E105. Toxic Textiles: How to Choose Safer Fabrics for a Healthier Home
Practical Nontoxic Living™ with Sophia Ruan Gushée
Release Date: 06/24/2025
E135. Forever Chemicals Detox (Part 7): 6 Free and Budget-Friendly Ways to Reduce Forever Chemicals (PFAS) Exposure at Home
Practical Nontoxic Living™ with Sophia Ruan Gushée
Part 7 of season 2's Forever Chemicals Detox series. Protecting yourself from forever chemicals doesn’t have to be complicated—or expensive. In this episode of Practical Nontoxic Living, Sophia Ruan Gushée shares six free, practical lifestyle changes that can significantly reduce your lifetime exposure to PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). You’ll learn how everyday habits can quietly increase or decrease your exposure to these persistent toxic chemicals. These simple, no-cost tweaks can help lower your body’s chemical burden and support your long-term health. Whether you’re...
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E134. Forever Chemicals Detox (Part 6): When Forever Chemicals Hit Home: Senator Judy Seeberger’s Personal Fight for Clean Water
Practical Nontoxic Living™ with Sophia Ruan Gushée
Season 2 Forever Chemicals Detox 101 series, Part 6 When “forever chemicals” hit home, change begins. Minnesota State Senator Judy Seeberger joined the legislature in 2023—and helped pass the nation’s strongest ban on PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” found in everything from cookware to dental floss. For Senator Seeberger, this issue is deeply personal: her own home’s well water is contaminated with PFAS and she’s experienced firsthand how PFAS can harm people in her community. In this inspiring conversation, we talk about how she turned that personal pain into...
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E133. Forever Chemicals Detox (Part 5): “Household Repeat Offenders™: Everyday Products That Hide Forever Chemicals (PFAS)”
Practical Nontoxic Living™ with Sophia Ruan Gushée
Season 2 Forever Chemicals Detox 101 series, Part 5 Since World War II, more than 350,000 synthetic chemicals have been created—and many now participate in our daily lives through the products we touch, wear, cook with, clean, play with, and furnish our homes with. These chemicals have revolutionized modern living, but they’re also contributing to rising rates of chronic disease, fertility struggles, and developmental disorders. In this episode of Practical Nontoxic Living™, Sophia Ruan Gushée explains how this “chemical explosion” reshaped our homes and health, and why...
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E132. Forever Chemicals Detox (Part 4): When Less Isn’t Safe: How Low Doses of Toxins Affect Your Health
Practical Nontoxic Living™ with Sophia Ruan Gushée
Part 4 of Season 2's Forever Chemicals Detox series. We’ve been taught that “the dose makes the poison.” But what if that’s no longer true? In this episode of Practical Nontoxic Living™, Sophia Ruan Gushée unpacks how low doses of toxic chemicals—like PFAS, endocrine disruptors, and heavy metals—can create powerful biological effects, especially during critical stages of life. You’ll hear why the Endocrine Society warns that there may be no safe dose for certain hormone-disrupting chemicals, and how these exposures can interact like a “toxic cocktail” to amplify harm. Most...
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E131. Forever Chemicals Detox (Part 3): Your Genes Aren’t Your Destiny: How Your Home Shapes Your Health
Practical Nontoxic Living™ with Sophia Ruan Gushée
Episode 131 – Part 3 of Season 2: Forever Chemicals Detox 101 Your DNA is not a life sentence. While genetics play a role in health, research shows that everyday exposures from your home and environment generally matter far more in determining long-term outcomes. In this episode of Practical Nontoxic Living™, Sophia Ruan Gushée introduces how household toxic exposures, specifically PFAS (forever chemicals) exposure, can influence cancer. You’ll hear why most cancers and many chronic conditions are driven not by genes, but by environmental and lifestyle factors. Most importantly,...
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E130. Forever Chemicals Detox (Part 2): From Red Flags to Resilience: How to Protect Your Health
Practical Nontoxic Living™ with Sophia Ruan Gushée
Part 2 of Season 2: Forever Chemicals Detox 101. Rising health trends in children and adults—obesity, autism, cancer, autoimmune disorders, and more—are sobering reminders that it’s time to pay attention. In this episode, Sophia Ruan Gushee introduces toxic exposures like chemicals, heavy metals, and PFAS (forever chemicals) as contributing factors to these patterns. You’ll hear powerful data and Sophia’s personal story of how these health trends motivated her 20-year journey studying nontoxic living, including eight years writing her book . Most importantly, you’ll walk away with...
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E129: An Update on Raindrops: A Pause, Not a Goodbye
Practical Nontoxic Living™ with Sophia Ruan Gushée
I’m making a small change to the Practical Nontoxic Living™ podcast schedule: Thursday Raindrops episodes are pausing for now. In this short update, I share why I’m taking this step and how it will give me more space to focus on bringing you deeper, more helpful content—like Season 2: Forever Chemicals Detox 101. Raindrops will be back, but in the meantime, you can continue listening every Tuesday for new episodes on detoxing your home and life. REGISTER
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E128. Forever Chemicals Detox (Part 1): Your Body Is Brilliant—Why Detoxing Forever Chemicals (PFAS) Matters for Your Health
Practical Nontoxic Living™ with Sophia Ruan Gushée
This is Episode 128 and Part 1 of Season 2: Forever Chemicals Detox 101 of the Practical Nontoxic Living™ podcast. Even though forever chemicals (PFAS) are everywhere, your body is remarkably resilient. In this season, adapted from a live 4-Day Home Detox Challenge, you’ll learn why small swaps to reduce toxic exposures can make a big difference in your health and home. For the full —including the detailed slide presentation with works cited and a digital workbook to help reduce your lifetime exposure—click on the link to learn more.
