How I’m Creating a Low-Tox Home (Without Overcomplicating It)

I care about reducing unnecessary exposure in our home, but I also don’t want this becoming another thing consuming my brain all day.

I’ve gone down the low-tox rabbit hole more than once.

And if you’ve ever looked into it, you’ll know how quickly it spirals. Suddenly your cleaning products are a problem, your cookware is toxic, your candles are poisoning you, and even the air in your house feels questionable.

I’ve researched this topic a lot over the years because I genuinely care about reducing unnecessary exposure for me and my family. But I also realised pretty quickly that this space can send you into a full-blown anxiety spiral if you let it. At one point it starts feeling like everything is dangerous, and I don’t think living like that is healthy either.

So instead of trying to change our entire life overnight, I started looking at it more practically. Swapping products slowly, paying more attention to what we bring into the house, and becoming more conscious of the things we use all the time. At the same time, I’m also not going to lose my mind over needing a stronger cleaner for a stubborn kitchen stain either.

Let’s start with cleaning, because this is probably one of the biggest areas when it comes to reducing exposure at home.

Most conventional cleaning products are packed with synthetic fragrance and chemicals that honestly just feel unnecessary to me. And once you stop constantly using heavily fragranced products, you realise SO quickly how intense they actually smell.

I switched over to cleaner brands like Earth Choice and Ecostore for most things around the house, and now anything super chemical-heavy instantly gives me a headache.

That being said, I still keep stronger products in the cupboard for certain situations. If something really needs a heavy-duty clean, I’m going to clean it properly instead of pretending vinegar fixes absolutely everything.

But for everyday cleaning, I keep things pretty basic.

Dish soap and warm water does most of the work in our house. Baking soda is amazing for stains, especially mixed with lemon juice. I even use it to clean the washing machine and it works so well.

I also realised pretty quickly that I don’t need twenty different products for every corner of the house, so now I really only keep a few staples: dish soap, glass cleaner, kitchen cleaner for grease, and toilet cleaner. That’s pretty much it.

Air and scent is another huge one for me.

We don’t use synthetic candles or artificial air fresheners anymore because once you remove that constant fragrance exposure, you notice how overpowering it actually is.

Everything I buy now is beeswax based and scented with essential oils instead.

(Also making your own candles is actually so fun.)

Fresh air is probably one of the most underrated things in general. Opening windows in the morning and letting sunlight into the house completely changes the feel of a space and helps my mood so much too.

We occasionally use a diffuser, but not constantly.

Other than that, we mostly just let the house breathe.

The kitchen is probably where I’ve made the biggest gradual changes.

We recently switched to stainless steel cookware because a lot of non-stick pans contain materials that can leach into your food once damaged.

And honestly… yuck.

Especially when you’re cooking for kids.

Stainless steel definitely has a learning curve in the beginning, but once you figure it out, it’s actually great. It lasts forever, looks beautiful, and you don’t need to constantly replace scratched pans.

I also think ceramic cookware is a really good option too, even though it’s definitely heavier.

We’ve slowly swapped most kitchen utensils and storage over to wood, silicone, glass, or stainless steel as well.

Things like chopping boards, containers, utensils…

I’d definitely stay away from those super cheap plastic chopping boards because all I can think about is tiny plastic particles ending up in food after years of cutting on them.

We also try to use beeswax wraps instead of plastic wrap where we can, although there are still moments where convenience wins and you just use the cling wrap.

Again… life.

I’ve also become a lot more aware of the things we come into contact with constantly throughout the day.

What goes onto our skin, what we wash our clothes in, what sits on our kitchen benches, what touches our food…

I’m definitely not sitting there reading every single ingredient label, but I do think repeated exposure adds up over time.

And once you start paying attention, you naturally begin making different choices without needing to completely overhaul your life.

At the same time, there’s also a lot I don’t really worry about.

I’m not throwing everything out overnight or trying to create some perfectly “low-tox” house, because honestly I don’t want this topic becoming another source of stress sitting on my mental load either.

Sometimes takeaway comes in plastic containers. Sometimes stronger cleaning products are the only thing that works. Sometimes convenience wins.

I just want to be a bit more aware of the things we use every day, reduce exposure where it makes sense, and make better swaps gradually instead of trying to change everything all at once.

Because honestly, I think most of us just want a home that feels good to live in. One that supports our health a bit more, without adding another layer of pressure and stress onto everyday life.

And realistically, I think the small things you do consistently matter way more than trying to do everything perfectly for two weeks.

Love, Charlie 🤍