We hear a lot about the need to save the environment, & most of us attempt to do our part. We recycle our newspapers & plastic bottles & cans, & we attempt our best not to contribute to global warming. When it comes to our homes, some of us have even converted to solar power to help save our dwindling resources, not to mention saving money on our energy bills.

And as far as the upkeep of our homes, it's good to know that there is environmentally safe paint available now, which not just looks good & lasts a long time, but can have less odor than typical house paints do.

Maybe this is something you have not thought about, but that strong odor associated with regular paints can actually be hazardous to your health. That's because it contains chemicals & solvents that are harmful to you, & if fact, can cause cancer. And even if your exposure to paint is not prolonged enough to cause a life-threatening illness, the effects of shorter exposure can still be unpleasant as well as in *some* cases causing dizziness & nausea. By using environmentally safe paint, not just will you breathe easier, you will avoid unnecessarily putting yourself at risk.

So what type of environmentally safe paint should you choose? Milk paint works well for floors & walls, & even decks & antique furniture. It gets its name because aside from other organic raw materials, it is manufactured with purified milk protein. It can sometimes be blended with pigment powders to mix up virtually any color you can imagine, and by adding water you can increase its thickness. Right. What makes it so great for furniture is that it will provide a slightly streaky finish, which will give the piece the look of an antique, even if it is relatively new.

Clay paint is another form of environmentally safe paint for the inside of a home. It works well if you want an adobe look because it comes in a variety of earth tones, as well as orange, white & blue. The drawback of clay is it can be somewhat expensive, and can not actually be washed if it gets dirty; you will need to touch up the area with more paint. Lime wash is less expensive, and can be often used inside or outside the house. There are more & more ways of going "green," even when it comes to painting your house.