TLDR: Even supposedly “green” cleaning products can emit VOCs. It’s more cost-effective, more sustainable and healthier to make your own cleaners out of simple stuff you probably already have in the house.
Why you should care: VOCs cause lots of health issues. It’s not worth it.
I like Etee for SO many reasons. They’re based in Canada so they’re not too far away. They donate to good causes. They don’t do plastic. They don’t test on animals, and use safe materials. They care about their workers and supply chain. Their soap doesn’t have a strong scent, which is great if you have smell sensitivities.
TLDR: North Americans spend 80-90% of their time indoors and when a house is carpeted, you’re inhaling a lot of VOCs, which aren’t healthy and can cause short-term issues like dizziness and long-term issues, too.
Why you should care: Carpets trap dust, bacteria, mold and VOCs. New carpets give off VOCs. Old carpets trap VOCs and other chemicals and then let back out in a never-ending cycle. Walking and playing on the carpet can also release chemicals. You, your kids, your pets, your visitors—they’re all impacted.
Floors, walls, and ceilings in buildings can affect air quality by releasing or absorbing chemicals called volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Carpets are known to have the highest ability to absorb and release chemicals compared to other indoor materials. People can be exposed to VOCs by breathing in the air, touching materials like floors that give off these chemicals, or accidentally swallowing dust from the floor. When dust settles on the floor, it can get kicked up again into the air, which can change the amount of VOCs indoors. This is especially true for certain chemicals that are not easily visible or noticeable.
VOCs released from carpets can be divided into two types: primary and secondary emissions. Primary emissions come from VOCs that are not stuck to the carpet, like chemicals used in making the carpet or in the manufacturing process. Secondary emissions come from VOCs that are attached to the carpet and are released later, through things like wear and tear or chemical reactions. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between these two types because the VOCs can move back and forth between being stuck to the carpet and being released into the air. The carpet can also absorb chemicals from the environment and then release them back into the air later.
Primary VOCs usually stop being released after about a year, but secondary VOCs can continue to be released for a much longer time, sometimes as long as the carpet is there. The way VOCs move between the carpet and the air depends on the balance of chemicals, so they can easily shift between being stuck to the carpet and floating in the air. This is important to understand because it helps explain how VOCs affect the air in our homes.
Newer carpets tend to release more secondary emissions than older ones. One study found that improving ventilation could actually increase secondary emissions, particularly from materials that react easily to air changes. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/24/12989
Ceramic, porcelain, and natural stone tiles themselves do not emit VOCs. Some grouts, sealants, and adhesives used in tile installation may contain VOCs, but low-VOC and no-VOC options are available. Unlike carpet, tile does not trap VOCs from other household products, making it better for air quality.
If you HAVE to buy a carpet, look for Green Label Plus-certified carpets, which have lower VOC emissions. Air filters, dehumidifiers, thorough and frequent cleaning and lower room temperatures can help reduce VOC exposure.
CLEANING: Area rugs must be cleaned regularly, front and back and washed at least once a year.
NOTE: The rug pad I chose doesn’t have the GOTS/OEKO-TEX certifications. I had a really hard time finding anything that was remotely affordable. I emailed the founder of Earth Weave and they replied: “This non-toxic rug pad provides both cushion and grip to your area rug without the hazardous chemicals found in most carpet pads. Made with 100% untreated natural wool on the top layer and natural rubber backing for non-slip. These pads contain no synthetic rubber, SBR (Styrene-Butadiene Rubber), or other harmful chemicals. They are safe for everyone including those with chemical sensitivities. Sustainable and completely bio-degradable.
All-natural — made with 100% wool and 100% natural rubber
Non-toxic — zero VOC, ultra-low odor, no formaldehyde, insect repellents, mildewcides, fungicides, toxic dyes or PBDEs (flame retardants)
Safe — for everyone, including the chemically sensitive (based on personal tolerance)
Eco-friendly — completely renewable resources and 100% biodegradable
*I did not buy my top choice and the one I recommend to you—an Organic Weave Shop rug made of 100% cotton. It was too pricey for me. I got the rugs in my house from Hook & Loom. They’re made from recycled fabric, which means it’s likely that the VOCs have already done their initial off-gassing and most of the icky chemicals have washed out. However, OWS is still a much better buy if you can afford it!
TLDR: Buying the right cutting board will cut down on your risk of food-borne illnesses.
