How To Create a Non-Toxic Home

Swapping out your conventional home and personal care products can feel like a chore. Let me help you take a load off with my Healthy Home Swaps guide.

All of these products have been screened for safety and tested in my home. By making the switch to safer products, you will save your family thousands of toxic exposures per year! Imagine how that adds up over a lifetime. Don’t sleep on swapping to healthy home products – your future self will thank you.

Healthier Personal Care 

Get 20% off all Beautycounter products with code CLEANFORALL20 with new emails or first time orders. 

• Skincare: Countertime Collection, All Bright C Serum, Overnight Resurfacing Peel, Reflect Effect AHA Smoothing Mask, Clarifying Raw Honey Mask, Charcoal Mask, Primally Pure Clarifying Serum .Primally Pure Clarifying Facial Bar, Gua Sha Stone, Facial Dry Brush (stimulate lymph drainage and exfoliate) – 10% off code ALAENA for all Primally Pure products
• Makeup: Skin Twin Foundation, Cheeky Clean Blush in Paloma, Lid Glow Cream Shadow in Aura, Think Big Mascara, Eye Pencil in Brown, Brow Pencil in Dark, Lily Lolo Brow Duo, Beyond Gloss in Peony, Clove, and Raspberry, Sheer Conditioning Lipstick in Rose, Plum, and Pearl.
• Bath/Body: Daily Shampoo and Conditioner, Innersense Smoothing Cream for blow-dry, Lemongrass Sugar Body Polish for the *best* body scrub, Countermatch Adaptive Body Lotion for lightweight, no-scent body lotion.
• Collagen Eye Gel Masks: H-Hazel – code GET20 for 20% off – keep in fridge for any puffy, tired eyes days 
• Aluminum-Free Deodorant: Beautycounter Clean Deo in Fresh Coconut
• Hydroxyapatite Fluoride-free Toothpaste, Mouthwash, and Floss: Risewell – code GRAZED for 10% off prevents decay and restores minerals.
• Tongue Scraper: Dr. Tungs (use every morning upon waking to decrease bacteria in the mouth and quickly freshen breath)
• Perfume: Check out Phlur and Henry Rose for safer scents for men and women

Healthier Home Products

• Air Purifier: AirDoctor (I have all 3 models – get up to $300 off with my link – no code needed!)
• Candles: Woodlot (very delicate scent from essential oils, no headaches) and the Primally Pure Holiday Candle (it’s sooo good)
• Water Purifier: Berkey (I have the Royal Berkey and fill it once per day – this is gravity fed, no electricity required, so great to have on hand even if you have a whole house filter or something that requires a plumbing hookup. The Berkey removes sedimentary minerals but not the ionic minerals our bodies need to function optimally. If you use an under the sink or whole house RO filter, be sure to add minerals back to your water.)
• Bath Ball Filter & Shower Filter: an affordable temporary solution if you don’t have whole house filtration yet. It decreases contaminants but does not fully remove them. PurePro is another brand with shower filters. With the ones linked above, I have noticed our water is softer therefore my hair is too.
• Adult and Crib Mattress: We have the Green King Pillowtop – couldn’t be happier with the comfort and how cool we sleep. You can’t beat their quality control and safety. The crib mattress is so comfy too – no smell – and very reasonably priced! Code SAVE BIG for $125 off adult mattresses.
• Twin Size Mattress: Avocado’s sister brand, we have for the girls’ bunk beds. More affordable than Avocado and still US made!

