My freshman year of college, as I was downing Diet Cokes and Lean Cuisines, I made a pact with myself:
By April 1st of that year, I’d stop eating processed foods. It was also that same day that I’d stop eating meat, shifting my entire college dorm room fridge from deli meats to Trader Joe’s veggie patties.
About a year and a half later, I made another pact to myself: I’d stop eating dairy (after seeing What the Health), and now, more than 7 years later, I continue to set more pacts to myself, my latest one being to
alleviate all of the toxic sprays, chemicals, and products that we’re using in our home!
As I explore making our home clean, I wanted to document the products that we’ve been using that help us keep our places as non-toxic as possible, from the air we breathe to the water we drink to the way we prepare our foods.
Enjoy this growing list of wellness products we use to make our home healthier— I hope you get a chance to add them to your own space, too.
25+ wellness products to make your home a healthier haven
1. Wooden cooking spoons
We used to have rubber and plastic, but when these got introduced into our home, oh my goodness. They are so lovely to use! They’re smooth and all-natural, and every few weeks, I’ll cover them in mineral oil and let them soak in so they can retain their beautiful hue.
2. CuisineArt stainless steel pots and pans
As soon as I read about all of the forever chemicals that live in Teflon and non-stick pans, I knew we had to make a switch. We got these nice stainless steel pans, and although I’m still getting used to making sure food doesn’t stick to them, it’s totally possible! These are sleek, easy to clean (when you prepare it correctly), and don’t have any toxic, nonstick chemicals that could get in your food.
3. White vinegar
Although I love the smell of a good Mrs. Meyers cleaner, I had to ask myself if there was a better way to clean inside the house, not only as a way to alleviate the cost and waste of plastic spray bottles but also to know exactly what I was spraying every time I was cleaning. (I mean, I know, the smell of Mrs. Meyers is good– but no matter how much they try to market it as being healthier, I still see some sketchy ingredients in there!)
With a simple Google search, I was able to replace my surface-top cleaners with a white vinegar cleaning solution! For a window cleaner, I just used some watered-down white vinegar, and for a surface-top cleaner, I used half white vinegar, half water, and 10 drops of tea tree oil!
I also use white vinegar to clean off fruits and plants that I pick from our garden. I’ll typically soak them in half water and half white vinegar for about 10-15 minutes before using them.
4. Vitamix
We use this for making smoothies, and I really can’t imagine using anything else. It’s insanely powerful and has a self-cleaning element that makes it really easy to clean. It’s a significant investment, but it’s such an easy way to get your fruits and veggies in without having to think about what to eat.
5. Ladder shelf (for holding produce + drying herbs)
I found my ladder shelf on Facebook Marketplace, and bet you could find something similar to this through some thrifting adventures, yourself. If you’re not an avid thrifter like me, there are definitely places you can get this online– they’re super popular.
This sits right next to our kitchen cabinets, and it’s such a nice place to see all of our produce (and their current state). It also serves as a great way to dry our herbs without taking up additional real estate and cluttering up your kitchen.
Related: 5 steps to organizing using the KonMari method
6. Airtight glass jars
As we build our collection of both store-bought and hand-harvested herbs that we get ourselves (thank you Twin Creeks Lavender Farm!), we need a place to store all of it to keep it fresh! They’re airtight and super cute, and can store looseleaf tea, tea bags, or even tea strainers, spoons, or supplies.
7. Berkey
If you aren’t using a charcoal filter for your water, this is your sign! The Berkey is one of the strongest filters out there and doesn’t require any plugs, so you can place this anywhere or take it on the road. Travelers use this to filter out stream water, rainwater, and even Coke if you really want to experiment (take a look at that amazing video below). How crazy is that?!
It filters (or greatly removes)
- Heavy metals
- Chlorine
- Pharmaceuticals
- Arsenic
- Fluorine
…and more.
8. Honey grenade
Transfer your honey to this thing, and you’ll never have to dirty another spoon or clean up a drippy honey container again! Plus, it’s just straight-up fun to use.
9. 64-ounce water bottle
We got matching 64-ounce water bottles (different colors) and it really helps me track my water intake throughout the day. It’s glass, so I don’t have to get concerned with any plastic heating up and touching my water.
10. Amber glass spray bottles
Once I started making that homemade cleaner, I needed a place to put it that wasn’t a plastic spray bottle! I got amber glass jars, and it’s really true when you’re using something that’s nicer, you’ll treat it nicer too. It’s so pretty, that I don’t mind cleaning with it!
11. Tea tree oil
A natural antibacterial, I use this essential oil for mixing in with cleaning spray to make it even more helpful (and smell good, too.)
12. Nebulizer
Great for after you’re in a toxic environment, like dealing with bad outdoor conditions or a potentially moldy room. Use filtered water, and if you’d like, you can add essential oils (find some instructions online for the best, safest way to use it).
13. Mason jars
Honestly, who doesn’t need Mason jars?! We use them for everything, from food storage to meal prepping, to creating oils and glycerites, to propagating herbs. Plus, most any reason to replace glass with plastic when possible, we do.
14. Vegetable glycerine
I bought this to make glycerites with different herbs as a spray or to consume. You can combine glycerine with roses, for example, to make a rose facial serum, or create glycerites as alternatives to tinctures to concentrate the medicinal usage of plants.
15. Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
I love using olive oil when making herbs and flower oils. It has antioxidants and monounsaturated fats for cooking, of course, but also feels amazing when you’re making skin products. I’m still experimenting with how to use things like coffee grounds and olive oils as face scrubs, and even though I’ve messed up with the ingredients a lot, one thing’s certain: EVOO always feels amazing.
16. La Maison soap
This was one of the only soaps I could find with no hidden ingredients, so it’s something we use in every bathroom.
17. Witch hazel
A natural astringent, I use this as an all-natural room spray! I used 1 tablespoon of witch hazel, 10 drops of geranium oil, and the rest water. It smells sooooo good. There are also other uses for it, like for the skin and eyes!
18. Hydrogen peroxide
We have this all around our house to kill bacteria. Whenever we have a cut or burn, we’ll start it out with hydrogen peroxide to make sure it’s disinfected.
19. Mineral oil
I use this to clean our wooden spoons and spatulas! I’ll put some on my hands, rub it on the wood, and let it soak overnight, and in the morning, they look so hydrated and fresh.
20. Oil diffuser
It’s been hard to find ones that don’t mold over— this one so far has been great! We’re careful not to use these too close to the cats since they’re very sensitive to essential oils.
21. Air purifier
Our air purifier takes away the allergens, dust, and other things that make the air unhealthy in our space. You’ll see numbers on the top of the purifier that will rise based on how many allergens or toxins are in the air. It sits right next to one of the cat boxes, and every time they use it, the number will go up. That definitely shows us it’s still working.
22. Microfiber dusters for high spaces
This cleaning kit we got on Amazon helps us reach up high when we’re cleaning the walls and fan. I’ve literally walked into Airbnbs where there’s dust on the ceiling fans… that’s not good visually or physically.
23. Coffee + powdered drink mixers
Whenever we add electrolyte powders to our drinks, we’ll use these drink mixers to make sure everything’s mixed!
24. Stainless steel tea strainer
This is how we drink our loose-leaf tea, especially since most premade tea bags have microplastics, which are released into our water when we heat them up. Gross.
25. Dr. Bronner’s All-In-One Toothpaste (Lotion, Cleaner…)
Honestly, I’ve loved all of Dr. Bronner’s products so far! No harsh chemicals; only all-natural ingredients. It’s one of the only brands I’ve been able to trust as alternatives to other brands that claim they’re healthy but they’re not (@Burt’s Bees!).
