This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through my links — at no extra cost to you. I only ever recommend products I personally use and trust. Your support helps me keep this blog going and I appreciate it more than you know!
If you’ve been curious about low-tox living but have no idea where to start, this post is for you. I’m not going to tell you to throw everything away and spend a fortune rebuilding your home overnight. That’s overwhelming, unrealistic, and honestly unnecessary.
What I will tell you is this: every better choice, even something as simple as opening your windows, is a move in the right direction. On the days you just can’t deal with any of it — open a window. That’s it. You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to keep moving forward.
These are the swaps I made that actually moved the needle for me, a real person with chronic illness, endometriosis, inflammation, and a partner who once burnt bourbon chicken oil onto a brand new pan. More on that later.
1. Swap Your All-Purpose Cleaner
This was my first swap and honestly it took me longer than it should have. Every single time I cleaned with store bought sprays I’d end up in a coughing fit just trying to breathe. And yet I kept using them for months because I was determined to finish the bottle first. Yes, really, I’m that stubborn.
Once I switched to a homemade cleaner the coughing stopped completely. Here’s the simple recipe I use:
DIY All-Purpose Cleaner:
- 1/2 cup isopropyl alcohol (70% or higher) – disinfects and preserves
- 1 tablespoon castile soap – cleans grease and dirt
- 2 cup distilled water – prevents bacteria growth
- 10-15 drops lemon essential oil – for scent and added antibacterial properties
Mix in a spray bottle and you’re done. Shake before each use. It cleans beautifully, smells fresh, and won’t send you into a coughing fit. Just note it has a short shelf life so make small batches.
Don’t want to DIY? Branch Basics is my top recommendation for a ready made non-toxic cleaner that actually works and doesn’t come with a side of respiratory distress.
2. Ditch the Teflon Pans
I cook every single day so this swap made complete logical sense to me early on. Teflon and traditional non-stick coatings release toxic fumes when heated, especially if the coating gets scratched. And let’s be honest, every non-stick pan gets scratched eventually.
I switched to the GreenPan Lima Ceramic Nonstick and I have been using them for over a year now without a single stain or scratch. And I want to be clear about what “no scratch” means in my house, my partner once burnt bourbon chicken oil onto the pan while I was recovering from foot surgery. That stain is completely gone. No trace it ever existed. These pans are the real deal.
You can find all my cookware recommendations on my Low-Tox Kitchen & Cooking page.
3. Open Your Windows Every Day
I know this sounds almost too simple to include but I promise you it belongs on this list. Creating a cross breeze through your home every day to circulate fresh air made a genuinely noticeable difference in how I felt daily. Indoor air can actually be more polluted than outdoor air due to off-gassing from furniture, cleaning products, and building materials.
It costs nothing. It takes 30 seconds. Just open your windows.
If you want to take it further, an air purifier is a worthwhile investment, you can find the ones I recommend on my Water & Air Quality page.
4. Start Taking Magnesium Glycinate
Most of us are deficient in magnesium and don’t even know it. I take Optimal Magnesium by Seeking Health every single day and I will find a way to keep buying it even if everything else in my life falls apart. That’s not an exaggeration, if I’m ever living in a cardboard box this supplement is still in my budget.
Here’s why I feel that strongly about it: I have endometriosis. For years my periods were absolutely debilitating, the kind of pain that takes over your entire life. Since taking magnesium glycinate consistently I get zero cramps. Not fewer cramps. Zero. I actually forget I have endometriosis now. Some months I forget I’m even on my period.
If you deal with period pain, muscle cramps, poor sleep, anxiety, or general tension, please try a quality magnesium glycinate before anything else.
Find it on my Supplements & Nutrition page.
5. Switch to a Menstrual Disc
This one is specifically for anyone who has ever had a heavy period and knows the specific exhaustion of managing it. I used to hemorrhage so badly that a super tampon plus period underwear still wasn’t enough, I’d soak through everything within an hour or two.
I’ve been using the Hello Disc for 11 months now. In that entire time I have hemorrhaged once, and it wasn’t even dramatic by my old standards. That’s it. Once.
Beyond the obvious practical benefits, conventional tampons and pads are loaded with chemicals you really don’t want near one of the most absorbent areas of your body. Switching to a disc is both a low-tox win and a life quality win at the same time.
6. Swap Your Shampoo & Conditioner
Your scalp is one of the most absorbent parts of your body and conventional shampoos are packed with sulfates, parabens, synthetic fragrances, and other ingredients your body has to work to process. Switching to a clean shampoo is one of the easier swaps because the alternatives have gotten really good.
Check out my Bathroom & Personal Care page for the brands I personally use and trust.
7. Filter Your Drinking Water
Tap water contains chlorine, fluoride, heavy metals, and depending on where you live, a whole host of other things you don’t want to be drinking every single day. A good water filter is one of those investments that quietly works in the background improving your health without you having to think about it.
You don’t need to spend a fortune, there are great options at different price points on my Water & Air Quality page.
8. Replace Your Plastic Food Storage
Plastic containers, especially when heated, can leach chemicals like BPA and phthalates directly into your food. Swapping to glass or stainless steel food storage is an easy, one-time switch that removes a daily source of chemical exposure without any ongoing effort.
9. Swap Your Candles & Air Fresheners
I used to be a couponer, which meant I had an absolutely impressive stockpile of air freshener sprays and plug-ins. I also had an equally impressive stockpile of headaches. Funny how that works.
Once I got rid of every last one and started diffusing essential oils instead the headaches stopped. And I know without a doubt it was the synthetic fragrance because the evidence still follows me around to this day, I walk past one of those heavily scented stores at the mall and within minutes I have a headache. I go to someone’s house who loves their plug-ins and candles and sure enough, instant headache before I’ve even sat down.
Your body knows. It was always trying to tell you.
Conventional candles and plug-in air fresheners release synthetic fragrance chemicals into your air constantly, and paraffin candles add soot and toxins on top of that. Switch to beeswax or soy candles with essential oil scents, or simply diffuse essential oils instead. It smells just as good — better actually — without the aftermath.
10. Switch Your Laundry Detergent
Conventional laundry detergents contain synthetic fragrances and surfactants that stay on your clothes and sheets, meaning you’re in contact with them 24 hours a day. This is especially worth addressing if you deal with skin issues, hormone disruption, or general inflammation.
Clean laundry detergent alternatives have come a long way and work just as well. Check out my Cleaning Products page for what I recommend.
The Bottom Line
You don’t have to do all of this at once. Pick one swap from this list, just one, and start there. When that feels normal, add another. Low-tox living isn’t about being perfect, it’s about making better choices when you can.
Even on your hardest days, just open the window. 🌿
— Ashley
Want to see everything I personally recommend? I’ve done the research so you don’t have to, find all my curated low-tox product picks organized by category at lowtoxliving.carrd.co
lowtoxlivingdotblog 
Leave a comment