You cannot scrub out the microplastics already in your body, and no detox, supplement, or cleanse has been shown to do it. What you can do is cut how much new plastic you take in, and for a few changes the evidence is genuinely strong. Your body also clears a portion on its own through normal digestion. Below are the changes that move the needle most, ranked by impact.
Key takeaways
– Your drinking water is the biggest lever: bottled water carries far more plastic than filtered tap.
– Boiling hard, calcium-rich tap water can cut microplastics by up to 90 percent. In soft water it barely helps.
– Heating food in plastic and using plastic tea bags are two of the easiest large sources to remove.
– There is no proven way to “flush” microplastics out. Fiber and normal digestion do the clearing, so the goal is lower intake, not a cleanse.
Fix your water first
For most people, drinking water is the single largest source of microplastics they can easily control, so it is the place to start.
Switch from bottled to filtered tap. A 2024 study in PNAS measured roughly 240,000 plastic particles per liter in bottled water, most of them nanoplastics small enough to enter tissues (Qian et al., 2024). Tap water typically carries a small fraction of that. If you do one thing, stop drinking bottled water. See our full breakdown of microplastics in bottled water.
Boil hard tap water. If your water is hard, boiling it can remove up to 90 percent of nano and microplastics. As the water heats, limescale (calcium carbonate) forms and traps the particles, which you strain out with the scale (Yu, Li and Zeng, 2024, Environmental Science and Technology Letters). The catch is real: this only works in hard, calcium-rich water. In soft water there is little scale to trap the plastic. Evidence grade: Moderate.
Or filter it. A carbon block or reverse osmosis filter reduces microplastics in tap water without the hard-water requirement. Our guide to choosing a water filter covers what to look for.
Stop heating food in plastic
Heat is what makes plastic shed. A 2023 study in Environmental Science and Technology found that microwaving food in plastic containers released large numbers of micro and nanoplastics straight into the food (Hussain et al., 2023). Heat and store food in glass or stainless steel instead, and never microwave takeout containers.
Cut plastic tea bags
Many “silken” pyramid tea bags are plastic, not paper. A McGill University team found that a single plastic tea bag steeped at brewing temperature released billions of microplastic and nanoplastic particles into the cup (Hernandez et al., 2019, Environmental Science and Technology). Loose-leaf tea or plain paper bags avoid it entirely. More detail on microplastics in tea bags.
Lean toward whole food and fiber
Ultra-processed and heavily packaged foods tend to carry more plastic, from both processing and the packaging itself. Cooking from fresh whole ingredients lowers that load. Fiber matters for a second reason: it keeps digestion moving so your body passes particles through stool rather than holding onto them. This is the realistic version of “flushing them out.”
Swap the plastic cutting board
Chopping on a plastic board scrapes plastic straight into your food. A 2023 study estimated a plastic board could shed on the order of tens of grams of microplastics per year depending on use (Yadav et al., 2023, Environmental Science and Technology). A wood board is a one-time, low-cost swap.
Can you actually flush microplastics out?
Not directly, and you should be wary of anything sold as a “microplastic detox” or “cleanse.” No human study shows a supplement, drink, or protocol removes microplastics already absorbed. What does happen is that your gut passes a share of ingested particles in stool, and a fiber-rich diet supports that. Microplastics have been measured in human blood and in the placenta (Leslie et al., 2022; Ragusa et al., 2021), which is exactly why lowering new intake is the practical goal rather than chasing a cleanse. The health effects are still being studied, so the calm, sensible approach is to reduce exposure where it is easy and not to panic about it.
FAQ
How do you flush microplastics out of your body?
There is no proven way to remove microplastics already absorbed. Your body clears a portion of ingested particles through normal digestion, and a high-fiber diet supports that process. No supplement, drink, or “detox” has been shown in humans to flush them out, so reducing new intake is the practical goal.
What foods get rid of microplastics in your body?
No food removes microplastics already in your tissues. High-fiber foods like vegetables, legumes, and whole grains help your gut pass ingested particles through stool, and choosing fresh whole foods over packaged ones lowers how much you take in to begin with.
How do you remove 90 percent of microplastics from water?
Boiling hard, calcium-rich tap water can remove up to 90 percent of nano and microplastics, because limescale forms and traps the particles as the water boils (Yu, Li and Zeng, 2024). You then strain out the scale. In soft water this barely works, so a carbon or reverse osmosis filter is the better option.
How do I know if I have microplastics in my body?
You cannot test for it at home, and there is no routine clinical test. Studies that measure microplastics in blood, stool, or tissue use specialized lab methods. Given how widespread microplastics are, the reasonable assumption is that everyone carries some, which is why the focus is on reducing intake rather than testing.
What food is highest in microplastics?
Bottled water, shellfish eaten whole, salt, and heavily processed or plastic-packaged foods tend to carry the most. Tea from plastic bags and food heated in plastic also add a large amount relative to how easy they are to avoid.
What should I drink to avoid microplastics?
Filtered tap water from a carbon or reverse osmosis filter, or boiled hard tap water, carries far less plastic than bottled water. Avoid drinking from single-use plastic bottles that have been left in heat, which makes them shed more.
The bottom line
You will not undo past exposure, and you do not need to panic about it. Fix your water first, keep heat away from plastic, and lean toward fresh whole food. Those few changes remove the bulk of everyday microplastic intake for very little effort.
