5 Ways Microplastics May be Sneaking Into Your Life & How to Easily Avoid Them

We all try to make healthy choices—but avoiding microplastics? That’s a challenge most of us didn’t even know we had. These tiny plastic particles have found their way into our food, water, air, and even the products we use every day. But with a few simple changes, you can drastically reduce your exposure without overhauling your entire lifestyle. In this blog, we’ll cover 5 surprising ways microplastics may be sneaking into your life—and what you can do about it.

But before we dive into where microplastics can be found, we should go over what they are; Microplastics specifically refers to pieces of plastic sized anywhere from 1 micrometer to 5 millimeters. When plastic is that small, it’s easy for it to end up in the food chain and ultimately the human body where smaller microplastics and nanoplastics (plastics 1 nanometer - 1 micrometer in size) can easily enter the bloodstream, cross the blood-brain barrier and even find their way into our very cells! While we don’t yet understand the full impact this may have on the human body, researchers suspect microplastic buildup can lead to inflammation, gastrointestinal distress, and even reduced fertility¹.

So let’s move onto what you can do to lower your exposure to microplastics!

1. Food Packaging

It may seem obvious that you should avoid food packaged in plastic where you can, but you might just be surprised at what packaging contains plastic! Choosing aluminum cans over plastic bottles and paperboard cartons over plastic jugs will certainly decrease your plastic consumption, but did you know that the inside of those cans and cartons are also lined with plastic? 

But what about brands that use plant-based plastics? you might ask. While they’re certainly better for the environment, they still shed microplastics and are capable of leaching chemicals used in their manufacturing. One study found that Polylactic acid (PLA), a common plant-based plastic, released 9-times less microplastic than traditional polypropylene (PP),² but more research is needed as bio-based plastics are still relatively new and haven’t been studied to the same extent as traditional plastic.

Your best bet for plastic-free packaging is glass bottles and jars which do still have a small amount of plastic applied to the inside of the lid, but will ultimately lead to the least amount of plastic coming into contact with your food or beverage. Plus you’ll be left with a glass container that you can re-use for years to come!

We understand it’s hard to find a plastic-free brand for everything which is where bulk bins and refilleries come to the rescue! If your grocery store has bulk bins or better yet, you have a local refill store, you can avoid plastic packaging completely and usually save money while you’re at it! Our Reusable Storage Bag is a great alternative to those thin plastic produce bags, and our glass Creamer Bottles are perfect for refilling on detergent, spices and even candy (while looking vintage and cute to boot)! 

At Almond Cow, we understand it can be particularly hard to find plant milk sold in anything other than plastic bottles or cartons; it’s just one of many reasons we’re big advocates for making your own plant milk! With the Almond Cow Milk Maker you can easily make your own plastic-free plant-based milk for a fraction of the cost of what you’ll find in the store! Since we don’t use plastic on any of the food-contact surfaces and eliminate the need for a nut milk bag (which tends to be made with plastic mesh), you don’t have to worry about plastic leaching into your plant milk. We’ve also made a sturdy yet elegant glass jug that’s perfect for storing your Almond Cow creations.

By the way, if you’re wondering just how much microplastic is ending up in your store-bought plant milk, keep an eye out for a future blog where we submit samples of some popular shelf milks for microplastic analysis!

2. Highly Processed Foods

You’ve probably heard about how unhealthy highly processed foods are; the more processed a food is, the more likely it is to have higher saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar…but what if we told you it’s also more likely to contain higher amounts of microplastic? All that extra exposure to plastic machinery, intermediate packaging, and food processing equipment means more chances for microplastic contamination, and that’s not just an assumption. One study found that 

“High concentrations of microplastics are found within ultra-processed foods… For example, foods like chicken nuggets contain 30 times more microplastics per gram than chicken breasts”!³

Just another reason to incorporate more whole and minimally processed foods into your diet! You’re better off trading out those potato chips and store bought dip with some home made Gluten-Free Seed Crackers and Spinach Artichoke Dip. Not only will making more stuff at home give you control of how much plastic your food comes into contact with, but it’ll usually save you some money too!

3. Dish Sponges, Brushes and Towels

Now let’s take a look at some of your most essential kitchen gear, because they might just be shedding microplastic right onto your plates!

If you’re using a sponge, chances are that sponge is made of plastic and it’s shedding A LOT of microplastic. A team of researchers decided to look into just how much microplastic your typical melamine sponge sheds during use and estimated that 6.5 million microplastic fibers were shed per gram of sponge.⁴ Now, if you’re using a plastic dish brush, you won’t get nearly as much shedding since the bristles are more durable, but microplastics are still slowly being shed as you clean.

