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My Chemical-Free House

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Non-Toxic Shelf and Drawer Liners

April 18, 2021 by Corinne 10 Comments

In a healthy home, I personally would not consider shelf and drawer liners made of PVC, including fabric backed with PVC, or paper coated in PVC, rubber (which is high in VOCs), or cork (which is pressed together with a polyurethane adhesive which offgasses as well).

I consider EVA, polyethylene, and polypropylene to be safe eco-friendly plastics, especially for this application.

Other non-toxic or natural options include paper, fabric, acrylic coated wallpaper, and wood veneer.

The following options are made for shelves, drawers (kitchen and other rooms), dressers, and wire carts. Some can be used in the refrigerator.

I would consider all of these options safe for kitchens, kids’ rooms, and nurseries.

All of the options here are unscented.

This post contains affiliate links. Upon purchase, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

1. EVA Plastic Liners

A roll of EVA shelf liner in clear

I like non-PVC plastic with no adhesive on the back best for shelf liners.

I like this clear EVA one from Amazon.

You can also get a solid color heavy-duty EVA Drawer Liner (also non-adhesive).

IKEA also makes EVA liners.

I like EVA because it doesn’t contain phthalates or bisphenols like BPA. EVA foam does have a slight odor but non-foam EVA has practically no odor.

EVA is used in medical and food packaging applications.

The only plastics that contain bisphenols are polycarbonate and epoxy (and about 3/4 of polycarbonate contains bisphenols, source).

a black and white button that says buy that you can click on

Buy clear EVA liners or solid grey EVA liners from Amazon.

2. Silicone Drawer Liners

A roll of silicone shelf liner in light blue

Silicone is very grippy – it’s good for drawers, cabinets, refrigerators, freezers, desks, or anywhere where you want things to grip to it.

Silicone liners are non-toxic, I find I need to air it out for a few hours when it’s brand new. They do not contain an adhesive.

I like these pastel-colored ones which are made from food-grade silicone and have a high degree of heat resistance.

This bright blue one is from Amazon as well.

Silicone is not made with bisphenols or phthalates. So far, from what we know even silicone bakeware is inert and won’t leach chemicals into your food.

a black and white button that says buy that you can click on

Buy pastel-colored silicone liners or bright blue silicone liners from Amazon.

3. Polyethylene (PE/PET) Liners

Polyethylene (PE) is easier to slide items across and so it’s better for kitchen shelves.

There are polyethylene options at the Container Store and the ones pictured are from Amazon.

Polyethylene, including PET, HDPE, and LDPE are not known to contain BPA or phthalates (source). PE generally does not have an odor or offgas VOCs.

PE is widely used in applications where a food-safe, or food contact safe, plastic is needed.

a black and white button that says buy that you can click on

Buy polyethylene liners from Amazon or the Container Store.

4. Polypropylene Liners for Wire Shelves

A thick polypropylene plastic liner on a shelf of a metal cart

These liners are a thicker and sturdier plastic used to add a stable layer to wire shelves.

Polypropylene (PP) is one of the safest plastics.

Gorilla Grip specifically states that their liners are made from PP, and the shelf liners for Elfa are also polypropylene.

PP plastics are not known to contain BPA or phthalates (source). Rigid PP is odorless and does not offgas VOCs. It’s used in many food storage applications.

a black and white button that says buy that you can click on

Buy polypropylene shelf liner from Amazon. Buy Elfa liners from the Container Store.

5. Paper, Cloth & Wallpaper

Peel and stick wallpaper that can be used as drawer liner by Spoonflower

When I was a child we used paper to line our kitchen cabinet shelves and drawers, so I’m partial to this plastic-free look.

Some of the old-school ones are actual paper (this one is not coated with PVC) and they are harder to find. Many of the paper ones are now backed or coated with PVC. Many are scented now, so be sure to check.

You can use an actual wallpaper, and a non-toxic wallpaper glue if you prefer that look.

