It can be so overwhelming on where to even begin when making the shift to a nontoxic lifestyle. And why make the shift might you ask? We’re learning just how many toxic chemicals are sprinkled into our everyday household, kitchen, beauty, personal care products including PFAS, BPA, phthalates, flame retardants, lead, microplastics, to name a few… These can cause a variety of health issues from impacts on hormones, reproductive systems, respiratory, skin, cancer, etc. In fact, women use 12 personal care products a day (on average), exposing themselves to 168 chemical ingredients. Men use six, exposing themselves to 85 unique chemicals. (Source: EWG)
This roundup of my top 5 easy home swaps to improve your health are all very manageable changes that won’t break the bank and can make a huge impact in your day to day health. These are all heavily integrated into daily routines of what is absorbing into your skin, being ingested into your body, and air quality in your home. Now let’s dive in.
Laundry Detergent/Cleaning Products
Laundry Detergent is the easiest swap you can make and makes such an impact on your health as the clothes you wear sit on your skin all day. When using harsh chemicals in many popular detergents, these linger on your clothes, sheets, towels, etc and can absorb directly into your bloodstream. Changing out my laundry detergent has played a huge role in clearing up my eczema and keeping my skin clear 24/7.
EWG is a great resource for checking products, and Tide Laundry Detergent for example scores an F!!! for many harmful chemicals that can disrupt developmental/endocrine/reproductive systems along with causing skin irritation/allergies/damage, respiratory effects, etc.
Laundry combined with the products you use to clean your home can make a huge impact on your health. Many cleaning supplies contain ammonia and bleach which can be harmful to your respiratory system. All of those chemicals can also leech into your skin and food.
Branch Basics was the best swap I ever made for my health, and if you haven’t tried them before, their starter pack is the perfect reset with all of the cleaning and laundry products needed for your home. You can also check out a far more in depth review I did on their products here.
Other nontoxic laundry detergents you could also check out that have great reviews I have not yet tried out include Molly’s Suds and Attitude (EWG Verified). Also a big fan of this nontoxic stain remover.
Extremely niche laundry recommendation if any NYC friends are reading and are in the same boat as us with no washer dryer in unit (the joys of living in the city)! We cannot recommend Celsious laundry enough if looking for a cleaner, fragrance free wash & fold service.
Water
Considering our bodies are made up of 50-60% water, this is definitely an important one to keep clean in your home!! Both the water you drink and bathe in can make a huge impact on your health. Especially considering how many harmful toxins now sneak into our water supplies. You can search your zip code in the EWG tap water database to see what’s in your water. For example, many people say that NYC tap water is amazing, but there in fact are 8 contaminants exceeding EWG guidelines in NYC water.
To clean up our drinking water, I’ve been using this Hydroviv under sink water filter over the past three years and it has been amazing. It goes under your sink so it doesn’t take up any counter space and uses a 7 stage filtration system to protect us from contaminants including PFAS, Lead, Arsenic, VOCs, Chromium-6, and Chloramines. Plus you can auto schedule filter renewals so you don’t forget to replace when needed. In both of my apartments, maintenance has been kind enough to help install and uninstall the filter.
Additionally, for showering this shower filter and head combo has been a great addition to showering with a 20 stage filter to remove chlorine and harsh chemicals from our water during showers. This shower filter has also been amazing in past apartments, and would also love to invest in the Jolie filter to try out once we move into a home.
Candles
These are a sneaky product in your home that can release a variety of toxins into your air including benzene (known carcinogen), formaldehyde and soot (can irritate respiratory system). Many luxury, scented candles can also release phthalates from synthetic fragrances, which may cause respiratory irritation and hormone disruption. Such a bummer right?!
Beacause there’s something that truly feels so luxurious about lighting a candle in your home, especially when winding down for bed or if hosting family & friends. BUT, you can still get that luxurious vibe without having to sacrifice your health.
Some of my favorite nontoxic candles include:
Cooking Pans
If you still have any nonstick pans, especially if purchased before 2015, it’s time for those to go. Most of those nonstick coatings have (PFAS) like PTFE are linked to several health risks including an increased risk of certain cancers like kidney and testicular, immune system dysfunction, high cholesterol, liver damage, thyroid disease, and pregnancy complications like preeclampsia. These chemical coatings are directly being absorbed into the food you’re cooking.
Fortunately, there are some amazing nontoxic alternatives now in market that won’t impact your health. I’ve been using and loving these nontoxic pans over the past few years and have also heard amazing things about the Caraway sets. You can also never go wrong with a 100% stainless steel set (set linked comes with lifetime warranty).
Tupperware
Another sneaky product that is harmful to your health are any plastic containers for storing your food. These can contain BPA, or more present day BPS chemicals which can cause a variety of health concerns such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, reproductive disorders, and more. These chemicals leach into your food which then directly gets ingested into your body.
You can make the swap to glass, ceramic, or stainless steel containers to eliminate the risk of those harmful chemicals. This set of glass containers for leftovers has been amazing and held up great over the past three years. Also a big fan of Weck jars and mason jars. Lastly, for storing flours and other baking ingredients such as coconut flakes, chia seeds, cacao nibs, etc, I love these glass jars with bamboo lids.
Shop Nontoxic Home Swaps
Note, I’m absolutely not perfect and to strive for a 100% nontoxic lifestyle in the world we live in, in my opinion, is virtually impossible. However these easy home swaps to improve your health are super simple to implement, and can make a huge impact in your day to day health.
Any other nontox home swaps you’ve made?? Drop any recs in the comments below!
xx,
