The Best Nontoxic Fabrics for Clothing, Bedding, Curtains, Rugs, Carpets, and Upholstered Furniture

Episode 106 | Practical Nontoxic Living™ Raindrop | Ultimate Home Detox™ Unpacked Series

If you're working to detox your home and reduce toxic exposures, the fabrics you live with matter more than you might realize. From the clothes you wear to your bedding, towels, rugs, carpets, curtains, and upholstered furniture, these everyday textiles can be hidden sources of harmful chemicals like PFAS (aka Forever Chemicals), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), flame retardants, pesticides, phthalates, and more.

If you don't have time to listen to the 47-minute detox deep dive into nontoxic fabrics in episode 105 "Toxic Textiles", then episode 106 "Best Nontoxic Fabrics and Fibers" is for you! In episode 106's six-minute Practical Nontoxic Living™ Raindrop, I share three high-impact tips to identify low-tox fabrics, or products with fabrics. 

In episode 106, I also introduce the D-Tox Academy's Nontoxic Fabrics Cheat Sheet, which simplifies how to identify the best nontoxic fabrics and fibers to look for when shopping for safer clothing, linens, and home decor. 

Why Nontoxic Fabrics Matter for a Healthy Home

Many conventional textiles—especially those labeled "wrinkle-resistant," "stain-resistant," or "flame-retardant"—can be coated with chemicals linked to:

• Hormone disruption (via endocrine-disrupting chemicals)

• Asthma and allergies

• Skin sensitivities and irritation

• Poor indoor air quality

In fact, fabrics can often be up to 25% chemicals by weight, according to Patty Grossman in Practical Nontoxic Living podcast episode 105 "Toxic Textiles: How to Choose Safer Fabrics for a Healthier Home." These exposures can include VOCs, PFAS, formaldehyde, dioxins, chemical flame retardants, and heavy metals used in fabric dyes and finishes, or from synthetic fibers. Therefore, you can absorb chemicals in your clothes like your pajamas, underwear, leggings, and athletic wear. And the fabrics that create your household items—like your mattresses, carpets, rugs, curtains, bedding, and upholstered furniture—can contaminate your indoor air quality with toxic fumes, dust, and microplastics that you can inhale.

Since we spend up to 90% of our time indoors, your home fabrics and upholstered furniture can be major contributors to poor indoor air quality—and your health.

Best Nontoxic Fabrics for Clothes, Bedding, Rugs, and Upholstery

In episode 106's Practical Nontoxic Living Raindrop, I highlight a practical guide to safe fabrics—which is available as a downloadable Nontoxic Fabrics Cheat Sheet for D-Tox Academy members. More detailed tips are provided on the below:

✅ Top Natural & Organic Fabrics for a Low-Tox Lifestyle:

• GOTS-certified organic cotton (great for clothes, sheets, towels)

• 100% pure linen (ideal for bedding, tablecloths, napkins, and curtains)

• 100% pure hemp (durable and naturally resistant to pests)

• Untreated wool (suitable for carpets, rugs, upholstery, blankets, comforters, and more)

• 100% pure organic silk (for those sensitive to rougher materials)

• GOTS-certified man-made plant fibers

These materials are typically processed with fewer toxic chemicals and are better for humans and the environment.

✅ Safer Fabric Certifications to Look For:

• GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard)—gold standard for low-tox fabrics

• OEKO-TEX® MADE IN GREEN—second best certification

• OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100–also good certification

Fabrics to Avoid When Detoxing Your Home

Beware of these commonly used materials, especially when labeled with synthetic finishes:

• Polyester—often treated with flame retardants, PFAS, and more

• Acrylic

• Nylon

• Blended fabrics (especially natural/synthetic blends that hide chemical finishes)

In addition to potentially contributing to microplastics in your indoor environment, these fabrics can off-gas VOCs, trap heat and moisture, and may retain residues from chemical-heavy production processes that can contaminate your indoor air quality and body through skin absorption.

How to Shop for Nontoxic Textiles: A Beginner’s Guide

Detoxing your fabrics doesn’t mean replacing everything overnight. Start by replacing what touches your skin the most—like underwear, bedding, pajamas, athletic wear, and favorite lounging clothes. Then expand to sofas, rugs, curtains, and other high-touch home items when, or if, you want.

The D-Tox Academy Nontoxic Fabrics Cheat Sheet can help you:

• Prioritize which items to replace first (even on a budget)

• Learn which fabric certifications to trust

• Identify trusted, healthier brands and retailers that may sell products with non-toxic textiles

• Avoid greenwashing when shopping for textiles

Start Creating a Healthier, Healing Home Today

1. Listen to Episode 106 of Practical Nontoxic Living™ for the full breakdown of fabric do’s.
2. Want the full cheat sheet? It’s available exclusively for D-Tox Academy members.
3. Explore more to detox your life:
   1. 40-Day Home Detox Program

   2. D-Tox Academy Annual Membership

   3. The Ultimate Home Detox™ Starter Pack (2025)