7 Household Swaps That Will Keep You Chemical Free

*This post contains several affiliate links and products included in press packages. No posts were required unless I loved what I was sampling.

Chemicals laden with carcinogens, endocrine disruptors and more are all around us - including the everyday items we use, well, everyday. And just because I don’t like being Debbie Downer, isn’t it fantastic that we’re finally becoming aware of just how toxic these common goods are? Not only does that sheer fact allow us to find healthier products, it also opens the door for brands to capitalize on the fact that many of us WANT products that aren’t actually causing us harm. Imagine that.

Here are seven of my favorite swaps:

Laundry Detergent

I admit, I LOVE the smell of clean laundry. Unfortunately, standard laundry detergent is terrible for us, starting with what I love most, the scents. The problem with those scents is that sometimes countless (as in hundreds) of chemicals are used to create those aromas we’ve grown so fond of. For proprietary reasons, the fragrances created don’t even need to disclose what they’ve used to create said scent, which is why labels just say, “fragrance.”

Run far from those unnatural products! The chemicals used can be carcinogenic and many also contain endocrine disrupting phthalates. In fact, common household products with phthalates are prevalent in to much of what we use. How neat (said in the most sarcastic tone ever).

Other ingredients to beware of in laundry detergents are surfactants such as petroleum distillate and phenol, additional endocrine disruptors, nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE’s), which are banned in Europe, formaldehyde and numerous other harmful substances.

So what do you replace your name brand detergent with? Is there such thing as a clean laundry detergent?

Meet Bloop. Created using all natural ingredients (even in their fragrances), they’re void of toxins like SLS, phosphates, and are chlorine-free. They’re also watershed safe and safe for the environment.

I’ve had the opportunity to use Bloop (in the Salt Air scent) and guess what? It works. It smells fantastic. All without being harmful to my clothes, environment or health. While initially you may raise an eyebrow at the price ($25/32oz), that brow will quickly unfurl when you realize you need FAR less detergent per load, just a single ounce for a normal size. That’s less than a dollar per load!

Available in four scents - Super Bloom, Salt Air, Stone Fruit and Care Free (unscented), it’s also made in the USA. Yay!

Use code LAURA25 to save 25% at Bloop and visit HeyBloop.com to shop or learn more.

Toothpaste

Flouride is so out isn’t it? It wasn’t that long ago that consuming flouride was unquestioned. But this is 2025 and now, for good reason, we’re asking questions. If you’re like me, you’ve read countless studies and articles either singing flouride’s praises, or illuminating the reasons we should be wary of using/consuming it. While I’ll let you make up your own mind, I’ve been stearing clear for about five years.

If you’re looking for something new - minus the ingredients you’re trying to get away from, you have to take a look at Canary Toothpaste Tablets, a fluoride free “toothpaste” that gives you all of the benefits, minus the toxicity, of a regular toothpaste. Why you’ll love them:

1) No plastic packaging. Canary doesn’t use a traditional tube. In fact, they don’t use a traditional paste. Their tablets are packaged in either glass jars which can be re-used or compostable pouches.

2) Natural ingredients. In fact, not only are natural ingredients used, things like flouride, sulfates, parabens, aspartame and glutens are also omitted. Yay!

3) Made in the USA. I hate to sound redundant, but again - YAY!!

So how do you brush with a tablet? Easy! Pop one into your mouth, chew then brush like normal. Is it different than a paste? Yes. Does it still clean your teeth, help remove stains and freshen your breath? Also yes.

In addition to toothpaste tablets, Canary also can supply your home with mouthwash, dental floss (which is 100% plant-based), hand soap, body soap and clay face masks, all sans-plastic and using natural ingredients.

Use code LAURA25 and save yourself 25% at Canary and visit CanaryCleanCo.com to shop!

Healthy Mouthwash:

A great fluoride free mouthwash that ditches the bad for the good? GuruNanda Concentrated Mouth Wash. Made with 100% natural essential oils, this leaves your mouth minty fresh with a more limited impact on the environment. The bottles are made from recycled plastic but are tiny (just 2 fluid ounces) in comparison to a regular mouthwash bottle. In fact, 1 small bottle of GuruNanda is the equivalent of 10 traditional 16oz mouthwash bottles.

To use, add 4-6 drops to the handy dosage cup the bottle comes with, add water then swish. No artificial preservatives, no artificial ingredients, flouride free and never tested on animals.