If you really want to avoid microplastics ending up all over your kitchen sink and counter, there are a lot of affordable plant-based sponges and brushes on the market. In addition to being plastic free, brushes made with certain materials like bamboo and sisal have antimicrobial properties that also make them more sanitary!

But what are you drying your dishes and hands with? Take a look at the tag on your kitchen towels; if you see “polyester”, “polyamide” or “nylon”, that towel is shedding microplastic fibers with every use! You can trade out those dish towels for ones made of natural fibers like cotton, linen, or hemp.

4. The Bathroom

If you thought the kitchen was the only place you were consuming microplastic, you’re going to want to take a closer look at your personal care products! Particularly two items you’re putting directly into your mouth: your toothbrush and floss. 

Chances are your toothbrush’s bristles are made of plastic, plastic that’s slowly being worn down directly against your teeth! There are toothbrushes that use non plastic bristles, but it can be trickier than you think to find them. Searching for “plastic-free”, “bamboo” and even “compostable” toothbrushes will bring up plenty of results, but look closely at the descriptions and packaging; many times those keywords are only referring to the handle while the bristles themselves are still plastic (and sometimes colored to look like natural materials)! You’ll want to look for specific wording like “bamboo/biodegradable handle” or “BPA-free bristles” to spot those plastic bristles.

Dental floss is another surprising source of microplastics. Most traditional flosses are made from nylon or Teflon, sometimes both (exposing you to microplastics and PFAS, another problematic group of chemicals that we’ll cover in a future blog). Thankfully there are plenty of silk and bamboo flosses on the market now (they usually come in plastic-free packaging too) with many coated in naturally derived waxes to ensure you still have a smooth flossing experience!

5. Clothing and Bedsheets

Another way you’re probably exposing yourself to microplastics is the fabric your clothing and bedding is made from. Just like with your kitchen towels, if your clothing or bedding is made with any of these materials, it’s shedding microplastic fibers:

• Polyester

• Polyamide

• Nylon

• Acrylic

• Spandex/Elastane/Lycra

The smaller fibers can become airborne where they can easily be ingested or breathed in, but even when they’re not airborne, they can find a way into your body. When these fabrics are washed, they release millions of fibers into the wastewater system, and since many of the fibers are too small to be filtered by wastewater treatment plants, they get released in our waterways (it’s estimated 35% of microplastics in aquatic systems come from washing synthetic clothes)⁵ where they can make their way into our food and tap water.

We understand most people can’t afford to just completely replace their wardrobes with natural fabrics, but you can decrease the amount of fibers your clothes and sheets shed by taking care of them. You can achieve this by washing clothes less frequently, using full loads (which leaves less room for excessive friction between clothes), opting for cold water and gentler wash cycles. If you want to further prevent microplastic fibers from ending up in our waterways, consider using a microfiber-catching wash bag or installing a microfiber filter on your washing machine’s drain hose.

Did any of these microplastic sources surprise you? If you’re interested in learning some more ways you can control your exposure to microplastics check/keep an eye out for our video on 10 Hidden Microplastics You Can Easily Avoid; it covers some of the same things we covered here, but in more detail and includes a few items we didn’t have time to mention in this blog! Let us know what changes you’ve made towards plastic-free living in the comments below!

1. Yongjin Lee et al., “Health Effects of Microplastic Exposures: Current Issues and Perspectives in South Korea,” Yonsei Medical Journal 64, no. 5 (January 1, 2023): 301, https://doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2023.0048.
2. Zhiyue Niu et al., “Accelerated Fragmentation of Two Thermoplastics (Polylactic Acid and Polypropylene) Into Microplastics After UV Radiation and Seawater Immersion,” Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 271 (January 19, 2024): 115981, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.115981.
3. Nicholas Fabiano et al., “Microplastics and Mental Health: The Role of Ultra-processed Foods,” Brain Medicine :, May 20, 2025, 1–3, https://doi.org/10.61373/bm025v.0068.
4. Yu Su et al., “Mechanochemical Formation of Poly(Melamine-formaldehyde) Microplastic Fibers During Abrasion of Cleaning Sponges,” Environmental Science & Technology 58, no. 24 (June 6, 2024): 10764–75, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.4c00846.
5. Aravin Prince Periyasamy and Ali Tehrani-Bagha, “A Review on Microplastic Emission From Textile Materials and Its Reduction Techniques,” Polymer Degradation and Stability 199 (March 17, 2022): 109901, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2022.109901.