We spend the majority of our time in our homes, and frighteningly, they can be filled with toxins. This is the most important place you can make non-toxic swaps to ensure that you aren’t accidentally overloading yourself and your family with toxins. This page includes my favorite products for a non-toxic home. This includes everything from cleaning supplies to cookware to candles, EMF protection, and laundry detergents. Some of your most-used products can be loaded with toxins, so this process can feel daunting…and expensive. If you are anything like me, you may start to look around and freak out about needing to replace everything all at once. Take a deep breath, and swap out one thing at a time. When you’re out of a cleaning product, replace it with a cleaner version. When you have a little extra money, consider a new set of pots and pans. Prioritize the things you use the most and do the best you can.
This one might be hard to hear, but if you have non-stick cookware in your kitchen, it’s most likely toxic. And if it is scratched or damaged from regular use, it needs to go now. Stainless steel and cast iron are awesome, but anything else, unless it’s certified non-toxic, really shouldn’t be used to cook your food. I recently got a set from Caraway Home, and I am in love with it. They are gorgeous, come in a bunch of cute colors, and I love that I can trust the quality. All of their products are third-party tested and free of PFAS, heavy metals, BPAs, BPSs, phthalates, and a few other toxic things typically found in cookware. And they don’t stop at just pots and pans! If you need to replace baking sheets, muffin tins, storage containers, cutting boards, or almost any other kitchen tool with a non-toxic version, this is your one-stop shop.
I am holding your hand while I tell you this…your K-Cups HAVE GOT TO GO. I realize they are convenient, but for real, if you get rid of just one thing in your kitchen, let it be those. Think about it…those cups are inexpensive, single-use plastic that hot water runs through, pulling the microplastics along with it, right into your mug. If you’re super attached to your single-cup brewer, at least take a look at some reusable stainless steel K-Cups to reduce your plastic exposure. For me, I got to thinking about my regular coffee maker and all the plastic parts that get touched by hot water during the brewing. And once I realized it, I couldn’t get it out of my head. Enter the plastic-free coffee maker by Simply Good Coffee. Every component of this one is either stainless steel or glass, meaning my coffee tastes better AND I am absolutely certain I’m not getting microplastics in my cup of joe. It’s an investment I dragged my feet on, because honestly, I didn’t want to spend the money. But that is so silly! I enjoy coffee every single day, and making sure it’s free of microplastics is a VERY worthwhile investment.
Household cleaners are among the MOST toxic things you will find in your house. I know, I know, we were raised to believe that bleach and Lysol were the only way to make sure our homes were clean and sanitized, and I am here right now to DEBUNK that myth. I have not had bleach or any other toxic disinfectant in my home for more than 15 years, and I do not doubt that I can thoroughly clean, even when someone is sick, with just ONE cleaner that I use for EVERYTHING. The Thieves Cleaner from Young Living is the absolute GOAT. I have been using it for years, and I cannot imagine any reason I would ever switch. It cleans great, can be used in the kitchen, bathrooms, floors, windows, and I even use it to spot treat stains on carpet or furniture. It is sold as a concentrate, and just one capful makes a full 16 oz spray bottle, so it works out to less than $1 per mixture. I seriously can’t live without this stuff. You can buy these cute amber spray bottles on Amazon, and you are good to go! Oh, and did I mention that it’s made with beneficial essential oils, so not only is it free of toxic junk, but it is actually HEALTHY for your family and pets.
Laundry detergent was a tough one for me. I knew it was important to find a clean version, because the toxic ones absorb directly into our skin from our clothes. But at the same time, many of the ones I tried simply didn’t work. I found that after a few washes, my clothes either didn’t feel or smell clean. All this to say, I have tried a LOT of them, and the Truly Free detergent pictured above is for sure my favorite. If you want the best deal, order directly from their site because they usually have an awesome intro offer where you get a jug plus 100 free loads. I love that it smells good, but also that the scent isn’t overpowering or toxic. I have become so accustomed to natural detergents that the strong, artificial fragrances of regular detergents actually make me nauseous. And don’t even get me started on scent beads. Please, please stop using those. They are super toxic. I also quit on fabric softener and dryer sheets a long time ago, but Truly Free actually has a clean softener! Instead of dryer sheets, I use wool dryer balls with a few drops of lavender or lemon essential oil (see below for the best essential oils), and my laundry smells amazing. Oh, and if Truly Free doesn’t do it for you, my second fav is Molly’s Suds. Can’t go wrong with either one.
Dishwasher detergent and dish soap are both important swaps to make…for obvious reasons. You use them to clean your dishes, and then that residue is on them the next time you eat. I’m thinking you don’t need a whole long explanation on this one, but I will caution you (as someone who has made this mistake in the past) that many of the so-called “clean” products like Method and Mrs. Meyer’s are not as clean as you might think. Sad but true. I love the Truly Free versions of both, but there are a few other close contenders. For dishwasher detergent, I also like Blueland and Molly’s Suds. For dish soap, I also like Molly’s Suds and Clean Cult, which also has a great refill option.
Clean hand soaps are IN, and (I hate to be the one to break this to you) anti-bacterial hand soaps are OUT. I don’t say this lightly either. I am an ex-elementary school teacher who became obsessed with hand sanitizer and anti-bacterial everything after spending my entire first year of teaching as sick as a dog. BUT, I now know better. We don’t need anti-bacterial soap to have clean, germ-free hands, and we certainly don’t need the toxic ingredients that come along with it. I use the Young Living hand soaps in my kitchen and bathrooms. The lemon is my fav because it smells so fresh and clean, but the lavender and the thieves scents are great too. YL sells it with a cute dispenser bottle, but I buy these ones on Amazon and then fill them with the concentrate. If you are looking for a really pretty soap for a guest bath, this one from Primally Pure is also amazing.
I’m not even going to sugarcoat this one. If you have a Glade Plug-In or ANYTHING similar to that, throw it out NOW. The fragrance coming out of that is straight-up chemicals, and as dangerous as smoking cigarettes in your home. The same goes for any kind of scent spray like Lysol, Glade, Febreze, etc. Honestly, just throw it out. It’s toxic and carcinogenic. Instead, use high-quality essential oils and a diffuser. They smell amazing and have a ton of health benefits. I will never use anything other than Young Living because they own all their own farms and use only the best distilling practices. You can get started with a kit like the one linked above, or just a few different oils. Hit me up if you have questions on where to start, and I would be happy to help! I have different diffusers in almost every room in our house that we use when we want a fresh scent or need the benefits of a particular oil. They can enhance mood, increase productivity, boost immune systems when there is something going around, create peace and calm before bed…the benefits are endless. If you’re looking for an air freshener to mask stronger odors, Azuna is a great non-toxic option that I keep near our litter box. Trust me…you can ditch the toxic stuff and still have a house that smells clean and fresh.
Let’s talk about candles. I know they smell good, and I know you love them, but unless they’re made with high-quality, non-paraffin waxes (beeswax, soy and coconut oil) and scented with essential oils, they’re toxic. Even expensive candles can be made with artificial fragrances and petroleum-based waxes, so it is super important to be an ingredient snob here, since they actually affect the quality of the air you’re breathing in your home. I love the candles (and just about every other product) from Primally Pure. Their packaging is gorgeous, their products are super luxurious and high-end, and of course, their ingredients are always clean. They are great as gifts or around the house. You can’t go wrong.