Can you reduce microplastics at home? Only the methods shown in research
Rinsing rice, rinsing tea bags, heating in non-plastic containers, and how to use baby bottles
In short
Research has shown that several methods reduce particles. However, no study has looked at how reducing them affects health. Public agencies do not recommend dietary restrictions such as cutting back on particular foods.
There are also studies suggesting that “glass bottles have fewer” or “wooden cutting boards release none” is not always true.
Methods that reduced particles in research
| What to do | Result | Study |
|---|---|---|
| Rinse rice | Fell by about 20% for raw rice and about 40% for instant rice | Dessì et al. 2021 (Australia) |
| Rinse tea bags three times in room-temperature water before using them | Particles that come out, at micron size, fell by 76–94% | Yue et al. 2024 |
| Wash leafy vegetables | Particles on the surface fell by 54–91% (those inside remain) | Rahman et al. 2026 (Bangladesh) |
| Do not microwave in plastic containers | Microwave heating released more particles than refrigerated or room-temperature storage | Hussain et al. 2023, Guo et al. 2024 |
| With polypropylene baby bottles, rinse after sterilizing and prepare formula in a separate container | The hotter the water and the more the bottle was sterilized, the more particles came out. The research team proposed ways to use the bottles | Li et al. 2020 (Nature Food) |
| A thick reusable cup rather than a disposable paper cup | Release was much lower from the thick cups. Paper cups released more above 80°C | Son et al. 2024 (Korea) |
| Use a water filter with a membrane (MF) | Pour-through (pitcher) models removed 78–86% of PVC and 94–100% of PET. Models with activated carbon only sometimes made it worse | Cherian et al. 2023 |
| Boil hard water | In water high in calcium (over 120 mg per liter), over 80% was removed. Not tested in soft water | Yu et al. 2024 (China) |
All of these are results of experiments under controlled conditions. You will not necessarily get the same reduction at home.
Tea: rinse the tea bag, or brew loose leaves
Particles come out of nylon, PET and polypropylene tea bags (the counts differ between studies, from the order of 100 million down to the thousands). Rinsing three times in room-temperature water before use cut them greatly (Yue et al. 2024). Another option is to skip the tea bag and brew loose leaves in a teapot or tea strainer (we found no study comparing loose leaves with tea bags).
Reheating: microwaving in plastic containers
Microwaving polypropylene containers or polyethylene bags for 3 minutes released more particles than leaving them refrigerated or at room temperature (Hussain et al. 2023). We found no study that compared this directly with glass or ceramic, but one option is to move the food to a different dish before heating.
Babies: baby bottles and preparing formula
With polypropylene baby bottles, the hotter the water and the more the bottle was sterilized, the more particles came out. The research team (Li et al. 2020) proposed these steps: after sterilizing, rinse three or more times with sterilized water at room temperature; boil water in a non-plastic kettle or pot; prepare the formula in a non-plastic container and let it cool before moving it to the bottle; and do not reheat in a plastic container or shake it vigorously. In a separate test with repeated opening and closing, glass bottles released fewer particles (Song et al. 2021).
Cases where “do this and you get fewer” does not always hold
- Glass bottles: In a French survey, cola, lemonade, beer and similar drinks in glass bottles had more particles than those in PET bottles or cans, and the source was the paint on the outside of the metal caps (ANSES 2025). One study of bottled water also found more in glass bottles (→ Drinks in glass bottles).
- Wooden cutting boards: They were reported to release more fine particles (wood particles) than plastic cutting boards (the control in Yadav et al. 2023). Polypropylene released more than polyethylene (→ Cutting boards).
- Water filters with activated carbon only: The water that came out sometimes had more particles than the water that went in (Cherian et al. 2023).
- Household dust: Fibers that fall onto your plate during a meal are estimated to be orders of magnitude more than the amount that comes from mussels (Catarino et al. 2018). We found no study on whether cleaning and the like reduces them.
Sources
- Dessì C et al. J Hazard Mater 2021;416:125778
- Yue et al. Food Chem 2024;445:138740
- Rahman et al. J Hazard Mater 2026;501:140785
- Hussain KA et al. Environ Sci Technol 2023;57:9782
- Guo et al. J Hazard Mater 2024;462:132798
- Li D et al. Nature Food 2020;1:746-754
- Song K et al. 2021 (opening and closing of water bottles and baby bottles)
- Son et al. J Hazard Mater 2024;464:133014
- Cherian AG et al. Polymers 2023;15:1331
- Yu Z et al. Environ Sci Technol Lett 2024
- Chaïb I et al. J Food Compos Anal 2025;144:107719 (ANSES)
- Yadav H et al. Environ Sci Technol 2023;57:8225
- Catarino AI et al. Environ Pollut 2018;237:675
Last checked 2026-10-01. Research and regulations change over time. This page is a translation of our Japanese page; if they differ, the Japanese page is the reference.