Remember when we were growing up and we never really thought about things in our house being “toxic” as much as we do today. Maybe we started to hear about asbestos, but that was so foreign that it wasn’t really something we worried about.
But the last 30 years have really opened a lot of people’s eyes. You’d think that the most toxic area of your house is in the garage. Where the paint thinner and gasoline is. But that’s not the case anymore.
And the toxic issues are not some crazy stuff inside our walls, but it’s scary stuff inside our kitchen cabinets. Acronyms like PFAS and BPA meant nothing 30 years ago, but now they’ve become the first thing we look for when buying a new kitchen tool or pan. Because so many toxic substances are in the things that we use to process, store and cook our food. It seems like it’s everywhere. In literally every nook and cranny of our kitchens. So what can we do?
Glad you asked! There are many simple and affordable ways you can swap out your current toxic kitchen items with ones that are much, much safer. Let’s jump in.
Cookware
Why it matters: PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are the chemicals in nonstick coatings that don’t break down and flush themselves out of your body. They just continue to accumulate.
Polytetrafluoroethylene (known as PTFE) and sold to the public as Teflon is a great nonstick substance that allows eggs and other foods to slide right off the pan. If only it wasn’t super harmful to you…
The real problem is that when you see PFOA-free on pans, there’s a good chance that the manufacturer just used one of PTFE’s lesser studied cousins. And while we can’t say definitively that it causes the same health issues, we recommend steering clear of all of them.
What to swap instead: Uncoated cast iron is great. 18/10 stainless steel is a really solid option as well. And inert ceramic is another great option. (Just make sure it’s actually inert.) I use cast iron every morning that I make eggs and you would be surprised how nonstick it actually is with them (I do use a little olive oil.)
- Lodge 12-Inch Cast Iron Skillet — pre-seasoned, virtually indestructible, and free of every synthetic coating on the market
- All-Clad D3 Stainless Steel 10″ Skillet — tri-ply construction, oven-safe to 600°F, nothing to off-gas ever
Food Storage
Why it matters: Plastic containers often contain BPA or its cousins BPS and BPF. These can disrupt your endocrine system and are even worse when they are heated or hold acidic foods.
The dreaded BPA has been demonized enough so that most containers will say “BPA-free.” The problem is that usually means nothing. Similar to PFAS, many manufacturers swapped out BPA for BPS or BPF. Which is sort of like swapping out creamy peanut butter for crunchy peanut butter and giving it to someone with a peanut allergy. The problem is you’ll never actually know what is in the so-called “BPA-free” products, so try to make a total shift in what you’re storing your food in.
What to swap instead: Glass is your new go-to. Glass is great because it is totally inert (and won’t leach anything into your food.) And the Pyrex version is less likely to break than traditional glass. It also doesn’t stain and is just an all-around great product that will last you forever. Stainless steel is also a super option! Just ditch the plastic Tupperware.
- Pyrex Glass 18-Piece Storage Set — tempered glass, oven and dishwasher safe, snap-lock lids that actually seal
- Stainless Steel Food Storage Containers — lighter than glass and won’t shatter; freezer and dishwasher safe; look for 18/8 steel with silicone-sealed lids
Cutting Boards
Why it matters: You’ve heard of microplastics, right? Well, there’s nothing worse than taking a knife to a 100% plastic surface that is also cutting into your food! You are literally putting millions of pieces of microplastics with every knife stroke.
It’s a bit surprising that cutting boards took so long to get flagged because it just seems so blatantly obvious in hindsight. Plastics are bad and we are cutting our food on them. We’ve been hearing about PFAS for a couple decades, but it seems like plastic cutting boards became an issue just a couple years ago.
What to swap instead: Go for the wood and bamboo boards. It took me a while to get used to using wood cutting boards because I thought the wood would hold bacteria and other bad stuff. But actually, they are better than plastic ones when it comes to bacterial safety. Just make sure you avoid any boards that aren’t made from a single piece of wood or have adhesives. Skip anything with visible glue. Teakhaus and John Boos are great brands.
