours paints are very hard-wearing, scuff proof, washable and fade-proof, making them ideal for child-friendly rooms. They are a perfect match for sticky fingers, boisterous games and cars being launched like missiles from across the room. And if you need some inspiration when it comes to decorating the dreamiest children's bedroom in the world (or at least in your home), see our top 3 paint colour combinations for children's bedrooms, playrooms and nurseries.
How do you know if the paint you're about to buy is child-safe?
Some paints contain ingredients that aren’t ideal for babies and children to be around, particularly if they are very young or suffer from asthma or other allergies. There are a few things to look for on the side of the packaging.
- Look for paints that have no added VOCs (volatile organic compounds, which occur during processes including cooking and making alcohol). VOCs are what makes paint smell strong and can cause headaches and nausea. We think ALL paints should be VOC Free, but not everyone has our high standards. YesColours paints are all 0% Added VOCs and have the lowest possible VOC rating. They also exceed all industry emissions regulations for the UK and EU, because... well, we like to go that extra mile when it comes to our own health and safety.
- Choose paints without APE’s (alkylphenol ethoxylates) and NPE’s (nonlyphenol ethoxylates), which are known to be harmful for babies, as well as the environment and aquatic life. There are no APEs or NPEs in all YesColours paints.
- Pick paints that will keep the walls fresh and free from mould. We add a preservative to YesColours paints that keeps moist areas such as kitchens and bathrooms fresh and mould-free, so that’s one more thing you don’t have to worry about.
YesColours paint: pet-safe. ✅
What kind of paint is safe for pets?
Pet owners should look for all the same safety features in paints as parents. The furriest members of our households are also more vulnerable to asthma, problems from inhaling mould and some of the harmful chemicals that are found in other paint brands on the market. Pets (and kids) are also more likely to get up close and personal with paintwork. If you have a parrot that might peck your pelmets or a Saint Bernard that might sniff your skirting boards, or a Bengal cat that might bite your bannisters, you’ll want to use a pet-friendly paint.
Again look for the following:
- No added VOCs.
- No APEs or NPEs.
- Anti mould preservatives.
YesColours paint: planet-safe. ✅
What paints are best for the environment?
Paints that don’t pollute the air around them are a great start. Look for low VOCs, paints that meet Well Building and Toy Safety standards and products that are free from harmful chemicals. YesColours paints are all those things, AND they are water-based, made using pristine water from the Lake District catchment area.
How can I decorate more sustainably?
One of the easiest and most effective things you can do is to reduce your waste. Just as you would do with food, make sure you only buy what you need. It’s more sustainable on your wallet, too! For this reason, we make YesColours paint in handy one litre-sized pouches. Our pouches are easy to open and close and completely airtight so the paint won’t dry out. And if you get your order really wrong, don’t panic; any unopened pouches can be easily returned to us, free of charge.
But the work starts before you even order your paint. We see lots of ‘sticky swatches’ on walls waiting to be decorated on Instagram. Yes, they’re very cool but sadly they are very uncool for the planet, because they can’t be recycled. Yep, all those sticky swatches are going to end up in landfill. We’ve come up with a few different ways to do swatches; you can order a designer’s fandeck from us, or a swatch keyring, which can come out on all your interiors shopping trips with you. We also have our own colour swatches which are 100%-recyclable and made with real YesColours paint to give you an accurate representation of our paint colours without compromising on our sustainability values. Or you can simply head straight for our samples and get painting.
How can I reduce my Paint Miles?
Everything comes at a price where the earth is concerned but by choosing the best paint manufacturers and brands that put the planet first, you can reduce your paint’s impact on the environment.
YesColours paints are made in the UK, and more than 99% (we like transparency here) of our ingredients are sourced and manufactured in the UK too. Additionally, we do lots to further reduce the carbon footprint of our pain. Our pouches are up to 52 times more space- and weight-efficient in terms of transportation and storage (meaning fewer lorry journeys). And the flexible packaging that makes our paint pouches uses 16% fewer fossil fuels, 26% less water and creates 21% less greenhouse gas in production than ordinary paint.
Where can I recycle old paint?
If you’re looking at a shed full of half empty paint tins, don’t make that mistake again. At YesColours, we supply all our paint in 1 litre pouches that can be recycled with your usual recycling or at supermarket recycling centres.
But that’s not all! Every last bit of our packaging is completely recyclable or made from recycled materials, from our delivery boxes and labels to our wrap and sample jars. See what to expect from your YesColours paint box delivery here.
We hope you're now truly familiar with YesColours and our values and ethos, not only when it comes to feelgood paint colours but also our commitment to our own health, wellbeing and our sustainability mission. Being 100% informed about the products you invest your money in should always comes as a priority, and we pride ourselves on our full transparency on packaging details, paint ingredients and every single second from our manufacturing process. And if you'd like a better visualisation of our paint tech information, you can find it here.
Now you're ready to decorate your home with child-safe, pet-safe and planet-safe feelgood paints in astonishing colours. Share the colour love by tagging us on Instagram.