Alternatives in your home - Toxic Nation

What better place to start your new toxic-free life than in your own home? Take a room-by-room tour of your home to find toxic-free alternatives to everyday household products.

Click on a room to find out how to eliminate toxins in your home.

Toxic-Free Alternatives in Your Home

There are many ways you can reduce and avoid toxins in your home. Here's a room-by-room list of our recommendations of toxic-free alternatives.

Living Room

Avoid	Use Instead
Carpets that contain stain repellants and brominated flame retardants	Organic or natural fibre carpets, such as wool, cotton, rattan or jute
Upholstery and furniture that are treated with stain repellants and brominated flame retardants	Furniture without stain repellants or brominated flame retardants
Curtains that are treated with stain repellants and brominated flame retardants	Curtains without stain repellants or brominated flame retardants
PVC-containing mini-blinds from Mexico or Asia (they may contain lead)	Blinds made in Canada
Chemical air fresheners	Pot pourri, baking soda, or just simply open the windows. You can also try homemade air freshening recipes.

Kitchen

Avoid	Use Instead
Vinyl floors	Wooden, ceramic, marble, cork or bamboo flooring
Tinned food (the cans are lined with an epoxy resin that may leach bisphenol A)	Fresh, frozen or dried food
Plastic food wrap (may contain bisphenol A)	Aluminum foil, wax paper, food-grade reusable containers.
PVC and polycarbonate plastic items (bottles, containers, etc). These plastics are labeled # 3 and 7. (The number is usually found on the bottom of the item inside a recycle symbol)	Glass containers, or plastics # 1, 2, 4 and 5
Microwaving food in plastic wrap, or plastic containers that are not marked microwave safe	Glass, ceramic and plastic containers that are labeled microwave safe.
Produce treated with pesticides	Organic food
Non-stick cookware	Cast iron and stainless steel cookware
Ceramic glazed cookware (may contain cadmium and lead)	Cookware made of glass, cast iron, and terra cotta without lead glaze
Crystal tableware (may contain lead)	Glass tableware.
Cleaning products with harsh chemical ingredients and synthetic fragrances (often strengthened with phthalates)	Fragrance-free and biodegradable products, and homemade all-purpose cleaner. The Guide to Less Toxic Products lists safe products and homemade recipes.
Antibacterial soaps, dishwashing liquids and other cleaners that contain triclosan	Non-antibacterial products

Bedroom

Avoid	Use Instead
Sheets that are wrinkle-resistant (they contain formaldehyde), or made with pesticide-treated cotton.	Sheets that are 100% cotton, hemp, linen or wool, and preferably organic and unbleached.
Moth-proof wool blankets (they contain pesticides)	Wool blankets without a moth-proofing treatment
Mattresses with brominated flame retardants, plastic, or foam.	Mattresses with cotton stuffing or cotton padding around the foam core. You can order a mattress without flame retardants with a letter or prescription from you doctor. If a new mattress is not an option, wrap your mattress in an untreated 100% cotton cloth barrier sheet with a high thread count (250 or more).
Dry clean only clothes (most dry cleaners use PERC)	Machine washable clothes
Clothing with stain repellants, wrinkle-resistant treatments (they contain formaldehyde), brominated flame retardants, pesticide-treated cotton, or plastic labels.	Organic, unbleached clothing made of cotton, hemp, linen or wool.

Bathroom

Avoid	Use Instead
Cosmetics, toiletries and perfumes with synthetic fragrances (many contain phthalates and other harmful chemicals)	Products from companies that don’t use phthalates or toxic chemicals. The Guide to Less Toxic Products provides information on which Canadian products are safe, Skin Deep provides American and European information.
Anti-bacterial toothpaste, toothbrushes and mouthwashes that contain triclosan	Non-antibacterial products
Sanitary products bleached with chlorine, or made of pesticide-treated cotton.	Organic cotton and unbleached sanitary products, and reusable pads and menstrual cups.
Porcelain enamel bathtubs and fixtures (they contain lead)	Acrylic bathtubs, or refinish your porcelain one with a tub refinishing kit (available at hardware stores)
Vinyl shower curtains, and fabric shower curtains with a water-repellant coating	Hemp shower curtains

Just as in the Kitchen, in the bathroom you should avoid using chemical air fresheners or cleaning products that are heavily scented or contain chemical ingredients.

Nursery

Avoid	Use Instead
polycarbonate plastic feeding bottle (identifiable by the # 7 marked on the bottom of the bottle inside a recycle symbol)	Breast feeding is best. The next option is bottles made of glass or plastic #1, 2, 4 or 5
Latex rubber nipples	Silicone nipples
PVC-containing toys or soothers.	Non-flexible plastic, wooden, or organic, untreated cotton toys.
Disposable diapers (most contain dyes, fragrances and plastics)	Organic, untreated cotton diapers
Children’s clothing with plastic labels or chemical treatments	Organic, untreated cotton or hemp clothing.

Infants are particularly sensitive to toxic chemicals, so play it safe and opt for organic, untreated, toxic-free, natural baby products. Just as in the rest of your house, in the baby’s room you should avoid products with synthetic fragrances, anti-bacterial products, disinfectants, and chemical air fresheners. Chose toxic-free upholstery, furniture, carpets and curtains that don’t contain brominated flame retardants, stain-repellants or wrinkle-resistant treatments.

You may also want to reconsider your redecorating plans; painting and tearing out carpets can fill the baby’s room with harmful chemicals, particularly VOCs, which can contaminate pregnant women and infants. If you’re stripping paint that is from before 1960 you could also be unleashing dangerous amounts of lead.

Home Office

Avoid	Use Instead
Wood with a toxic finish; and particleboard, fibreboard, and plywood. These woods are used as sub-flooring, wall covering, and in cabinets and furniture for shelving, drawer fronts and furniture tops). Most products made of these wood types contain formaldehyde.	Solid wood with a non-toxic finish, metal, or used furniture (but avoid painted furniture from before 1960,it may contain lead). IKEA has made a commitment to sell products that are free from hazardous substances.
Computers and other electronics with brominated flame retardants.	Electronics from companies that have eliminated PBDEs from their products (i.e. Apple, Dell, Fujitsu Siemens, Hewlett Packard, Hitachi, IBM, Intel, Matsushita/Panasonic (removing all brominated flame retardants from products by March 31, 2006), Motorola, NEC, Philips Semiconductors, Sony and Toshiba)

Just as in the Living room and the rest of your house, in the office you should avoid furniture treated with stain repellants and brominated flame retardants and carpets that emit high levels of VOCs.

laundry

Avoid	Use Instead
Laundry detergents and fabric softeners with synthetic fragrances	Fragrance-free detergent and fabric softeners
Chlorine bleach	Biodegradable, non-chlorine liquid bleach or oxygen bleach powder