- Teakhaus Edge Grain Teak Cutting Board — sustainably sourced teak, naturally high oil content, no synthetic adhesives in the cutting surface
- John Boos Maple Cutting Board — edge-grain hard maple finished with food-safe mineral oil; the workhorse board in restaurant kitchens
Water Filtration
Why it matters: The water out of your tap is tested for safety. The problem is that most municipalities allow far higher levels of things like chlorine, chloramines and heavy metals than you’d like. Getting a good water filtration system is one of the most important things you can do.
This one is pretty simple. Water is one of the most important things we put inside our bodies. And if you’re using the water out of your tap there’s a good chance it has things that can harm you over time. Spring for a solid filter and you can drink with confidence that you’re not consuming lead, arsenic, chromium-6 (which even if you don’t know what that is, just sounds bad) or other things.
What to swap instead: You can have an under-the-sink reverse osmosis system installed if you’re ready for that commitment. Or you can just opt for one of the filters below. They both publish independent lab tests for everything from PFAS to the dreaded chromium-6.
- ProOne Big+ Gravity Water Filter — stainless steel countertop system, filter elements independently certified to NSF/ANSI 42, 53, 401 and P231 for lead, PFAS and bacteria; no installation required
- Clearly Filtered Water Pitcher — pitcher format, independently tested to NSF standards for 270+ contaminants including PFAS and lead
Dish Soap & Cleaning Products
Why it matters: Any dish soap that contains synthetic fragrances (and they are almost always synthetic) can contain things that can harm you.
The irony of this one is that soap should be one of the things that protects you from harmful substances! Soaps can contain the preservative methylisothiazolinone (MI), and “fragrance” can hide hundreds of undisclosed chemicals like phthalates which can disrupt your hormones.
What to swap instead: Make sure you use soaps that are fragrance free. Or ones that list every single ingredient in them. There’s a lot of great options out there that actually clean. I think the biggest pushback we get on this is that people worry it won’t be antibacterial. And they all are. Sidenote: One of the greatest marketing tricks ever was adding “antibacterial” to a soap label. They were all antibacterial but it made people think that the ones that didn’t actually say it weren’t.
- Branch Basics Premium Starter Kit — one concentrate, fully disclosed ingredients, replaces every cleaning product in your kitchen
- Seventh Generation Free & Clear Dish Soap — EWG-verified, plant-based surfactants, zero synthetic fragrance, widely available
Bakeware
Why it matters: Bakeware often gets overlooked in the PFAS conversation. But it’s arguably more important because your bakeware is put into high temperatures for longer periods of time than your pans. And it has the same issues where the PFAS break down and accumulate in your body when it’s heated.
While your pans will typically reach higher temps like 500 degrees, bakeware typically doesn’t get as hot, but it’s very hot for a long time. Think about it. You typically fry something on high heat for a few minutes. But a piece of bakeware will be in your oven at 425 for sometimes over an hour. That has the same degrading effect as your Teflon pan.
What to swap instead: Just make sure you get a baking sheet or sheet pan that has no coating. Ceramic is great (the only issue is it usually doesn’t last as long as metal.)
- USA Pan Half Sheet Baking Pan — aluminized steel, corrugated for airflow, zero nonstick coating, made in the USA
- Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Half Sheet — uncoated commercial-grade aluminum with no nonstick layer; line with parchment for easy release
Utensils & Spatulas
Why it matters: This is the same story as above. If you are using a plastic spatula or nylon utensil to move your food around the pan, it’s heating up and sheds the microplastics like anything else. And the higher the heat, the faster the shedding.
Even at 350 degrees, a nylon spatula can start shedding microplastics. Skip anything plastic or nylon. The more natural the substance the better it is.
What to swap instead: Opting for wooden spoons and other utensils is my favorite option. A lot of people will say that they need to be oiled from time to time or they will start to crack. I’ve used the same wooden spoon for the last 5 years and I’ve never oiled it once and it still looks great. It’s a bit darker than when I bought it but it works perfectly. If you’re looking for a spatula, go for a 100% platinum food grade silicone. Don’t use a subpar silicone as that will shed.
- Natural Wooden Spoon Set — uncoated, untreated beechwood, no coatings, no adhesives, nothing to off-gas into a hot pan
- GIR Platinum Silicone Spatula — 100% platinum food-grade silicone rated to 550°F, one-piece with no seams to trap food
Plastic Wrap Alternatives
Why it matters: Don’t use anything that’s “PVC-based” when it comes to plastic wrap. That has phthalates, too, which can get into any of your high-fat leftovers or things like cheeses, etc.
