About eight years ago, Cat Duff, an entrepreneur from Boston, started to see danger everywhere. These weren’t your typical free-floating anxieties: masked robbers, natural disasters, global plagues. These threats were coming from inside the house. It was curtains, couches, and cleaning agents that became the boogeymen in her life. “I was looking into breast cancer prevention,” Duff says. “My mom had breast cancer, and it got me interested.”
According to her research—she looked online and spoke with a naturopathic clinician—there were microplastics in her cookware and PFAS in her furniture. Manufacturing ingredients with names as long and complicated as their chemical compounds appeared in nearly every household item. They were full of endocrine disrupters, chemicals known to affect hormone function and increase the risk of certain cancers.
Her reaction? Get rid of it. Slowly, she began swapping things like household cleaners, kitchen tools, and even furniture with alternatives she believes to be better for her health. It was a gradual process, but all part of what she calls her “low-tox” journey.
Now, she sleeps on 100% cotton sheets (she’s a fan of Brooklinen and Parachute), primarily uses homemade, vinegar-based cleaners (her almost two-year-old loves to use the sprays to clean up her messes), and prepares meals with stainless steel cookware (nonstick and nontoxic, thank you very much). Much of her furniture is made of natural materials, and when you enter Duff’s home, she’ll politely ask you to take off your shoes to keep chemical-harboring dust and germs off the floors.
Duff’s definitely not alone in her resolve to transform her house into a low-toxin haven. Indeed, there has been “significant, double- and triple-digit growth in consumer interest in [nontoxic] purchasing across cleaning, kitchen, and furniture categories,” Claire Dickinson, senior strategist for interiors at the trend forecasting company WGSN, tells AD.
Everyone, it seems—from Instagram influencers to parents in local Facebook groups—is more concerned than ever when it comes to everyday household products. It’s impossible to escape conversations about cooking utensils shedding microplastics, or cleaning sprays misting volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) into the air. Mattresses are off-gassing, candles are—apparently—poison, nonstick pans are worthy of statewide bans. To anyone paying attention, it would seem our homes are trying to kill us. Are they?
The low-tox living movement is on the rise, bringing confusion with it
There is no denying that the push to go “low-tox” in the home has surged significantly over the last few years. “I first started to hear about nontoxic living on social media and podcasts in 2020,” says Kayla Rose, a 29-year-old from Boston who now posts her own content about that very topic. “I [realized I] was going through all this effort to cook organic chicken, but I was cooking it on a [Teflon] pan,” she recalls. Suddenly, she felt duped.
This reaction is the culmination of a movement that has been growing slowly and steadily for decades. “Consumer concern and awareness has been increasing around these issues for over 20 years, and a number of things are driving that,” says Mike Schade, senior director of programs and strategy at Toxic-Free Future, an environmental health research and advocacy organization.
One major factor is an increase in scientific knowledge. “A growing body of research has found that we are being exposed to hazardous chemicals from consumer products,” Schade says. “We spend more than 90% of our time indoors, and consumer products and building materials are laden with chemicals and plastics that have been found to be hazardous at low levels of exposure.”
This is an unwelcome revelation to many consumers. “For so long, I thought that if a product is on the shelves, it couldn’t be toxic or have anything in it that could harm me,” says Rose. “People assume that if I can buy it in the store, it’ll be safe,” points out Catherine Karr, MD, PhD, environmental epidemiologist and pediatric environmental medicine specialist, and professor at the University of Washington. But the truth is that most consumer goods have not historically been regulated to the same scrutiny as things like food, pesticides, or pharmaceuticals are.
The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), first enacted in 1976 and administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is the country’s primary chemical safety law. But until an amendment in 2016, there were “fundamental flaws” in the order that “limited EPA’s ability to protect the public from dangerous chemicals,” according to the agency itself. In brief, because of various shortcomings with the law, most chemicals in consumer products were never independently tested for safety.
The 2016 amendment improved many of these weaknesses. “The most immediate effects have been on the new chemicals review process,” explains the agency’s web page. “The EPA is now required to make an affirmative determination on a new chemical or significant new use of an existing chemical before manufacturing can commence.” The amendment also required increasing public transparency of chemical information.
In addition to more stringent EPA standards, recent regulatory rules about certain chemicals and high-profile research—we see you, black plastic spatula study—have driven mass attention to the issue. More media coverage has boosted awareness. “Increasingly, we know that everyday consumers want to know they’re not introducing harmful chemicals that could make [them or] their children sick,” Schade adds. According to Dickinson, the trend forecaster, there has been steady growth in searches for, and posts related to, nontoxic living from 2021 onward, with sharp year-over-year increases in 2023 and 2024 across multiple product categories.
