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| Another great way to reduce your toxic exposure is to have lots of house plants. House plants clean air by absorbing chemicals and converting them into food and energy. Top air-cleaners include philodendron, Boston fern, peace lily and English ivy. It is recommended that homes have 2-3 houseplants per 100 square feet of room space. |
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Vinyl floors |
Wooden, ceramic, marble, cork or bamboo flooring |
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Tinned food (the cans are lined with an epoxy resin that may leach bisphenol A) |
Fresh, frozen or dried food |
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Plastic food wrap (may contain bisphenol A) |
Aluminum foil, wax paper, food-grade reusable containers. |
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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 |
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Microwaving food in plastic wrap, or plastic containers that are not marked microwave safe |
Glass, ceramic and plastic containers that are labeled microwave safe. |
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Produce treated with pesticides |
Organic food |
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Non-stick cookware |
Cast iron and stainless steel cookware |
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Ceramic glazed cookware (may contain cadmium and lead) |
Cookware made of glass, cast iron, and terra cotta without lead glaze |
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Crystal tableware (may contain lead) |
Glass tableware. |
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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. |
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Antibacterial soaps, dishwashing liquids and other cleaners that contain triclosan |
Non-antibacterial products |
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| Visit Environmental Defence’s FoodWatch site to find out more about toxic chemicals in food. |
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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. |
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Moth-proof wool blankets (they contain pesticides) |
Wool blankets without a moth-proofing treatment |
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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). |
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Dry clean only clothes (most dry cleaners use PERC) |
Machine washable clothes |
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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. |
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| 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. |
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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. |
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Avoid |
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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. |
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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) |
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| 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. |
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