Toxic Products You Can Replace In Your Home

We all want to live in a happy, healthy home. The effort that you put into cleaning and maintaining the space might be proof enough of that. However, you could be using potentially toxic products every day without even recognising it. These products can, over time, do you real harm and leave your home a little more contaminated every time you use them. Here, we’re going to look at some of the secretly toxic or otherwise potentially unhealthy products you use at home, and what you should consider doing to replace them.

Chemical Cleaning Spray

Perhaps the most notable inclusion of all, many conventional cleaning sprays can be helpful for wiping down surfaces and for banishing bad odours, but they can also contain chemicals like ammonia, chlorine, and synthetic fragrances that can dramatically worsen the air quality in the home. These products can irritate the eyes, skin, and lungs, making them particularly dangerous for those who experience allergies or other respiratory conditions. Plant-based cleaners are becoming a lot more popular, and there’s always the natural alternative that you can make yourself using vinegar, baking soda, and lemon. This is just as effective as many of those surface cleaning sprays, but doesn’t leave behind any potentially harmful residue. 

Bleach

That natural mix of lemon, vinegar, and baking soda can be just as effective a replacement for bleach for everyday use, as well. Often used for disinfecting, bleach is strong and effective, but it can also release strong fumes that can not only trigger asthma and allergies but, when used with other chemical cleaners or products lingering in the air, can potentially produce dangerous gases. When gentler options would work to clean surfaces, you should make use of them. Bleach should be saved for when those products wouldn’t be quite as effective, and you legitimately need something a good deal stronger. Reducing your bleach use also protects your fabrics and surfaces from damage over time, so making it a much more occasional tool is recommended.

Natural Candles

While they’re supposed to be there to help you relax, your scented candles might not be doing you as much good as you would like. While this isn’t the case for all of them, many contain paraffin wax and synthetic fragrances, which can release harmful compounds like volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and soot when they’re burned. These can lead to allergies, headaches, and respiratory irritation. Better solutions include natural candles made from soy wax and pure essential oils extracted directly from their natural sources. By switching to natural candles, you can still enjoy a cosy atmosphere and pleasant scent without exposing your home to potentially harmful chemicals commonly found in traditional scented candles.

Plastic Food Containers

Although they can be greatly useful for chilling and storing meals throughout the week, allowing you to do all of your food prep in advance, you should be mindful of plastic food containers, especially older or lower-quality ones. These can leach harmful chemicals like BPA or phthalates into your food, especially when they’re reheated and reused time and time again. Higher quality plastic doesn’t have quite that same issue, though we should all be mindful of the risk that microplastics can play in our lives and homes. An even healthier alternative would be glass or stainless steel options. Glass, in particular, is durable, easy to clean, and doesn’t absorb odours or stains as easily as plastic, and is microwave safe without the risk of releasing any toxins into your food.

Kitchen Sponges

The traditional kitchen sponge might seem harmless enough, and is very convenient to use, but their porous, absorbent nature makes them effective not only at soaking up soap to clean with, but also large amounts of bacteria, as well. As such, they’re not safe to use time and time again, meaning that you have to throw them out relatively frequently. Otherwise, they’re typically made with synthetic materials that shed microplastics as we use them. You should instead consider alternatives like natural loofahs, cellulose sponges, or washable dishcloths made from cotton or bamboo. These options are easier to clean and often last longer, and some can even be sanitised in the washing machine easily, or composted at the end of their life, meaning your household leaves a little less waste. 

Air Fresheners

While they might be used frequently to help the home smell pleasant, air fresheners can be some of the worst products when it comes to the VOCs that they can release in the air, worsening allergies and causing respiratory irritation, especially in enclosed spaces. What’s more, they typically only mask odours rather than banishing the source to begin with. You’re better off eliminating the source and using natural methods, such as using baking soda to absorb smells, diffusing essential oils to freshen the space more safely, and opening up the windows to ensure fresh airflow throughout the home. Some non-toxic sprays use water and essential oils that can offer a replacement that feels much more like using the traditional product, too.

Spotting Non-Toxic Products

If you’re becoming more mindful of the toxins that you’re inviting into your home, then you can learn a little more about how to spot the non-toxic alternatives available in the store. This isn’t always easy, as some brands will use marketing terms that make them sound healthier than they really are, but you should start by looking at the ingredient lists and knowing what to avoid, such as products that use the generic term “fragrance”, which can hide a pretty wide range of chemicals. You should also look for certifications from trusted organisations that verify safety and environmental standards. Short ingredient lists with recognisable components are usually a good sign. A little practice and soon you’ll find your own range of brands you’re comfortable trusting in the home.

A healthy home isn’t about perfectionism. Sometimes, convenience or the budget must win out, but with the tips above, you can know some of the common mistakes you’re making and find the replacements, many of them just as affordable, if not more so, than their unhealthy alternatives. 

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Becky

Meet the award-nominated UK lifestyle blogger behind Spirited Puddle Jumper – a mum of three living in South East London! Becky shares the real ups and downs of family life, parenting tips, and lifestyle inspiration, proving that being a mum doesn’t mean you stop being fun or having other interests! Follow along for honest insights into UK family life and opinions on a whole range of topics, from travel and food, to beauty reviews, home and DIY, business and health and wellness.