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Non Toxic Swap Series Part 3: Kitchen, Home, & Cleaning

  • Apr 3, 2020
  • 8 min read

Welcome to part 3 of the series! Let's dive right in.

While I understand that you may be here just for the topic of finding safer kitchen utensils and household cleaners, please know that I broke down many of the ingredients you should be avoiding and why in my first post of the series, Non-toxic Personal Care Swaps.

Cookware

I guarantee almost every one of you have a non-stick pan (probably a few) in your kitchen. The problem with non-stick cookware?

It’s made with a chemical called perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). PFOAs have been shown in numerous studies to potentially cause heart attack, stroke, breast cancer, testicular cancer, pancreatic cancer, immune system damage, and pituitary gland damage.

This is so toxic that the FDA is pressuring manufacturers to phase this chemical out due its health and environmental concerns

Next up: Aluminum

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has classified aluminum as a health-jeopardizing toxin. High levels of aluminum have been linked to Alzheimer's disease.

While exposure to small amounts of aluminum is probably not harmful, we're exposed to more of it than you think. From vaccines, cookware, contaminated water, and more, it's best to avoid it whenever possible. That also means ditching the aluminum foil you place over top of your aluminum baking sheet when baking (parchment paper is a great alternative).

So if we shouldn't be cooking with these, what do we cook with?

1) Cast Iron: A great choice for non-toxic cookware. It heats up quickly, can be used on the stove top, in the oven, or both (hello perfectly seared steak)!​

  • Another (in many cases) benefit of cooking in cast iron is that it can add additional iron from the pan to your food. My midwife actually recommended cooking in cast iron when I was pregnant, as many pregnant mammas are at risk for iron deficiency! Many women of child bearing age and children are at risk where iron deficiency. Just keep in mind that if you are someone who has high iron levels, look for the next safer alternative listed below.

2) Stainless Steel: Tends to be inexpensive, and retains heat well, so your food is evenly cooked through

  • While foods are at higher risk of sticking, it's good to note that you can avoid this by heating the pan first, then adding your oil or fat of choice, and then add your food.

  • Oh, and if you're concerned about cooking your food in fat, make sure you check the next article in the series, all about optimal food choices. Spoiler alert? Cooking in healthy, wholesome fats (ghee, grass fed butter, avocado oil, tallow, duck fat) will pack a ton of nutrition to your food, and it will taste better ;) Not to mention, your eliminating the chemicals that most non-stick sprays are loaded with.

3) Glass: A great choice for anything that goes in the oven, as it is completely non-toxic. Just be care of fragility!

4) Ceramic: Safe, heats evenly, and lasts a while. Dishwasher safe as well.

Kitchen Tools

I admit, if you're going to swap one kitchen item first, or at all, I would focus on the cookware, as the toxins can quite literally leach into your food as they are heated.

If you want to ditch all the toxins, here are some additional items worth the swap (bonus, these items are SO much better for the environemnt, too!)

A note on plastic:

The less plastic you can use in your life, the better!

  • A whole host of carcinogenic, neurotoxic, and hormone-disruptive chemicals are standard ingredients and waste products of plastic production

  • These include: vinyl chloride (in PVC), dioxins (in PVC), benzene (in polystyrene), phthalates and other plasticizers (in PVC and others), formaldehyde, and bisphenol-A, or BPA

  • Many of these are persistent organic pollutants (POPs)—some of the most damaging toxins on the planet. This toxicity comes from both production & from the chemicals that leak once plastic reaches landfills

  • DO NOT HEAT YOUR FOOD IN PLASTIC, EVER! Heating causes plastic to leak chemicals, such as BPA at a significantly higher amount. This same concept goes for those who keep plastic water bottles in your cars over the summer...

  • If you're interested in reading more about the affects of plastic in the kitchen, check out this article HERE. It describes how BPA builds up in our systems, and leads to hormone disruption, from reproductive abnormalities, low sperm count, early puberty, cancer, and neaurobehavioral abnormalities.

Water Filtration

You can also check out the EWG Tap Water Database and type in your zip code. This will tell you which chemicals your water is most at risk for, based on your area. It also recommends water filters, based on what chemicals are prioritized as needing to be filtered out

Cleaning Tools

Let me share a just a few (or else this would be pages long) ingredients that are found in traditional household cleanser & laundry, and why you need to ditch them, like yesterday.

  • Sodium Lauryl Sulfate- a foaming agent. Often contaminated with 1,2 dioxane & ethylene oxide, both of which are known carcinogens

  • Fragrance- manufacturers aren't required to reveal what's actually in their fragrances, so the label will read Fragrance or Parfum, but could actually be a cocktail of carcinogens, allergens, endocrine disruptors, and irritants

  • Sodium Borate- a known skin irritant. Also with known negative effects to fertility and fetal development

  • 1-4 Dioxane- The EPA (environment protection agency) considers this solvent a human carcinogen, and shares the following: "1,4-Dioxane is used as a solvent. Acute (short-term) inhalation exposure to high levels of 1,4-dioxane has caused vertigo, drowsiness, headache, anorexia and irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs in humans. It may also irritate the skin. Damage to the liver and kidneys has been observed in rats chronically (long-term) exposed in their drinking water."