It’s getting to the point where you may want to skip any kind of cling film for foods. You can use it for other things, but if it’s going to touch your food, start to use more of the things you can reuse over and over.
What to swap instead: Natural options like beeswax (which you can reuse) or high quality silicone won’t leach anything into your food. Parchment paper is always great or good old glass is always an option, too.
- Bee’s Wrap Assorted 3-Pack — GOTS-certified organic cotton, beeswax + jojoba + tree resin, compostable at end of life, replaces hundreds of plastic wrap sheets
- Silicone Stretch Lids — reusable lids that stretch over bowls, cans and cut fruit; dishwasher and freezer safe; look for 100% platinum silicone
Kitchen Towels
Why it matters: Cotton is one of the most pesticide-heavy crops in the world. What else do you need to know?
Cotton sounds like it’s all natural, but we have some bad news. Cotton is actually one of the crops that has the most pesticides used on it. So that cotton kitchen towel has likely been grown and processed with a ton of pesticides since it was a seedling. And if you get a wrinkle-resistant option then it’s also been treated with formaldehyde. Hmm, not great.
What to swap instead: This is where you want to look for the GOTS-certified organic cotton label. While organic labels can be hit or miss, this one is actually important. And when buying dish towels, opt for the plainer the better. More dyes and prints mean more things that you probably don’t want to be rubbing on the things you eat off of.
- OEKO-TEX Certified Organic Cotton Dish Towels — look for “OEKO-TEX Standard 100” on the product listing; widely available from multiple sellers for under $20 for a set of four
- 100% Linen Kitchen Towels — flax needs far fewer inputs than cotton, and the towels get softer and more absorbent with every wash; choose undyed or OEKO-TEX certified
Dish Brushes & Sponges
Why it matters: Synthetic sponges basically just shed microplastics all over whatever you’re trying to wash.
What to swap instead: Just go natural. Bamboo, loofah and cellulose sponges clean just as good as the synthetic ones (well, close enough, usually) and they don’t spread bad stuff all over your dishes and pans.
“Bacteria have the ability to adapt and overcome this kind of stress. By altering their cell membrane, they can prevent the antibiotic or biocide from entering the cell.”
— Petra Levin, PhD, Professor of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis (study on triclosan and antibiotic tolerance)
- Full Circle Micro Manager Dish Brush — bamboo handle, plant-fiber bristles, replaceable head so the handle lasts for years
- Earthbits Plant-Based Loofah Sponges — loofah and cellulose blend, no synthetic antibacterial treatment, compostable at end of life
Produce Wash
If your produce doesn’t come with some kind of pesticide residue, there’s a good chance it’s covered in wax. We can’t win for losing here, can we? And while running the produce under a spritz of water can help a little, more recent studies have shown that we need to put a little bit more oomph into how we’re trying to wash our produce.
What to swap instead: Opt for a plant-based produce wash to make sure you’re not adding more bad stuff while you’re trying to take the bad stuff off. Or make your own with baking soda using the recipe below.
- Koala Eco Natural Fruit & Veg Wash — plant-derived enzymes, no synthetic fragrance, specifically formulated to remove wax coatings and pesticide residue
- DIY baking soda soak — 1 tsp baking soda per 2 cups water, 12- to 15-minute soak, plain water rinse. Free, effective, and the most researched non-commercial option
Non-Toxic Kitchen: Quick Reference
Where to Start If You’re Overwhelmed
As always, you don’t need to do all of these at once. But if you’re going to tackle these, I would start with the cookware first. The high heat makes them the most dangerous when it comes to leaching bad stuff and microplastics into your food. Then tackle food storage and then water. From there just pick up a new wooden spoon or silicone spatula (make sure it’s 100% platinum!) Good luck!
A lower-waste kitchen also means using more of what you buy — try regrowing vegetables from kitchen scraps, and swap harsh sprays for homemade natural cleaners for every room.
Kaelyn Johnson is a Registered Dietitian from Southern California who has worked as a clinical dietitian and is now a freelance writer. She has written for WebMD, produced an e-book, and written case studies for healthcare practitioners.
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