Spring Cleaning: Toxic Household Items Edition

Although we’re still inching our way into consistently warm weather here in NYC, I’ve already catapulted myself into spring cleaning mode. 

Courtney here—and today I’m talking about a few household item swaps I’ve made in the past few weeks that are a little “cleaner” than the ones I had before.

Now, I’m admittedly someone who can get way too carried away when I read about all of the toxic chemicals in everyday items. I am prone to panicking and overcorrecting, and I wanted to make sure that I didn’t do that this time around.

I’ve recently come across some scientifically-backed literature about the negative effects that common kitchen and household items can have on our health and the environment. At first, it terrified me. Every cupboard I opened, I cringed at the amount of BPA that was potentially leaking onto our food and into our bodies. But then I reminded myself that it’s a good thing that we can control some of our exposure to toxic chemicals, and we’ll never be able to eliminate it all. 

So, I decided to start slowly. I began with the items that appear to be the worst offenders, and will slowly build up my arsenal of cleaner, greener products from there. 

Keep in mind that some of these companies (and many others out there) might be guilty of what some people call “greenwashing”—making consumers think their products are more environmentally friendly than they actually are. So I of course implore you to do your own research and choose whatever products work best for you and your lifestyle. 

Here are some recent products I’ve been loving, and hopefully my body and the environment have been too.

Better Life All-Purpose Cleaner

Let’s just say that ever since we brought our puppy home, we’ve been using this a lot (potty training is hard!). Plus, I’m someone who has to give the bathroom and kitchen counter a good clean every week just because it bugs me if I don’t.

Better Life has been recommended by multiple non-toxic resources, and so far, I love it.

This all-purpose cleaner comes in clary sage & citrus, pomegranate, or unscented, and any scent in it comes from natural plant sources. So in addition to being free of synthetic fragrances, it also does not contain dangerous sulfates, parabens, ethers, alcohol, or dyes. TBH, I don’t even know what some of these are, I just know that they’re not great.

I also snagged a box of the wipes for quick cleanup jobs and these have definitely come in handy.

Biokleen Laundry Liquid

We are some of the lucky few NYC residents that have an in-unit washer/dryer (praise be), so we do laundry a few times a week. I never used to think about what laundry detergent I was using until recently, but I opted for the citrus essence product from Biokleen and so far have been happy. 

This laundry detergent has no artificial fragrances, dyes, phosphates, chlorine, ammonia, or brighteners, and it gets the job done.

Better Life Natural Static-Stomping Dryer Sheets

I also ordered a box of Better Life’s dryer sheets to soften fabric and—as they put it—”stomp out static”. I opted for the unscented version because I figured I don’t need more fragrance on top of the citrus laundry liquid, but they do offer a lavender grapefruit variation.

They’re hypoallergenic and made from biodegradable ingredients. Another Better Life product for the win.

Pyrex Glass Food Storage Containers

This was a big one. 

We’d been heating up our leftovers (and we eat leftovers multiple times a week) in plastic food storage containers for years. Apparently that’s a big no-no (news to me!).

Many plastic food containers contain a chemical called Bisphenol A (BPA). It’s used to harden plastic and is found in a ton of consumer products. Unfortunately, this chemical is considered an endocrine disruptor, which means it interferes with our natural hormones and can cause a long list of health issues, including infertility, heart disease, Type 2 Diabetes, and more. This chemical can be especially problematic when it’s exposed to heat and can leach onto your food.

I simply didn’t need any more information (although there’s a lot out there) to convince me to replace my plastic kitchenware with glass or stainless steel.

I said goodbye to our giant stock of plastic tupperware and hello to this glass set from Pyrex. 

Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls

We cook at home a lot, so my scratched up plastic mixing bowl set gave me pause after reading about the dangers of BPA exposure. Stainless steel is allegedly a much safer option, so I snagged this set of stackable stainless steel bowls on Amazon. A plus? It matches our neutral aesthetic more than the bright rainbow set I had before. A win-win if you ask me.

These are the main replacements I’ve made in recent weeks, but I’ll continue to add more products as I find them. I’ve also had the app “Think Dirty” recommended to me, which ranks products based on the amount of potential toxins in them, so I might check it out.

I say all of this with the understanding that many people don’t have the luxury of being able to purchase these things, and I recognize that it’s a privilege to be able to do so. We don’t have to spend a ton of money to try to limit our exposure to toxic chemicals, but even having baseline knowledge about what is and is not good for our health is the first step.

What are some of your fave cleaning products? I’d love to hear your recs in the comments!