Safer Alternatives:

  • Microfiber Clothes: Yes, I was leary of these as well, since you just use water and the cloth, but when you dive into the research, these clothes are pretty powerful! Their fibers are designed to lock bacteria, mold, pollen, and other contaminants inside the fibers until the clothes are rinsed

  • Branch Basics: My favorite household cleaner. With a starter set, you get 1 bottle of concentrate and 5 bottles, each designated for a different purpose: All purpose cleaner, window cleaner, bathroom cleaner, laundry, and foaming hand soap. Each bottles shows your exactly how much concentrate and water to mix. I get about 2 bottle fulls of EACH cleaner with 1 bottle of concentrate!

  • Reduce your waste with Solid Dish Soap: The Earthling Company claims this bar can replace 2-3 bottles of traditional dish soap, reducing cost & plastic usage too. While I can't fully attest, yet, I can say I've been using this soap for about 3 months, and it's got a LOT of life left! Best used with their heft Dish Brush; again, reducing your plastic usage, and quite honestly, cuts through dish stains much more efficiently than sponge use

A few safer cleaning brands I tried and DID NOT LIKE, in terms of performance

  • The Honest Company- all spray cleaners & dish soap

  • Squeak- all purpose cleaner, window cleaner, and floor scrub

Laundry

Something we use almost (if not) daily, and has direct contact with our skin, AND directly affects our air quality- aka when you know someone has just run the dryer, because of the scent and damp air that comes from the dryer vent outside our homes..

1) Laundry detergents:

Are loaded with toxins, like those listed above, and should absolutely be one of the first cleaning items you swap out for safer. Tide, being one the most popular, yet one of the worst detergents on the market, in terms of safe ingredients.

Safer Alternatives

  • Molly's Suds- this is my favorite detergent thus far. It lasts and it cleans through dirt & stains!

  • Branch Basics- Make sure to get the oxygen boost as part of your starter package, as the detergent itself isn't as effective as the duel action with the oxygen boost

2) Fabric softener:

Freshly washed clothes get that sought-after softness from ingredients called quaternary ammonium compounds, which have been shown to cause asthma or trigger asthma symptoms in certain people. They've also been linked to reproductive issues

Most softeners also contain 1,4-dioxane and formaldehyde, which have been associated with increased risk of cancer, and methylisothiazolinone and glutaral, chemicals known to cause allergic reactions on the skin

3) Dryer Sheets:

Here are just a few compounds found in dryer sheets:

  • Dichlorobenzene- used to reduce static, can cause liver and kidney tumors. The Envrionmental Protection Agency also labels it as a possible human carcinogen (source)

  • Formaldehyde- again, linked to severe skin, nose, eye, and throat irritation, as well as vascular collapse, pneumonia, and injury to the larynx and trachea (source)

  • Phthalates- again, are known to disrupt the endocrine system leading to infertility and premature ovarian failure (source)

Safer Alternatives:

  • Not only are both alternatives free of chemicals, but since they're reusable (for many loads) they're cost effective as well

4) Stain Remover

Air Filtration

Let's start with the 3 most common types, and why we should be avoiding them:

1) Plug Ins
Studies have confirmed that the residual chemicals from plug ins can accumulate in the human body over time, causing health consequences. Plug ins rely on heat induction technology and special heat-activated gels, which cause a scent to be released. These gels can contain an astounding number of toxic compounds. These plug ins contain the same chemicals shown below for aerosol sprays, plus one more—Naphthalene. This chemical has been found to cause cancer in the lungs and tissue damage in lab studies.
2) Aerosol Sprays
Scientific studies have shown that as many as one-quarter of common household air fresheners contain chemicals that may be harmful. And while our lungs have been designed to filter out toxins, the health risks are greater for people whose lungs may already be susceptible (such as asthma or COPD sufferers, and young children). Children don’t have a complete metabolic system and cannot process things in the same way that adults do.
Here is a brief list of the chemicals that may be present in aerosol sprays:

  • Volatile organic compounds

  • Formaldehyde, which is a known carcinogen

  • Pthalates, which have been linked to changes in hormone levels, poor semen quality, birth defects, and reproductive harm

  • 1,4 dichlorobenzene, which can cause modest reductions in lung function

  • Allergens that can cause harm to people with seasonal allergies, chronic asthma, COPD, or even just a common cold.

3) Candles
If you are using candles that are not 100 percent pure beeswax, or are made with 100 percent natural waxes like coconut, hemp, or soy, they are probably toxic. Many of the candles we use, including those wonderful aroma candles, have been made with paraffin wax, which gives off dangerous vapors like benezene and toluene. Some candles have wicks that contain heavy metals that become airborne and easily inhaled when burned. In addition, some of the scents and dyes used to make scented candles release harmful chemicals that can cause hormonal, behavioral and general health related issues.
Safer Alternatives:

  • Attitude Natural Air Purifier: These are affordable, completely free of toxins, and come in a few great scents! We keep one in each bathroom, and one in the main living space as well.

  • Diffusing Essential Oils: Essential oils have been studies to have multiple benefits. While I am no expert, I do like to diffuse some citrus scents or lavender in our home when we want that "fresh candle" burning sensation in our home. We also diffuse Eucalyptus when there is any chest congestion. I guarantee if you ask Facebook for an essential oils representative, to provide as much information as you could possibly want regarding essential oils, you will find (at least) 1.

  • Safer Candles: A few brands I like are Slow Made. Another option? Go to your local farmers market. The homemade candles are normally free of chemicals, but if you're unsure, just ask to creator what ingredients they use to make them!

And there you have it! A complete guide for safer swaps for your home. I apologize if I missed any categories or items, but if you're in need of something in particular, feel free to leave a comment or shoot me a message on Instagram @colleens_fitjourney where I share regularly how we incorporate safer options in our everyday lives.

 
 
 

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