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E127. Detoxing for Fertility & Pregnancy: What You Can Do Today
Practical Nontoxic Living™ with Sophia Ruan Gushée
Trying to conceive or preparing for pregnancy? Discover how detoxing your daily environment can support fertility, hormone balance, and healthy fetal development. In this Raindrop episode of Practical Nontoxic Living™, Sophia Ruan Gushée shares foundational steps to reduce exposure to hidden hormone disruptors in your home—from plastic food storage to personal care products. You’ll learn: Why fertility and pregnancy are especially vulnerable to toxic exposures What science says about endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and reproductive health Easy, high-impact swaps to make...
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E126. Why Detoxing Your Home Is as Important as Diet & Exercise—Simple Tips to Start | Most Downloaded #1
Practical Nontoxic Living™ with Sophia Ruan Gushée
Why Detoxing Your Home Is as Important as Diet & Exercise—Simple Tips to Start | Most Downloaded #1 🌿 Most Downloaded Countdown Series – Episode #1 Why does home detox matter as much as diet and exercise? In this most popular episode of all time, Sophia Ruan Gushée explains how daily exposures to toxic chemicals, heavy metals, and EMFs affect our health—and how small tweaks can transform your life. 💡 In This Episode: Sophia’s journey into nontoxic living Everyday toxins in common household products High-impact detox tips for beginners Mindful living and practical...
info_outlineYour clothing, curtains, and couch might be exposing you to toxic chemicals—and you probably have no idea.
In this eye-opening episode of Practical Nontoxic Living, Sophia Ruan Gushée speaks with Patty Grossman, co-founder of Two Sisters Ecotextiles, to reveal what’s hiding in the fabrics you use every day—and how to choose safer alternatives for a healthier home.
💥 Here’s a shocking fact: Experts say that fabrics are, by weight, up to 25% chemicals—many of which can leach into your air and onto your skin.
From natural vs. synthetic fibers to the importance of certifications like GOTS and Oeko-Tex, this episode gives you the tools to shop smarter, reduce toxic exposures, and detox your home from the inside out.
🎧 You’ll learn:
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What toxins hide in conventional textiles
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How to prioritize safer fabrics for furniture, bedding, and clothing
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Why linen and hemp outperform cotton in sustainability and safety
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How dyes, finishes, and fabric treatments impact your health
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Budget-friendly swaps—including used furniture and natural fibers
Whether you’re buying a new sofa or simply want to breathe easier, this conversation will change how you think about textiles—and empower you to take control of your environment.
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
- Household Repeat Offenders: Practical Nontoxic Living podcast episode 84 "Household Repeat Offenders: The Simplest Way to Reduce Toxic Chemicals, Heavy Metals, EMFs & Stress"
- Listen to Deborah DiMaire, who recommended that Sophia speak to Patty Grossman, on Practical Nontoxic Living podcast episode 94 "Healing Spaces: How Nontoxic Interior Design Can Transform Your Health with Deborah DiMare
- Ruan Living's D-Tox Academy
ABOUT PATTY GROSSMAN
Patty Grossman is a textile industry changemaker on a mission to detox the fabrics we live with every day. A graduate of Smith College and MIT’s Sloan School of Management, Patty brings a rare combination of intellectual rigor, business savvy, and environmental passion to her work. After learning how conventional textiles are saturated with toxic chemicals from her sister, Leigh Anne, both Patty and her sister co-founded Two Sisters Ecotextiles, a pioneering company that creates safe, sustainable, and stylish fabrics for homes and businesses. Her story—from elite business training to fabric detox warrior—is as surprising as it is inspiring, and her expertise is essential for anyone seeking a truly healthier home. Learn more here: Two Sisters Ecotextiles
ABOUT RUAN LIVING
Grounded in the philosophy of Practical Nontoxic Living™, Ruan Living offers flexible ways for you to craft your Ultimate Home Detox™ to help you elevate your health and well-being—one thoughtful choice at a time. Specifically, we're zoned in on environmental influences—easy ones you can control—that can optimize your, and your intergenerational, healthspan and epigenetics through Practical Nontoxic Living™.
Rooted in mindfulness over perfection, we guide you with empowering insights to detox your home and body of toxic chemicals, heavy metals, radiation, and stress. Ruan Living offers books, online programs, customized support, and free resources to help you create a home and lifestyle that nurtures healing and thriving. Learn more at www.ruanliving.com.
ABOUT SOPHIA RUAN GUSHEE
Sophia Ruan Gushée is the founder of Ruan Living and author of the critically acclaimed bestselling book A to Z of D-Toxing: The Ultimate Guide to Reducing Our Toxic Exposures. Throughout her suite of Ruan Living Offerings, the diversity of Home detox paths that she has created are designed to welcome you to craft your Ultimate Home Detox™—rooted in the philosophy of Practical Nontoxic Living™, which protects your joy and convenience while guiding you to avoid toxicity. Learn more about Sophia here: Sophia Ruan Gushée.