Learn more about the GuruNanda line of products at GuruNanda.com

Healthy All Purpose Cleaners:

When I started researching ingredients in my “regular” cleaning products, I was shocked. I always assumed they weren’t good but yikes! Carcinogens, endocrine disruptors and more - I felt like I was trading my well-being for the “smell” of a clean home.

While I do usually have some Mrs. Meyer’s products on hand, they’re expensive! And nothing is as easy (or cheap) as a DIY “Clean” All-Purpose Cleaner. I invested in a few spray bottles (under $3) and used this easy recipe:

-Equal parts white vinegar and water. I use a cup of each, but it will depend on the size of your bottle.
-2 to 3 drops of Tea Tree Oil
-10 to 20 drops of your choice of essential oil - I LOVE the clean smell of peppermint and eucalyptus

That’s it - spray what needs cleaning. I notice absolutely no difference in my past use of traditional and current use of natural. I feel way better about using it AND it’s SO. DANG. CHEAP. in comparison to traditional cleaners. For other easy DIY cleaners, read this.

Home Scents and Pthalate Free Candle Options:

There’s something about walking into your home and having it smell good. Clean. Fresh. Even if it’s been a minute since you’ve actually cleaned. BUT, most plugins, so many candles and fragrance oils are laced with phthalates (endocrine disruptor), formaldehyde (carcinogen), benzene (carcinogen), parabens (carcinogen and endocrine disruptor) and more. Crazy, right!?!

Instead, I’ve become a candle snob, selecting only soy based (or other natural waxes), naturally scented options.. In the past year, I’ve discovered I LOVE the candles from River Birch and Calyan Wax Co. Both are a much healthier alternative than the candles you might normally select.

I found my summer scents with River Burch. Using soy wax and natural fragrances this Texas based brand has a variety of clean candle options to select from. My go-to’s are the Sea Salt + Citrus and Mint + Grapefruit which are just perfect for the season…SO GOOD!

Calyan Wax Co manufacture their soy candles in the USA (Arlington, TX) and 5% of their profits are donated to end human trafficking in America. For a list of their trusted non-profit partners, click here. Their Evergreen & Eucalyptus is constantly lit during winter months - it’s such a FRESH winter scent. Shop via their website, or on Amazon.

Throughout the year, I also use wax melters, with Natural Beeswax and essential oil from Simply Earth. By the way, as a Simply Earth Ambassador, I can offer you a $45 Simply Earth Gift Card by using code LAURAYFREE at checkout. The gift card will be sent to NEW subscribers after they’ve purchased their first subscription box (so your second box would be free).

Hand Sanitizer

I feel like a broken record at this point, but, did you know that MANY hand sanitizers are full of garbage ingredients that aren’t good for us? For example, many alcohol-free options such as Benzalkonium Chloride (BAC). While BAC can be effective in killing viruses, it’s widespread use in a large variety of goods, has also made some bacteria resistant to it. Not to mention it also might be a neurotoxin, induce inflammation, decrease fertility and cause skin inflammation. Oh, it’s also banned in Europe.

There are a variety of better options, including one I’ve been trying this summer: Handzies. These individually wrapped towelettes are easy to keep in your bag, car or even lunch bag. They’re comprised of a proprietary blend of Castile (olive oil based) soap, water and essential oils meaning they actually smell good (not like your washing with chemicals…because you essentially are with most sanitizers). Plus, they don’t leave the sticky residue you might have experienced with typical hand sanitizers.

Learn more or purchase Handzies at Handzies.com.

Everyday Mop? Try the Shark Steam Mop Instead

I used to love my Swiffer Mop with the wet cleansing cloths for easy cleaning, until, (you may see a pattern) I really looked at the ingredients.

Last summer I purchased a Shark Steam & Scrub and have not regretted it even a little. It uses steam to clean up messes. That’s it. Plug it in, turn it on and easily clean up whatever needs cleaning. For tougher messes, I do spray with my homemade all-purpose cleaning solution prior to mopping up (never use anything other than water in the mop, however).

While I don’t think this is nearly as good as the every-so-often hands-and-knees scrubbing I do periodically on my floors, it’s perfect for the in between moments.

While it’s evident we’ve likely not asked enough questions about the products we’ve been using through the years, better late than never. Now is the perfect time to start trading the bad for the good. What chemical free product have you recently discovered or started using?