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LINDSAY IN MARYLAND ASKS:
We want to remodel our kids’ bathroom. It’s out of date, dark, and gets a lot of wear and tear. Is there something we should be aware of in terms of health and home renovations? Like, are there safer materials or anything to avoid?
Tell Congress: Protect Our Families From Harmful Toxic Chemicals
MOM DETECTIVE ANSWERS:
Bathrooms are among the most remodeled rooms in any home. Confession: My own ancient bathrooms are only spruced up, not remodeled. Here’s why: Demolition—of any room—can release an unknown cocktail of dust into indoor air, potentially harming it with small particles of hazardous-to-health materials, including asbestos, lead paint, and mold.
What’s in your demolition dust depends on the age of your home and the materials you’re demolishing. In general, demolition could cause respiratory issues as well as long-term health problems for the people living in your home. Kids are most vulnerable. And some new bathroom materials can also harm indoor air quality.
When demolishing and building new, there are precautions to take to make the process as safe as possible. But there are also ways to spruce up any bathroom—even dark ones that get tons of use—that will be cute and better for indoor air quality. This is especially good news for renters, who can’t demolish and remodel as homeowners can. I don’t know if you’re a renter or a homeowner, Lindsay, so I’m going to answer your question broadly.
Gutting a bathroom 101
1. Choose your team wisely
The first and most important step in a bathroom remodel is to hire a contractor and workers versed in environmental hazards. If your home is older than 1978, it could contain lead paint, so this means working with people certified in lead-safe practices. But lead is found in more than just paint! It’s in old porcelain tub glazes and is still permitted in modern ceramic glazes. That means that when tiles are demolished or cut for new installation, they can release lead dust. So can old tubs when sanded prior to reglazing.
If someone dismisses your environmental concerns, or says they work with, say, asbestos all the time and it’s no big deal, don’t hire them. It is a very big deal. Microscopic fibers of asbestos released in demolition—maybe from old linoleum floors—can cause cancer.
Which materials to be careful about depends entirely on the scope of your project—are you ripping out old walls and replacing ancient pipes? Are you keeping things mostly intact and merely updating cabinets and a toilet? All the more reason to hire certified workers who will know what precautions to take—things like wearing masks, venting outside, sealing off the demolition area, minimizing dust, and doing things like cutting tiles outside, not inside. Leave room in your budget to hire a post-construction cleaning crew similarly knowledgeable about environmental hazards that listens to your concerns and uses cleaners that won’t further pollute your indoor air.
If you insist on DIY, educate yourself beforehand, and be careful! And either way, if you can live outside your home during the duration of the remodel, please do.
2. Consider doing less
The less you tear apart, the less you stir up. The fewer new construction materials you bring in, the less they will release their chemical components into the indoor air—a process called off-gassing. Each new material from drywall to caulk to paint can off-gas potentially harmful fumes.
What would it look like to upgrade your kids’ bathroom with less impact, less demolition? Can you keep old cabinets but just update the doors? What can you repair and reuse instead of renovating? New paint can go a long way to upgrade a bathroom. Just choose it wisely. Some release many more fumes—also called volatile organic compounds, or VOCs—into the air. There are many VOC-free paints on the market—some available at big box home stores, some more nontoxic than others. Some even have third-party certification to back up their no-VOC claims—look for these. “Green” products are available for everything from caulk to paint to glue. Seek these out to minimize indoor air pollution.
One exception to the rule of repairing before renovating is if you have carpet in your bathroom. Got some? Rip it out (carefully)! It harbors moisture and is a breeding ground for mold. Replace carpet with an easy-to-wash eco-friendly surface. If you choose tile for the floor that requires a sealant, use a no-VOC product, not conventional water- and mold-proofing agent. These can contain indoor air pollutants that can harm health.
3. Building new
When remodeling, weigh all options about all new materials to use in your kids’ bathroom. Beyond no-VOC paint, choose hard wood over particleboard, which can off-gas formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. Options abound for every choice, from glass tiles to formaldehyde-free medium-density fiberboard (MDF). Do your research. Not sure where to start? Check out the Healthy Materials Lab. And look for durable materials. Acrylic and fiberglass can not only off-gas into indoor air for a long time post-installation, they can also break down when cleaned. If you’re buying new appliances, opt for water-saving showerheads and toilets and energy-efficient lighting.
Ventilation and mold
A uniquely problematic issue with bathrooms is humidity. Moisture can breed mold, especially in inadequately ventilated spaces. Often you can even smell the mold in bathrooms lacking proper ventilation and see it, too, in darkened tub grout. Mold can trigger respiratory illness and skin infection, depending on the strain. Air flow is critical to dry up moisture and decrease mold. It’s also the safest way to combat mold, as fungicides can contain hazardous ingredients.
Interior bathrooms without windows are supposed to have ventilation fans, but not all do. Even bathrooms with exterior windows can have condensation post shower. Add an exhaust fan when remodeling and make sure windows open. If you’re a renter or are not doing an extensive bathroom remodel, small fans can circulate air and move it out of the room. Paint and wallpaper do not protect against mold—which can feed and grow on wallpaper and paste.
“Deco-renovate”
For renters and people who don’t want to deal with demolition hazards, there are ample ways to improve a bathroom’s look that won’t harm indoor air. Just follow the same principles above: reuse when possible, do your research, and choose the safest possible and plastic-free new materials. Paint, lighting, art, and new towels go a long way. Squishy bathroom mats are comfy on the feet but are likely vinyl—a particularly toxic plastic that a lot of bath toys are also made of. Seek out cotton, organic cotton, metal, wood, and natural rubber toys. And look up some hacks. Simple optical tricks like placing a new (cotton!) shower curtain up very high can open a room and make ceilings look higher.
I hope this helps. Have fun with your project.
Tell Congress: Protect Our Families From Harmful Toxic Chemicals