Spoonflower (pictured) makes a PVC-free peel and stick wallpaper that is available on Amazon. Their acrylic wallpapers have cute designs and work as shelf liners on many surfaces.

You can also use fabric to line shelves but you normally find this backed with PVC to make it stay in place. I would use a non-woven or cloth wallpaper (that is PVC-free) instead.

a black and white button that says buy that you can click on

Buy non-PVC peel and stick wallpaper from Spoonflower.

Buy non-PVC liner from the Container Store.

(In terms of contact paper, usually used to line the exterior of cabinets or countertops, I have only seen that in PVC vinyl).

6. Wood

Real wood cedar veneer that is in rolls and can be used as a liner

For bedroom shelves or drawers you can use a wood veneer liner.

This cedar liner is only wood, though the reviews describe it as finicky.

I would not use cork shelf liners as the glue used to press the cork together offgasses too much, in my opinion, to make it a truly non-toxic option.

a black and white button that says buy that you can click on

Buy real cedar wood liner from Amazon.

Corinne Segura is a Building Biologist Practitioner with 7 years of experience helping others create healthy homes.

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Filed Under: Healthy Interiors Tagged With: healthy decor, healthy interiors

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kathy says

    February 19, 2022 at 9:40 am

    Do you have any recommendations for shelf liners that would go on a shelf where there are kitchen lights underneath? My lights are creating quite a bit of heat on this shelf where I plan to store some freeze dried or dehydrated food in glass jars for easy access, so it’s just one shelf. I really don’t want the heat transfer on my food. I thought of those garden knee pads as they are thick, but I’m not sure what they are made of and the jars wouldn’t slide over them. Any ideas? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Corinne says

      February 19, 2022 at 12:18 pm

      The thicker polypropylene options made for wire carts might be enough of a thermal break. But if that’s not enough put down something insulative like cork or foam.

      Reply
  2. Debbie M says

    January 13, 2022 at 4:19 am

    I lean toward the silicone liner but not many choices and it’s spendy which I can’t do right now. Do you think it would be ok to use parchment paper? I have in the past. Things do slide around and it has to be replaced eventually because it’s paper and will wrinkle with the slightest amount of moisture which also means you can’t wipe it down. But it’s very inexpensive!

    Reply
    • Corinne says

      January 13, 2022 at 4:29 pm

      I have no problem using parchment paper which is coated in silicone in drawers or on kitchen shelves

      Reply
  3. anonymous says

    December 9, 2021 at 9:13 pm

    Hello , I am actually looking for a shelf liner , and though I read that you prefer EVA and PET . I searched up about PET and EVA and seems like they both are toxic and specially EVA when exposed to heat . Could you pls elaborate how these options are really safe

    Reply
    • JEN says

      February 13, 2022 at 3:01 pm

      I bought some PET shelf liners and they have a strong plastic smell, which also makes me think they are off gassing.

      Reply
    • JEN says

      February 13, 2022 at 3:07 pm

      The PET products like the Con-tact brand also don’t seem to be environmentally friendly. At least most of their products, aside from their EviroLiner range.

      Reply
      • Corinne says

        February 13, 2022 at 3:55 pm

        Con-tact brand is PVC that is why it smells and is offgasing.

        Reply
        • meredith stacy says

          April 24, 2022 at 2:01 am

          I have Con-tact brand paper in various spots in my house. I recently tested it for lead and the white Con-tact paper has more leachable lead than I’ve ever seen on any product ever and I’ve been testing lead for several years. I plan on replacing with something more environmentally friendly, but I need to get the word out as this is a serious problem. I’ve contacted the EPA and the CEH in the past, but do you have any suggestions how to quickly notify consumers to test their Con-Tact paper & remove and replace it if lead is present?

          Reply
          • Corinne says

            April 24, 2022 at 3:12 pm

            Wow interesting. What did you test it with? You might see if Tamara Ruben can post about the results. The problem is we have a liability issue if we didn’t test ourelseves.

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Hi, I’m Corinne, I am a Certified Building Biologist Practitioner with 7 years of experience helping people create healthy homes.

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