Why you should care: “In the United States, billions of dollars are spent directly on medical expenses from foodborne diseases and billions more are lost due to decreases in employee productivity. Cutting boards could serve as sources of contamination by allowing pathogens to survive and multiply, especially if remnants of raw meat or poultry remain on the surface after food preparation” https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0260877412000040
OK, cutting boards are SUPER interesting, and there’s a lot of contradictory information floating around out there. I went directly to the scientific studies to find the best one for your health.
For an extra layer of caution, you want a solid wood cutting board that does NOT have a coating and does NOT use glue but DOES have a deep juice trench. That’s because wood is pretty awesome at killing a lot of bacteria. Wood is porous so when you get wet bacteria on it, it tries to create an equilibrium. That means it draws the water into its grain and the bacteria inside it dies. https://ift.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1541-4337.12199 If you have a coating, all that water just stays on top and the bacteria won’t die. This study shows that European beech had one of the lowest levels of bacteria overall https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6412/13/4/752 In one study, the bacteria Campylobacter (which causes diarrhea) survived for only 3 hours, whereas it lasted longer on stainless steel and plastic. https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/12/17/3245
Overall, wood is probably better if you want to be extra cautious. But thoroughly washing your cutting board (no matter what it’s made of) with soap and hot water is really the best way to get rid of most bacteria. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0956713523000786 This suggests that you should have a separate cutting board solely for cutting meat and another cutting board for stuff that’s not going to be thoroughly cooked. https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/12/17/3245
It’s also good to get a cutting board with a deep juice trench to keep icky bacteria from leaking onto the counter.
So the stainless steel vs wood debate doesn’t matter too much. Let’s look at sustainability. My pick is NSF certified. I also liked this cutting board because it’s black walnut, which is pretty sustainable, but it doesn’t have a NSF certification: https://fromourplace.com/products/walnut-cutting-board
Some cutting boards are made of bamboo. Isn’t that more sustainable? It might be, depending on where it’s made and if forests were clear cut to grow the bamboo. Unfortunately, I can’t recommend bamboo overall because there aren’t enough studies that look at the bacteria levels on cutting boards made from the material.
TLDR: Heated up plastic releases icky stuff. Get silicone. It’s not an expensive switch. Buy them once and use them forever. Let the kiddos play in the dirt with your old plastic tools.
Why you should care: Remember when you were younger (or, OK, a few weeks ago) and you left the spatula on the pan after flipping pancakes only to find it partially melted when you came back? Yeah, that’s not healthy for you.
OK, so somehow I did like four hours of research on this and can’t find the doc I saved it in. Typical. Luckily, this link pretty much sums it up and doesn’t get into all the studies and rabbit holes I went down. https://thegoodlifedesigns.com/safest-dishes-to-use/
Primarily, I wanted something safe. Something that wasn’t going to leach chemicals and that I could put in the microwave or oven. (I always tell myself that I wouldn’t microwave plastic and then find myself doing it late at night when I’m too tired to care.) I also have a clumsy streak and need stuff that wasn’t going to break easily. If you have kids, this is doubly true for you. Corelle ticks all those boxes.
I didn’t look into the sustainability of this option. Mostly because I have a set of corelle dishes I bought 15 years ago and they’re still going strong. So I figure this purchase of bowls will last me a long, long time.
Why you should care: Y’all, I read the studies, and there are SO many ways that bleach gets into our household environment and causes problems. It’s mind-blogging!
Y’all, I have been using bleach in my white loads for AGES. I guess I knew it was bad but didn’t really think about it practically.
Bleach does lots of stuff. It means you can save energy because you don’t have to wash your clothes with hot water to kill microbes. It gets rid of stains and makes your clothes look whiter/brighter.
Fun fact, bleach makes stuff look white because it binds with your fabric and collects and gives off light. So when you look at the fabric, it gives you the impression that it’s whiter or brighter. OMG! https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/20/9084 However, a key part of this is that it STAYS on your fabric and can get trapped there for more than a year. That’s not a good thing to have rubbing against your skin.
So do we really need bleach? Not really. Only for killing certain bacteria.
Using bleach is like hiring a giant bar bouncer. It’s great if you actually need muscle. But most bacteria aren’t in the big leagues, and you don’t need a bouncer to break up a scuffle on the kindergarten playground.
Most bacteria gets killed by your washing machine’s regular detergent and a spin in the dryer. However, there are some cases like rotavirus (diarrhea and vomiting), which needs hot water over 60 °C, detergent AND you can use bleach sanitizer.
