Question from Lauren

Dear Debra & Readers,

We recently painted our interiors with Yolo Colorhouse Paints. It is supposed to be Zero VOC and we even went out of our way to tint it with Zero VOC (from a Eco store not Kelly Moore). I know Zero VOC does not mean Zero Toxicity. I usually do my homework but this time I didn’t do my usual due diligence. We didn’t choose dark colors, the colors we picked were Air 01, 03 & 04 and Leaf 01, most were in eggshell, baseboards done in semigloss and we used their transitional primer for the baseboard, and part of the kitchen as it had oil based paint prior (just a few areas). Anyway, it was painted over the past Memorial Day weekend and most of it was done by Sunday of that weekend. A few days later, it still wreaked paint, I could only be in the house for a few minutes as it would trigger respiratory issues and a migraine that wouldn’t quit. So, we tried Debra’s bake out method for 3 days and airing out for 4 days (with fans blowing etc). Not knowing, we did leave a few cracks open in the window. Debra’s bake out method was very helpful and I was able to be there for an hour before my body started to react. Every day, it is improving. I did contact the retailer who swore it is nontoxic, I was surprised she thought that, she thinks Zero VOC means Zero Toxicity (not realizing that there is unregulated VOCs that could be in there).

I finally contacted Yolo and they asked for batch numbers and even want me to ship some samples back. I was impressed with their willingness to look deeper. However, they say there is no solvents and they can’t understand why I am reacting. They share that they normally do well with the chemically sensitive which was news to me.

They sell these poster size paint samples (painted by real people which was impressive) and when the paint was mixed they actually painted it on my poster to match the color, what was odd was that splash of paint they put on to match the poster sample still smelled a week later. Normally, I would have painted only one room or just put a little patch on the wall before painting an entire home (so unlike me to do this). I think the fact that someone I knew painted their home with conventional paint and I barely noticed the smell… made me illogically think that Zero VOC must be even better!? The good news is that the empty paint can after 9 days stopped emitting, the house is smelling better, I can now stay in for a few hours but a long way from living there 24/7 (we are still living in a hotel). I live in San Francisco Bay area (Peninsula) so the weather is mild. I wonder if anyone else had this experience with Yolo paints. I spoke with someone who recommended that I wash the walls with baking soda (wipe down), using 2 buckets (clean vs. dirty bucket method) which I will try this weekend. I do feel like it will improve a matter of weeks as every day it seems to dramatically change but I am still puzzled why the conventional paint my friend used did not smell after one day!

Yolo I found out later is manufactured by Kelly Moore in Hurst Texas… had I known this prior I would not have purchased Yolo… this makes sense why Kelly Moore sells the line even though I did not buy it there (I bought it from a Eco type store that uses Zero VOC tints). Yolo claims that Kelly Moore is only their toll manufacturer and Kelly Moore produces to their spec and claims it is not a Kelly Moore product. But, it’s not hard to wonder since Kelly Moore is not a “eco” or green or health minded company. Hmmm….

Wondering if anyone else had this experience with Yolo? Yolo also claims that acrylic resin is the same as latex paint, I thought they were different!

Debra’s Answer

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