But it’s hard to know who to listen to on this—and any other hot-button topics. On TikTok, there are over 200,000 videos tagged #nontoxic, in which mostly young women talk about favorite products and swaps they’ve instituted to make their homes less harmful. On Instagram, nontoxic influencers build careers out of telling others what to buy to live healthier, “cleaner” lives.
While scientific research supports removing certain toxic chemicals from the home, low-tox living tips are often shared by influencers who espouse other lifestyle choices that aren’t borne out by science. Kate Glavan, a New York- and London-based content creator who focuses on politics, wellness, and lifestyle, cites issues such as anti-vax convictions and drinking raw milk as examples of beliefs that aren’t backed by science.
What Glavan is describing—something she also discussed in a viral TikTok—is a phenomenon that some have called “conspirituality” or the “wellness-to-woo pipeline,” giving names to the relatively new intersection of the wellness industry and conspiracy theory communities. And that overlap in seemingly disparate viewpoints is not limited to social media; the phenomenon is also coming from the top of the government: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Secretary of Health and Human Services, has built his much of his MAHA movement on unbacked science, while also encouraging Americans to be wary of toxic chemicals in everything from water to medicine. As Glavan tells AD, “it used to be that those people were in their own corner of the internet; now they’re running the government.”
The multitude of voices only muddles the conversation further. “There’s definitely information overload,” Glavan adds. “Maybe an influencer is citing research, but you don’t have time to click through to confirm where the data comes from, if it’s a peer-reviewed study, etcetera.” When the Secretary of Health and Human Services is stating that Tylenol causes autism—a charge scientists do not corroborate—it’s hard to know who to believe.
All the noise adds to the anxiety—are the household products you’ve relied on for years really hazardous? Should they be tossed immediately? To help quiet the chatter and follow the science, we asked the experts for recommendations backed by research studies as to what ingredients we should avoid, and how to have as low-tox a home as possible.
So: What’s an actual safety risk?
Despite all of the drama, it’s important to recognize that household chemicals can, indeed, pose real health risks. Most of us already know mixing bleach and ammonia is a major no-no or that lead paint or mold in the home can have damaging consequences. If you have asthma or eczema, certain ingredients might exacerbate your symptoms in the short term. And mounting evidence suggests everyday exposures to certain chemicals through furniture, kitchen tools, or cleaning supplies can also impact health in the long term, too.
The majority of us breathe in plenty of nasty stuff on the daily just by stepping outside—but inside, rogue particles can be much sneakier. Pollutants often enter the home through consumer goods, like via a couch cushion or the paint on your walls. And even though you’re not eating or drinking these products, according to scientists interviewed for this story, the smallest of toxic particles can end up in dust, creating an easily inhalable noxious cocktail. The solution is to steer clear of the worst offenders as much as possible. These are the chemicals the experts recommend avoiding when you can.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances—or PFAS—are used to make fabrics including carpets, rugs, mattresses, and stain and water-resistant upholstery. Dubbed “forever chemicals,” PFAS don’t break down or degrade quickly—research shows it can take decades or more—so as long as they’re in your home, you’ll be exposed, says Robin Dodson, associate director of research operations and a research scientist at Silent Spring Institute.
What’s more, the human body can’t metabolize PFAs, so they accumulate in human tissue. Once they are breathed in via the dust in your home—if you have pets or little kids, add touching and consuming to the equation—they can bind to proteins in the blood, says Sue Fenton, PhD, professor of biological sciences and director of the Center for Human Health and the Environment at North Carolina State University.
PFAS are also found in Teflon, the material commonly used on nonstick pans, and research has linked them to health effects ranging from hormonal issues, such as thyroid disorders and fertility problems, to various forms of cancer. Flame retardants, synthetic chemicals historically used on furniture and mattresses, have also been linked with increased cancer risk.
Chemicals used to make plastics flexible, phthalates are often found in vinyl flooring, shower curtains, and pipes. Some paints also contain phthalates to help them go on smoothly, says Dodson. Look for “free of phthalates” options as safer alternatives.
Cleaning supplies, from multi-purpose sprays to specialty cleaners, often use phthalate-containing fragrances (you’ll commonly see “fragrance” in the ingredients). Studies have linked exposure to certain phthalates to reproductive problems, such as diminished sperm count and preterm births, and high blood pressure.