NOTE: Wash your hands immediately after doing laundry and don’t touch your face. Store dirty clothes in a dry place, which will discourage bacterial growth. Remember that bleach only lasts for three months. https://academic.oup.com/jambio/article/132/2/1435/6716105
Bleach tends to cause a lot more problems for the average homeowner than it solves. It gets into rivers and hurts aquatic life. It messes with our public water system. It reacts with a whole bunch of different chemicals we have in our air and furniture to create nasty stuff that gets into our body through skin or breathing or eating.
*One of those very specific bacteria is norovirus. That’s a time where you actually do need to go to the store and get some bleach. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAkH4jakLYA
“Single-use Q tips contribute to the global plastic waste crisis. An estimated 1.5 billion cotton swabs are produced every day in the world and the average person throws away approximately 415 of them each year, according to a report by market intelligence company Acute Market Reports. These products are frequently found in landfills and oceans, polluting the environment and posing a threat to marine life. By opting for reusable Q tips, individuals can play a part in minimizing their ecological footprint.” https://ecofriendlyhacks.com/reusable-q-tips/index.html
It sucks that my pick is a Walmart buy. But I honestly couldn’t find what I wanted elsewhere except Amazon, and I tried! UPDATE: I’ve had this for months, and it’s working really well!
This is another option: https://lastobject.com/products/lastswab?Color=Turquoise I don’t like that it’s made of “durable materials,” which tells me absolutely nothing about what it’s actually made of. I also think the plastic carrying case is completely unnecessary.
Some Q-tips say they’re compostable/biodegradable. I’m extremely skeptical of this. I’ve tried composting those Q-tips and three years later they haven’t decomposed one bit!
TLDR: Regular laundry detergent has components that are harmful to the environment and to your skin. Plus, there’s a ton of icky byproducts and you’re mostly paying for water, which is a waste of money.
Why you should care: These are getting harder to write. I feel like you should just care because your body and the environment are important! But check out the reasons below…
I’ve also used laundry detergent sheets from different brands, which come in compostable bags. I think that’s great, but I tried composting the bags for two years and they didn’t break down even a little. Most packaging that says it’s biodegradable is actually only biodegradable in professional facilities. But this is the packaging that Etee uses, and I’m impressed because it looks like a solid choice: https://tekpaksolutions.com/
TLDR: It’s better to invest in sustainable bath towels for your own health and the health of the planet.
Why you should care: “Towels marketed as ‘ultra absorbent’ often shed microfiber plastics when washed and dried.” https://www.leafscore.com/eco-friendly-bath-products/best-eco-friendly-towels/ Microfiber plastics pollute our soil and water. Plus, we rub these towels all over our bodies so they should be made of stuff that’s safe for our skin.
These towels are effing expensive! I got them on sale at Christmas.
The following link is actually a great primer on towel materials and it’s consistent with all my reading but in a much more concise form. The only info that’s not exactly accurate is the part about some fabrics being antimicrobial. Studies don’t support that so ignore that paragraph! https://fiveadrift.com/blogs/news/7-reasons-why-you-should-be-using-eco-friendly-towels
I liked these towels because they last a long time. They have the GOTS and Oeko-Tex certifications, which means they were made with safe and environmentally friendly practices.
Plus, you can throw cotton towels in the washer, whereas other materials don’t fare as well in a machine.
One of the big downsides of this product is that it’s made from Turkish cotton, which means a larger carbon footprint for shipping. But since I’m only buying it once and then keeping it for many years, I’m less concerned about this issue.
TLDR: It’s really hard to make stuff out of 24K gold because it’s such a soft metal. If you are very sensitive, even items that are 18k gold can cause an allergic reaction.
Why you should care: It sucks to have an allergic reaction.
Did everyone know about the percentages rules of gold? I was totally in the dark. “18K gold is 18 parts pure gold and 6 parts other metals. And therefore, it is 75% gold and 25% other metals.” https://luxe.digital/lifestyle/jewelry/gold-karats-guide/ If the jeweler doesn’t tell you what those other metals are, it could contain something you’re allergic to, like nickel. About 18% of people in North America are allergic to nickel. https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/eczema/insider/nickel-allergy This would explain why my ears got swollen, even though I was wearing 18K gold earrings. Some people are just sensitive!
I haven’t done sustainability research on this one. Mostly because I rarely buy nice jewelry. Someone please get at me with your collected info!
