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Practical Ways to Reduce Microplastic Exposure

No single change matters as much as the habit of choosing not-plastic when there's a choice. Start with whichever of these is easiest for you.

• Keep and wear your clothes longer — older garments shed far fewer fibers than new ones, and buying less new synthetic clothing helps most of all
• When you do buy, choose natural fibers (cotton, wool, linen, hemp) over polyester and nylon — for clothing, bedding, towels, and rugs
• Wash clothes less often, in cold water, on gentle cycles, with full loads — every wash sheds fibers
• Wash synthetics in a microfiber-catching laundry bag, or add an external lint filter to your washer
• Switch to laundry detergent strips or powder — liquid detergent comes in plastic jugs, and most pods are wrapped in a plastic-based film
• Skip dryer sheets and use wool dryer balls instead
• Line-dry when you can; if you use a dryer, a ventless model traps lint instead of blowing fibers outdoors
• Carry a stainless steel water bottle instead of buying bottled water — bottled water carries far more microplastic than tap
• Filter your tap water with a solid carbon block or reverse-osmosis filter
• Cook and bake with stainless steel, cast iron, and glass — skip nonstick coatings and plastic utensils
• Store food in glass or metal containers instead of plastic tupperware
• Never microwave or heat food in plastic, and hand-wash any plastic you do keep — dishwasher heat breaks it down
• Use a wooden cutting board instead of a plastic one
• Replace plastic wrap and zip-top bags with beeswax wraps and glass jars
• Brew loose-leaf tea or check that your tea bags are truly plastic-free — many are sealed with plastic and shed billions of particles in hot water
• Use a metal or glass kettle and plastic-free coffee gear like a French press — hot water and plastic is the worst combination
• Skip the straw, or carry a metal one
• Choose paper bags, or better, bring reusable cloth totes
• Switch to toothpaste tablets and mouthwash tablets instead of tubes and plastic bottles
• Use a bamboo or other non-plastic toothbrush
• Swap bottled shampoo and body wash for shampoo bars and bar soap
• Choose deodorant packaged in paper or metal
• Skip chewing gum — most gum base is a synthetic, plastic-derived material
• Shave with a metal safety razor instead of disposables
• Scrub dishes with cellulose sponges or a wooden brush — plastic sponges shed as they wear down
• Vacuum with a HEPA filter, dust with a damp cloth, and take your shoes off at the door — household dust is one of the biggest exposure routes
• Eat more fresh food and less ultra-processed food in plastic packaging
• Be okay with a little less convenience — most exposure comes from single-use habits that only exist because they're easy