Along with chemicals that can irritate people with respiratory issues or sensitive skin, cleaning products such as antibacterial soaps, disinfectant sprays and wipes, and laundry sanitizers may also contain quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), or quats. According to Rebecca Fuoco, director of science communications at the Green Science Policy Institute, an advocacy group that facilitates safer use of chemicals to protect human and ecological health, these sanitizers have been linked to various concerns, most notably to respiratory and development and reproductive problems. They are commonly listed as their scientific names on labels, such as benzalkonium chloride or didecyldimethylammonium chloride.
Common in kitchen storage containers, cutting boards, and utensils, microplastics can be harmful when ingested, contributing to the risk of cancer, respiratory issues, and inflammatory bowel disease. They can be inhaled—even when simply opening a plastic food storage container—or ingested (think eating vegetables chopped on a plastic cutting board). Don’t forget the black plastic spatula that literally leaches toxic chemicals (including flame retardants) into food when exposed to heat. According to Dodson, microplastics in food storage containers can get into food, especially when you use them to store acidic food or heat them in the microwave.
How to (realistically) make your home safer
Deep breaths: No matter the chemical, Fenton, the professor at North Carolina State University, says the poison is in the dose. In other words, your risk ultimately depends on the type of exposure. “If you’re exposed to something every day at high amounts, it’ll affect you differently than something you’re exposed to once a month or even once a week for a short burst of time,” she says. For example, if you cook multiple times a day on a nonstick pan or you’re a house cleaner exposed to strong, toxic chemicals, then your risk for health effects would be higher than if you use one or the other on occasion. Whatever your risk, if you make a few considered changes, you can lower your exposure to it.
No expert we spoke to recommended scrapping everything in your home today. Instead, they suggest thoughtful swaps and adjustments to your routine (more on that below), as ways to lower potential health risks. “You’re not going to throw everything out, but you can mitigate your exposures,” says Dodson, the research scientist at Silent Spring Institute. Think about it like this: air pollution has also been linked to cancer, but that doesn’t mean you should plan to never go outside again.
“Dust control is the number one advice,” says Karr, the environmental epidemiologist and pediatric environmental medicine specialist and professor at the University of Washington. “So many of these contaminants are in house dust.” Tasha Stoiber, PhD, senior scientist with the Environmental Working Group, suggests regular dusting and vacuuming to cut down on airborne pollutants. If you can, use a vacuum with a HEPA filter so you don’t swirl chemical-harboring dust around your space. “Even if you don’t have [a HEPA filter], always dust with a wet mop or cloth, not dry dusting,” Karr adds. “Otherwise, you’re just moving dust into the airspace rather than taking it out of the environment.”
Experts stress a thoughtful-but-realistic approach focused on limiting your overall toxic load. “When it’s time to replace something in your home, that’s when you should think about your choices,” says Karr. She, and the other experts interviewed for this story, don’t suggest throwing out your perfectly good couch or ripping down curtains before their time has come—that could be wasteful and expensive. But when things do need to be tapped out, she says, “think about how you can avoid PFAS treatments.” Today, stores like Pottery Barn, West Elm, and IKEA sell PFAS-free couches, rugs, and curtains.
When it does come time to shop for home goods, tools like the Environmental Working Group’s Healthy Living app and the Silent Spring Institute’s Detox Me app make it easy to demystify product labels. Third-party certifications—like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Safer Choice seal—can also signal a brand is committed to using less harmful ingredients or materials, says Schade.
Furniture aside, there are a number of small-but-doable changes to your household routine that can make a big difference. “Avoid plastic food containers or storage containers,” Karr says. “Because plastic breaks down more readily and comes off the surface under heated conditions, never microwave a plastic container. Never put your plastic container in the dishwasher.” You might also replace plastic spatulas, cutting boards, and dishes over time as needed.
When you’ve used up your cleaning supplies, consider what you might purchase—or make—next. Experts agree simpler is almost always better when it comes to cleaning products—both in the number of ingredients and how many products you actually use. “Plain soap and water is more than sufficient for most house cleaning,” says Fuoco. (If you need to disinfect, like after someone is sick, she says hydrogen peroxide, alcohol-based products, and citric acid do the trick.)
And remember: Stress, too, is a sort of toxin in its own right. “Along with mitigating chemicals, try to mitigate your mental anguish,” recommends Duff, who promises she likes to enjoy the occasional dirty martini between rounds of vinegar-cleaner making. “It doesn’t have to be perfect.”
