5 Essential Swaps for a More Nontoxic Home

There’s no doubt that nontoxic living is “in” right now and for good reason! We all hear about the negative side effects of microplastics, fragrances, and packaged foods. It can be so overwhelming to try to tackle everything and switch your whole life around though. Actually, I would argue that it is nearly impossible to do so. Over the last several years, as I learn more and more about ingredients and chemicals added to some of our foods and everyday products, I have slowly started to switch some things out and eliminate some other things from our home and lives.

When to Switch to Nontoxic Products

I don’t think anyone in the nontox living space would recommend trying to tackle everything at one time. That would also be super toxic to your well-being! Stress is not a good thing and trying to switch all of your home products at once in stressful. A good rule of thumb is to switch things out when you would replace them anyway. When you run out of your body wash, look for a cleaner option like this Tallow Lavender Soap (shameless plug for our handmade soaps 😂).

Another thing I consider when choosing what to replace next is how often I use it or how big of an impact it has. For example, laundry detergent is higher on my list than a toilet bowl cleaner because we wear our clothes constantly and whatever is in our laundry detergent is touching our skin. That will be a priority over something I don’t use as often or isn’t constantly touching our skin.

I am most definitely not living a nontoxic life but I do my best for my family and I hope this list will help you take one step closer to doing what you think is right for yours. Here are a few big steps I have taken to detoxify our lives and some suggestions on what I have switched to.

Ditch the Plastic Kitchenware

It’s no secret that microplastics are everything in our lives. They can leach chemicals like phthalates and BPAs which can disrupt hormones and affect development. I don’t know about you but those are some of the LAST things I want to deal with in my body or my daughters’ bodies! When you consume these microplastics there’s also risk of inflammation and disruption of the gut microbiome.

One place that I found super easy to ditch the plastics was with my dishes. I threw away or donated all of my plastic plates, cups, bowls, and (almost all of the plastic) storage containers. Next, I tossed all of the plastic bowls and plates that I had previously used for kids who came over or my older daughter when she was younger. I made peace with the fact that my glass/ceramic cups and plates may get broken and that is okay with me if it means we’re avoiding plastic. When my baby started eating with us I decided to go with a stainless steel dinner set for her with small bowls, cups, silverware, and divided plates.

Her water bottle for when we’re out of the house was the most difficult to find because I wanted something with a straw that wasn’t plastic. A lot of straws in water bottles are silicone but what actually goes into the bottle and sits in your water is plastic. The water bottle I found for her is silicone and then connects to a stainless steel straw. There are many options for nonplastic water bottles that you open the lid and drink (without straws), but it was tough to find one with a nonplastic straw.

Silicone and Bamboo-Are they Nontoxic?

I am skeptical about using bamboo and silicone dishes for my toddler. There’s a lot out there that advertise silicone and bamboo as nontoxic but you have to be careful and really dive into your research. There are some chemicals you have to be aware of in the making of bamboo or silicone dinnerware. Bamboo is often mixed with melamine, which can release formaldehyde when it is damaged or heated. Silicone can potentially release toxins as well when it is it is repeatedly exposed to heat (like in the dishwasher). I’d rather use glass or stainless steel but sometimes silicone is convenient so I just make sure the products I’m buying are high quality and to wash by hand and refrain from heating in any other way. Overall, I decided to skip the bamboo dinnerware because the cons outweigh the pros.

I threw out all my Tupperware and Rubbermaid plastic containers and switched to Pyrex bowls and rectangle storage containers. These do have plastic tops but I am okay with that because they don’t touch my food.

Here’s what I use:

• Stainless Steel Baby/Toddler Set-I love this set for my little one. The small open cup is perfect for practicing drinking from an open cup and the smaller silverware is a bonus.
• Elk & Friends Cups for Baby/Toddler-Glass or Stainless Steel: These are convenient for at home when we aren’t practicing drinking from an open cup
• Simple Glasses-Even for kids when they get comfortable drinking from a cup
• Pyrex Storage Bowls
• Pyrex Larger Storage

Ditch the Teflon

We’ve switched out our Teflon cookware for stainless steel, glass, and cast iron. There was a learning curve for me working with a cast iron skillet but I have been enjoying it since I stopped butchering my morning eggs! After getting used to a skillet I got a sheet pan and muffin pans. I stopped using cupcake liners to make muffins and have been super happy with the way muffins turn out without them. I exchanged bread pans and baking dishes for Pyrex glass baking dishes.

