I Watched The Plastic Detox on Netflix and Audited My Entire Home — Here's What I Swapped
TL;DR: I was alarmed by what I saw in The Plastic Detox on Netflix, so I'm intentionally swapping out all the toxic items in my home — room by room, swap by swap. Find all my non-toxic picks HERE on my ShopMy.
Recently, my husband and I sat down to watch The Plastic Detox on Netflix. I didn’t know what to expect, but I came out wanting to throw away every single item in our home and start completely from scratch.
It is eye-opening. It is educational. And if I'm being honest — it is infuriating. Because the more you learn about how deeply plastic and endocrine disruptors have infiltrated every corner of our lives (thanks in large part to big brands who have known and done nothing), the harder it is to look at your kitchen, your closet, your bathroom, and not feel a little panicked.
But more on that in a bit!
If you haven't watched The Plastic Detox yet…do so ASAP.
Here's the gist: Dr. Shawna has devoted her life to studying the negative impact that plastic — and other endocrine disruptors — have on our health and our planet. The documentary follows five couples who have been struggling with infertility for years. Dr. Shawna puts them on a plastic detox protocol, and after just three months of intentional swaps, three out of the five couples get pregnant. Beyond the fertility results, every couple improved their overall health in measurable, meaningful ways.
I cannot overstate how much this documentary hit home for me personally. Starting a family is something my husband and I are genuinely looking forward to, and watching those couples' journeys — and their results — made us want to be as intentional as possible about what we're bringing into our home and our bodies.
Before you spiral (like I did), here’s a pep talk:
If you're anything like me, your first instinct after watching will be to do a complete purge. I get it. But here's the thing (and the documentary actually addresses this) microplastics and toxins are already inside us. Literally collecting in our brains and organs as we speak. (I know. EW.) There are so many things outside of our control when it comes to plastic exposure.
So here's what I want you to focus on before we dive in:
1. Just do the best you can.
2. You don't need to overhaul your whole house overnight.
Focus on what you can swap right now — the things you use most, the things that touch your skin or your food every single day — and keep making swaps as you go. This is a slow, ongoing practice, not a one-weekend project.
Okay. With that said, here's exactly where I started.
The first swaps I made (and why I started here)
1. Underwear, Activewear, and Everyday Clothing
The majority of clothing on the market today is made primarily of polyester — a plastic-based fiber that contains "forever chemicals" that your body absorbs through your skin all day long.
I started with underwear and bras because that felt like the most obvious win: worn every day, easiest to swap, and not insanely expensive to replace. 100% natural fiber underwear (cotton, modal, bamboo) was the move. Same for boxers for my husband.
Next up: activewear. This one is especially important because when you sweat, your pores open up — meaning you're absorbing even more of whatever chemicals are in your workout clothes. I'm not throwing out everything at once (wasteful and overwhelming), but I've started rotating in a few natural fiber workout sets so I have clean options most days of the week.
The frustrating reality of shopping for non-toxic clothing? It's hard. You'll search "100% natural fiber activewear" and get results that are 25% cotton, 75% polyester. Or brands will market their clothes as a "sustainable" choice because they're made from recycled polyester. Here's the thing: recycled toxins are still toxins. Greenwashing is rampant in this space, so you really have to read the labels.
I've done the research so you don't have to — My ShopMy Collection is where I'm keeping all the natural fiber clothing finds I've actually vetted.
2. Kitchen Essentials and Cookware
This category is sneaky because the toxins aren't just in plastic containers — they're in your nonstick pans, your plastic cooking utensils, your appliances. Every time you cook, you may be leaching harmful chemicals directly into your food.
Luckily I already have non-toxic pots and pans that I love, so our kitchen swap focused on:
Glass tupperware and canisters in place of all plastic food storage
Non-toxic appliances to fill a couple gaps in our setup
Wooden and stainless steel utensils instead of plastic spatulas, spoons, etc.
One bonus tip from the documentary that we've genuinely tried to implement: reduce the amount of takeout you order. Nearly all takeout comes in plastic containers, and hot food sitting in plastic is one of the worst combinations for leaching toxins. This one stings a little (we love a lazy takeout night), but we've been more intentional about it.
My full non-toxic kitchen picks are linked HERE.
3. Bedding and Pajamas
We spend roughly eight hours a night completely wrapped up in our sheets, blankets, and pajamas. Eight hours. If those fabrics are synthetic, that's eight hours of skin-to-plastic contact. So, new bedding was a priority.
I'm not going to sugarcoat this, this was really hard and the swaps are among the most expensive to make. Also, RIP to my beloved Minky Couture blanket. So soft, so cozy, and… 100% polyester. So it had to go. And honestly, when you REALLY think about it… why are we paying so much money for fabrics that are cheap to produce and extremely harmful to us? Once you frame it like that, it becomes a lot easier to throw this shit out.
What to look for: 100% cotton, linen, or wool. Certified organic where possible (GOTS certification is a good one to look for). Same goes for pajamas.
My current bedding and sleepwear favorites are HERE.
My full non-toxic collection on ShopMy
I've pulled together everything I've researched and personally vetted (clothing, kitchen, bedding, bathroom, and other home essentials) into a dedicated “Plastic Detox” section on my ShopMy storefront. Every product linked is something I've either already switched to or am actively in the process of trying.
→ Browse the full non-toxic swaps collection here.
This is a living, growing list. As I find new things I love and swap more things out, I'll keep adding. So save this post and check back!
A few final thoughts
Watching The Plastic Detox doesn't have to send you into a spiral — it can send you into action. And action doesn't have to mean perfection. It means making one better choice today, and then another one next week, and so on.
If you have a swap you love that I haven't mentioned, leave it in the comments — I'm always looking for new finds. And if you end up watching the documentary, come tell me what you thought. I have a feeling you'll have feelings.
xoxo,
severina
All products linked on ShopMy are things I personally use or have researched thoroughly. Some links may be affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Thomfoolery! <3