Ep 83: Hidden Toxins in Your Cleaning Products (and What to Use Instead) with Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks

Ep 83 | We think clean equals healthy, but when it comes to cleaning products, that’s often not true. In this episode, we uncover the hidden toxins in your cleaning products and how small, intentional swaps can help support a healthier home and body.

Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks, President and CEO of ECOS, joins me for a powerful conversation about safer chemistry, indoor air quality, hormone disruption, and why what you clean with matters just as much as what you eat or put on your skin. If you’re trying to build a non-toxic home without getting overwhelmed, this episode is your starting point.

🕒 In this episode:
[6:30] – Why “clean” doesn’t always mean healthy
[8:20] – The hidden toxins in conventional cleaning products
[13:40] – What to look for (and avoid) on cleaning product labels
[20:05] – How Ecos began in 1967 and the motion picture created about it
[30:50] – What can we do to protect human and planetary health
[32:30] – Why step one is to clean, not to disinfect
[36:42] – Simple product swaps to create a home that heals
[42:05] – The future for Ecos and what is in their innovation pipeline

This conversation is both empowering and practical—because creating a healthier home doesn’t require perfection, just better information and small steps in the right direction.

👨‍⚕️ Meet Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks:
Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks is the President and CEO of ECOS plant-powered cleaning products and a nationally recognized leader in human and planetary health. She oversees four U.S. manufacturing facilities and a European manufacturing platform, leading ECOS to become a Climate Positive company after achieving carbon neutrality, water neutrality, and TRUE Platinum Zero Waste certification.

Under her leadership, ECOS became the first manufacturer to earn LEED® Zero certifications for net-zero energy, carbon, and waste, and has received the U.S. EPA’s Safer Choice Partner of the Year award eight times. As a woman of African American and Greek descent, Kelly has made environmental and social justice central to ECOS’s mission, fostering a diverse, women-led executive team and supporting sustainable jobs across the U.S.

Where to find Kelly:
ECOS Website: https://www.ecos.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellyfromecos/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyvlahakishanks/

🌿 Resources & Links:
🔗 Meet Kelly: https://www.ecos.com/meet-kelly-vlahakis-hanks/
🌐 Episode Website: https://jenhellerlifestyle.com/2026/01/13/the-hidden-toxins-in-your-cleaning-products-and-what-to-use-instead/
✅ Home Wellness Checklist: https://jenhellerlifestyle.myflodesk.com/homewellnesschecklist
✨ Ecos Products on Amazon:

Connect with Me: Website - www.jenhellerlifestyle.com

Where Else to Find Jen:
📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenhellerlifestyle/
💻 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560317546116
📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JenHellerLifestyle
📌 Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jenhellerlifestyle
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-heller-30b8a0126/

Chapters

• 6:30 Why “clean” doesn’t always mean healthy
• 8:20 The hidden toxins in conventional cleaning products
• 13:40 What to look for (and avoid) on cleaning product labels
• 20:05 How Ecos began in 1967 and the motion picture created about it
• 30:50 What can we do to protect human and planetary health
• 32:30 Why step one is to clean, not to disinfect
• 36:42 Simple product swaps to create a home that heals
• 42:05 The future for Ecos and what is in their innovation pipeline