Healthier Kitchen Products & Cookware

• Stainless Steel Cookware: I use these to make soups, broths, gummies, and on low heat for eggs and pancakes. I’ve had this set for 5 years and use Bon Ami to keep it clean and shiny. Stainless steel tends to be one of the safest cooking materials. You get high performance heat out of it too! Avoid traditional non-stick cookware and ensure any ceramics you purchase are tested for heavy metals like lead and cadmium.
• Lodge Cast Iron Skillet: I use this for stir fries, veggies, bacon and steaks. Very affordable and great to take for camping.
• Storage Canisters: how I keep all our snacks, baking mixes, and flours fresh. They are plastic, but I don’t expose them to any heat, and they are kept in a cool and dark pantry to prevent leaching. 
• Purity Coffee: I’ve been loving this organic, pesticide-free, mold-free coffee in the morning with coconut milk, collagen and maple syrup.
• Simple non-toxic switches: wooden spoons, silicone storage bags, wooden cutting boards  (instead of plastic, replace when damaged to prevent microbial growth), lining anything non-stick with unbleached parchment paper, tossing any plastic tupperware, plates, cups, cutting boards and spatulas, ceramic muffin tins since most are made of Teflon/non-stick. 
• Dish Soap: Ecos Free and Clear Dish Liquid
• Dishwasher Detergent: Ecos Free and Clear Dishwasher Liquid plus a few sprays Branch Basics Bathroom Concentrate all over dishes for shine and extra grease cutting.
• Kids lunch and snack tins: stainless steel Bento tins from Lunch Bots are our fave and will last years and years. 

Healthier Cleaning Products

• Branch Basics – code ALAENA for 15% off starter sets – I use for kitchen and bathroom surfaces, windows/glass, and appliances. Their Oxygen Boost powder is excellent for tile grout and laundry stain removal. I use a couple teaspoons of their concentrate for a safe car wash too.
• Force of Nature: a non-toxic disinfectant bleach alternative. Code ALAENA40 for 40% off bundles.
• E3 Mold Spray & Laundry Additive: I use these essential oil based mold solutions to clean and deodorize furniture and curtains and to keep growth out of laundry. 
• Bissell Steam Mop: I use 1/2 filtered water, 1/2 Force of Nature solution and have not had any issues with it clogging. Do not use essential oils though. We use on hardwood floors and tile and buy replacement cloth pads frequently.
• E-cloths: microfiber cloths for different surfaces – just add water, wring out and then wipe down. Follow with their polishing cloth to dry. I have the 8-piece bundle for kitchen, windows, glass, bathroom, stainless steel, range/stove top. Great for quick clean-ups and limiting paper towels. 
• Fabric Softener: If you’re looking for a better ingredient fabric softeners, try Dropps. They use plant oils instead of artificial fragrance.
• Wool dryer balls instead of dryer sheets. Nearly all dryer sheets are quite toxic because of the strong artificial fragrance and often rank an F on EWG’s Healthy Home Database.
• Bon Ami: great for scrubbing porcelain and stainless steel cookware – use it to replace Comet powder too (although it has no bleach in it)

Safer Furniture Choices

When buying new furniture, look for Green Guard Certified and furniture free from flame retardants (PFAS). West Elm, Crate & Barrel, and Pottery Barn all have options. If buying used, a lot of the off-gassing has already occurred, so it’s safer than buying a toxic new piece. 

For rugs, look for natural materials, flame-retardant free, and avoid stain-resistant pieces. 

Non-Toxic Home Scents

Avoid all conventional plug-in fragrance and room sprays, and be wary of greenwashing. Instead, diffuse essential oils and check out Primally Pure’s seasonal home line for room sprays.

Hidden toxic exposures to consider:

• Shower curtain liners: PEVA is better than traditional PVC plastic, tightly woven cotton, linen or hemp is best (although not mold or waterproof must be washed frequently)
• Scented trash bags: go for unscented and check labels!
• Interior and exterior paint: look for Gold Guard certified, no VOC.
• Clothing: lead and flame retardants are common – go for organic or used if you can.
• Ornate painted pieces like ceramic mugs, ornaments and decor: avoid touching with bare hands as they can be contaminated with lead, cadmium and arsenic.
• Carpet: this is a big off-gasser, rather than get new carpet consider replacing carpet with a different flooring option like solid wood with a non-toxic finish, tile or stone. 
• EMFs: Check out my Instagram post for ways to reduce EMFs in your home.