If you’re trying to support your hormones – whether you’re navigating cycle changes, postpartum, or the perimenopause years – you’ve probably already thought about things like nutrition, stress, and sleep.
But there’s one piece that often gets overlooked: your home environment.
And more specifically, what you’re using to clean it.
Why We Always Start Here (In Practice)
In working with hundreds of women, one thing has been consistently true: when we’re supporting hormone health, we always address environmental toxins. Not because you need to live in a perfectly “clean” world (and it’s impossible to live “toxin free”), but because these exposures add up.
Your body is constantly processing what you eat, drink, breathe in, and absorb through your skin. And when that total load gets too high, it can make the job of your detox pathways, especially your liver, more difficult.
What This Has to Do With Hormones
Your liver plays a key role in processing and clearing hormones like estrogen. So when your system is already busy dealing with a constant stream of environmental chemicals (from food, water, air, etc), it can impact how efficiently your body handles hormone balance.
This becomes even more noticeable during:
- Perimenopause
- Postpartum
- Times of high stress or burnout
When hormones are already shifting, extra burden = more noticeable symptoms. Things like: fatigue, sleep disruptions, mood swings, weight challenges, skin changes, among others. (We’re talking post-reproduction years here, but fertility is a big one, too!)
This is something we’ve seen over and over again in our combined 30+ years in clinical practice.
The Hidden Ingredient in Most Cleaning Products
A lot of conventional cleaning products use the word “fragrance” on their labels. But here’s the catch: “fragrance” isn’t just one ingredient – it can be a blend of many undisclosed chemicals.
That can include compounds like phthalates, which are often used to help scents last longer. Phthalates have long been studied for their role in hormone disruption, which is why they’ve become a growing concern, especially for women already working to support hormone balance.
Why Cleaning Products Matter More Than You Think
It’s easy to assume cleaning products don’t really “enter” your body, but they do. When you use them regularly: 1) you inhale them 2) they linger on fabrics (clothes, bedding, towels) 3) they come into contact with your skin (the skin absorbs everything we put on it!)
So even if each exposure seems small, it becomes a consistent, low-level input over time. And the toxin burden bucket fills.
And for families with kids, that exposure adds up even more.
Where to Start, Without Overhauling Everything
If this feels overwhelming, here’s the good news: you don’t need to change everything at once. In fact, we almost always recommend starting with just one category: Laundry and cleaning products.
Why?
- They’re used frequently
- They have repeated exposure for everyone in the home (especially through fabrics)
- Swaps are relatively simple & inexpensive
This one shift alone can meaningfully reduce your overall exposure.
A Simple, Realistic Approach
This isn’t about fear.
And it’s definitely not about perfection.
It’s about awareness, being empowered in our health and making small, intentional changes when it feels doable.
Look for:
- More transparent ingredient lists
- Products without synthetic fragrance
- Options with fewer unnecessary additives
And most importantly, choose products you’ll actually use consistently. Because the best changes are the ones that fit into your real life.
We’ve Done the Research for You
Let’s be honest – most moms don’t have time to stand in the cleaning aisle Googling ingredients. And reading labels these days feels like you need a chemistry degree.
That’s why, over time, we’ve done the hard research for you – finding options that are not only lower-tox, but that actually work and get the job done. So you don’t have to second-guess every choice or sacrifice effectiveness just to make a switch.
Here are a handful of brands that we use, trust, and that WORK!
Truly Free: our go-to for most laundry and cleaning products. We love that they have everything you need! (use code KB30)
Koala Eco: made with essential oils, this line is for those who love a natural fragrance when cleaning.
Branch Basics: they make cleaning easy, using (largely) one concentrate for multiple purposes.
Mama Suds: we love this small batch brand. Very high quality with either light, natural fragrance or unscented options.
Molly’s Suds: we especially love their Swimsuit Cleaner and Stain Spray. Again, a very thoughtful, hard-working suite of products.
If you’d like even more curated recommendations, you can check out our app, nook: scan everyday home products, nook analyzes them, and offers low-tox swaps (all hand-picked by us!). Use code ‘nook’ for a free 3-day trial.
The Bottom Line
If you’re trying to support your hormones, don’t overlook your home environment. You don’t need to do everything. Just start somewhere.
And for most women, this is one of the simplest, most impactful places to begin.🩷
Sources
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). Endocrine Disruptors.
https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/endocrine/index.cfm
(Overview of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, including phthalates and their potential effects on hormonal systems.)
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Phthalates Factsheet.
https://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/Phthalates_FactSheet.html
(Information on common exposure sources such as personal care and household products, and detection in human populations.)
National Library of Medicine (PubMed / NIH). Hauser, R. & Calafat, A. (2005). Phthalates and human health.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15811827/
(Review of human exposure pathways and potential reproductive and endocrine effects.)
Trasande, L. et al. (2012). Phthalates and dietary risks to male and female reproductive health. Environmental Health Perspectives.
https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/10.1289/ehp.1104610
(Association research between phthalate exposure and reproductive/hormonal outcomes.)
European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). Phthalates: Substance Information.
https://echa.europa.eu/hot-topics/phthalates
(Regulatory overview of phthalates and classification as substances of concern for reproductive toxicity.)
Steinemann, A. (2016). Fragranced consumer products: exposures and effects. Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11869-016-0447-4
(Research on fragrance mixtures in consumer products and associated health complaints.)