Cast Iron & Glass Cookware

• 10-inch Cast Iron Skillet– I like this company because their products are mostly made in the USA
• Cast Iron Muffin Pan
• Cast Iron Large Sheet Pan
• Glass Loaf Pan
• 9×13 Glass Baking Dish

I Make My Own Soap & Balms

In a previous post, I discussed why I switched to more natural skincare products that use nontoxic ingredients. There are so many harsh and dangerous chemicals in skincare that I want to avoid and keep away from my family. If you want to check out that post click here. I am a big DIYer so naturally, I started making some of my products, including soap. I use ingredients that I know are safe and scent them with essential oils.

Nontoxic Products I Use

• Hand & Body Soap– This is the soap I make!
• 4 Piece Facial Cleansing Set-I’ve been using this set for over a year and love it. I trust this company because they are diligent about their ingredients being 100% nontoxic.

Clean Cleaners

Cleaners were one of the first things I revamped when I started learning about cleaner ingredients and potential health risks. The fumes in cleaners are so strong and can be linked to respiratory issues, dizziness, and headaches, among other things. There are so many nontoxic homemade cleaner recipes out there and vinegar is a powerhouse ingredient! I haven’t gotten a chance to dive into all of those recipes yet because let’s be real…a momma can only do so many things at a time, but I am excited to in the future. For now, I use cleaners from a couple of companies that I have been really happy with. It is so relieving knowing that my 10-year-old can help me clean with these cleaners and I don’t have to worry about her health.

Cleaners I Use

• Surface cleaner, window/mirror cleaner, scrubber, etc. – I love these cleaners! I don’t love the dishwasher detergent from here because it doesn’t work well with our well water.
• Dishwasher & Laundry Detergent – This dishwashing powder works very well with our hard well water!

Cloth Diapers & Wipes plus some Disposable Options

This one is hard because many people do not want to use cloth diapers, which is 100% okay. There are options out there for low-tox disposables. Unfortunately, they are more expensive and sometimes not as nice as the big branded diapers. To me, it’s worth having to change my babe a little more often to feel confident that there’s nothing toxic on her tiny butt.

Here are some of the brands that I would consider buying (but I haven’t personally tried all of them):

1. Healthy Baby Brand
2. Andy Pandy
3. Seventh Generation Diapers for Sensitive Skin

Cloth Diapers

I was super excited when I decided to jump into cloth diapers. I was happy that I wasn’t adding a ton of diapers into the landfills and that we were saving money while not putting dangerous chemicals on my baby’s toosh. One thing that came as a surprise to me was I had a REALLY hard time getting my diapers clean with the natural laundry detergent I was using for our clothes.

Something even more surprising to me was that in all the crunchy/scrunchy/low tox groups that I’m in, most of the women pretty much said you just have to use a normal laundry detergent and let go of the idea of using a natural one for your cloth diapers. UGH! I was not happy about that. All in all, I think it really depends on what your water hardness levels are. Our water is really hard and I did not have a good time finding a good wash routine. That was the biggest downside to our cloth diaper journey. Otherwise…it’s been great! I did a review on our GroVia newborn diapers if you’re interested in reading here.

Watch out for microplastics in some cloth diapers.

Another frustrating thing I have come across with our cloth diapering experience is that even the cloth diapers aren’t all nontoxic. Some are still made with synthetic fabrics that have microplastics in them. There are a lot of great options but it is so overwhelming to sift through everything and find something that checks all the boxes, doesn’t break the bank, AND works for your baby. I did a little bit of research and we ended up going with GroVia diapers. I use the 100% cotton inserts and cotton wipes inside a diaper cover.

A diaper cover I have been really interested in trying is an alpaca cover from Lunapaca that you would put a cotton insert into. These are pretty pricey but according to the website, you don’t need a bunch of them because they don’t need to be washed after every use, even if they get a little wet. They just need a little time to dry and their antimicrobial properties do the rest. Alpaca and wool diaper cover options are definitely going to be an option if I have another baby. For now, I’m happy with the low-tox GroVia diapers that we have, knowing the fabrics that directly on my little one is cotton, even if the cover isn’t.

Diapers & Accessories I Use

• GroVia Diapers & Wipes – Get 15% off your first order with that link
• GroVia Cloth Wipes on Amazon – I didn’t think I would love these as much as I do but they’re so convenient and soft. When combined with diapering lotion they are very gentle and work fantastically to clean during diaper changes.
• Diapering Lotion – I LOVE this for keeping my baby’s skin clean and soft…my favorite nontoxic diapering product for sure!
• Homemade Tallow Balm
• Diaper Cream for Cloth Diapers or Disposables (without zinc oxide)
• Diaper Cream for Disposables (with zinc oxide so you can’t use them with cloth diapers)
• All Purpose Balm (for cloth or disposables)

Thank you so much for checking out my nontoxic swaps! I hope you found this information helpful and feel empowered to make some of these healthy switches for your family. In the comments, let me know which areas you want to swap out next.