These are my top 3 crunchy swaps as a mom who wants to limit my family’s toxic load, without doubling my mental load- just in time for back-to-school germs
I’m a scruchy mom- very mindful about certain safer, low-tox swaps I have made to decrease our family’s toxic loan, but don’t [yet] bat an eye at other things. Not silky, not crunchy- just intentional where it makes sense to me in this stage of early motherhood meets back-to-school germs.
These are the 3 first, low-tox swaps I made and would recommend to any new mom looking for realistic, everyday ways to start making your home safer:
- Because they are easy to start
- Because they felt easy enough to maintain long term and
- Because I could see the impact on our home.
A quick note before we dive in
Some of the products I recommend in this post are brands I’m an affiliate for, which means I may earn a commission, at no additional cost to you, if you purchase through one of my links. I only include products I genuinely think are worth considering, and I’ll always be upfront about my personal experience with them. If I haven’t personally used a product, I’ll tell you that, too.
My goal isn’t to convince you to buy more stuff. It’s to share the swaps I’ve researched, personally chosen, or think are worth putting on your radar, along with the information you need to decide what’s right for your home. Affiliate relationships never change my commitment to being honest with you about what I like, what I don’t, and what I haven’t personally tried.
Top 3 low-tox swaps for moms to littles:
Force of Nature: Swap for multiple cleaning products
If I could only pick one swap for a safer, lower-tox home during this season of pregnancies, little ones, and back-to-school germs, this would be it. (Affiliate link- I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support. Save on bundles with code HEY15 for a limited time).
It’s not realistic to wait until after bedtime to do all of the cleaning- but right now, I have a baby constantly underfoot. I also don’t want to fill the room with that harsh, chemical-cleaner smell.
That’s why this swap has seriously been a game changer for my daily life as a mom.
Force of Nature is a small appliance that uses electricity to convert tap water, plus a little capsule of salt, water, and vinegar, into a super effective, multi-surface cleaner. It is also an EPA registered disinfectant, killing 99.9% of germs*, including Influenza A and Norovirus. *when used as directed on hard, non-porous surfaces. (Because please, please keep those back-to-school germs out of our house!)
Force of Nature cleans, deodorizes and disinfects without fragrances, dyes, preservatives, bleach, or quats.
For the past 2 years, this one product has replaced virtually all of my cleaning products.
I use it for windows, toilets, countertops, dusting surfaces, door knobs, pillows, lunchboxes, and car seats- basically any surface where I need to cut germs, odor, or grime.
One unexpected benefit of switching to Force of Nature: it reduced the mental load of keeping up with and restocking multiple products. Just one bottle under my kitchen sink.
Shop through my affiliate link using code HEY15 to save 15% on bundles.
All without creating stress around what my baby is breathing in while I’m cleaning or what happens if she grabs the bottle.
One thing to know before switching to Force of Nature- because there is no bleach, there is no whitening agent. I find that it works great for routine, maintenance cleaning throughout my house. Just ~2x a year, I like to treat my showers and toilets with a bleach based cleaner instead. For me, the trade off is worth it.
Air Doctor: Swap for candles or toxic air fresheners
Since it filters out mold spores, I decided it was time to invest in an AirDoctor3500 after we had some water damage (and subsequent remodeling) in our kitchen. (Affiliate link- may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.)
That was 4 years ago. It’s going strong with daily use.
One of the biggest changes I immediately noticed- less dust build up between routine house cleaning.
With an UltraHEPA® filter, Air Doctor filters captures contaminants as small as 0.003 microns (100x smaller than the HEPA standard).
Honestly, I was 100% convinced to buy this through an influencer, but ya know what, no regrets. I love this thing.
So much so that after I had accidentally talked 4 people in my circle into getting their own, I figured I should apply to be a brand affiliate too.
I always turn in on when I vacuum, cook, and sleep. It automatically scenes the air quality and adjust the fan speed accordingly (or you can manually pick).
At night, I put it on dark mode so no little button lights interrupt sleep (I’ll leave that up to the baby). It especially comes in handy if the house is stuffy after a trip, when we build a fire, or at the first mention of sickness (we see you, back to school season).
Water Filtration: Swap for tap water
Confession- I’ve turned into a bit of a water snob.
We purchased a high quality water filter 5 years ago. The pure taste of nothing is a little shocking at first. Now, anything else tastes disgusting to me.
After doing a good bit of digging, I ultimately went with the Alexapure at the time. We live in hurricane territory, and one of the things I really liked about this gravity-fed filter is that it doesn’t rely on electricity. In a significant emergency, it could potentially allow us to make water more drinkable. For our day to day lives, it still reduces contaminants, giving us cleaner water.
After doing a good bit of digging, I ultimately went with the Alexapure at the time. (Amazon affiliate link- I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.) We live in hurricane territory, and one of the things I really liked about this gravity-fed filter is that it doesn’t rely on electricity. In a significant emergency, it could potentially allow us to make water more drinkable. For our day to day lives, it still reduces contaminants, giving us cleaner water.
Full disclosure: I’m also a brand affiliate for AquaTru, but I have not personally used an AquaTru system. So I can’t give you a firsthand review of it yet. What I can do is point you toward why I think it’s worth researching if maximizing contaminant reduction is your top priority.
AquaTru uses 4-stage reverse osmosis and carbon filtration and is independently tested/certified for the reduction of 84 contaminants, including lead, fluoride, arsenic, nitrates, PFAS and microplastics. Unlike the Alexapure, it does rely on electricity.
I’m sharing AquaTru as an option because I think the technology and independent testing are worth knowing about—not because I’ve personally used it. If you’re considering a water filter, I encourage you to look at the specific contaminants you want to reduce, the testing behind the claims, and which system best fits your needs.
Whether you are fully silky, or just a bit scrunchy like me, I have found that these 3 swaps are easy enough to start and worth actually maintain.
Each is a bit of an upfront investment. For me, I’ve found the long term pay off in both in physical wellness and peace of mind.
Want to start small? Force of Nature is the favorite first swap. It’s the one I have used for 2 years to simplify our everyday cleaning routine.
Shop Force of Nature through my affiliate link. Code HEY15 for free shipping + 15% off bundles for a limited time.
You can explore the other swaps I mentioned too, but no pressure to overhaul your whole house- start with the one swap that feels easiest for your family. Here’s to a safer, healthier back-to-school season!
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