60+ Massive List of Household Items That Contain Nickel You Didn’t Know

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Suffering from nickel sensitivity means you’ll most likely experience an allergic reaction, which may lead to allergic contact dermatitis. Did you know that several common household items contain nickel in them? We’ve done extensive research and have come up with a list of many household items that contain nickel allergen.

This way, you may either make some changes to what is used around your home or take precautionary measures against them to reduce allergic reaction flare-ups.

Depending on how actively involved a person is at home, he/she may come into contact with more or less nickel allergen.

Remember that whenever in doubt, you can always use a nickel allergy test-kit and test for the presence of nickel on any surface.

List of household items that contain nickel?

We’ll arrange the items according to the rooms where they are usually found it, though, depending on each individual’s taste, the location may be a hit or miss.

Nickel allergen at home – In The Kitchen

A study has shown that the items in the kitchen are a culprit to high nickel-content. That’s because a high number of items in the kitchen are made with either 304 and 316 stainless steel (18/8 and 18/10) materials, which contain at least 8% nickel, brass alloys, chromium(chrome finish) or have a “brushed nickel” finishing. And to people who are allergic to nickel, that’s a lot!

Please note that this list only contains inedible items that contain nickel, we wrote an extensive list of foods high in nickel.

Here is the list of household items that contain nickel

Coffee machine

pantry ware
stainless steel cookware
stainless steel flatwares (utensils)

tinware
stainless steel sinks
stainless steel hand-washing basin

faucets
cookers
ovens

toasters
kettles
Bakeware

stainless steel grills
electric appliance stainless steel handles(microwaves, refrigerators)

In the living room and bedroom

glass/stainless coffee tables

some furniture with metallic parts
floor lamps
belts

bra hooks
bra underwires
sunglass handles

ink pens
scissors
paper clips

pins and needles (including knitting needles, acupuncture needles)
hairpins
smoke lighters

fasteners
chrome cufflinks
some zippers

metal buttons on clothes, e.g., jeans, and jackets
keys
coins

mobile phones
umbrellas
watches

metal parts found on earphones
jewelry containing less than 14K gold
piercings

most other metal jewelry
batteries
rivets

snaps
hooks
vacuum cleaners

In the bathroom

makeups (many contain nickel sulfate hexahydrate
hair deco and ornaments
stainless steel and “chrome finish” showerheads

stainless steel towel shelves
shavers
razorblades and shaving sticks

eyelash curlers
nail clippers and filers
tweezers

stainless steel toilet-flush handles/buttons
stainless steel toilet paper holders
orthodontic(dental implants) devices

orthopedic(implants) devices

In the Garage and the garden

all hand tools (except rubberized handled ones)
stainless parts of vehicles

pruning shears
most gardening tools
stainless steel hose nozzles

On musical instruments

guitar strings
cello strings
flutes

trumpets
piccolos
metal parts found on drum sets

There are in fact many more household items that contain nickel, and this list will be frequently updated.

How to avoid nickel contact around household items

Nickel allergy does not cause any life-threatening symptoms, but if you find it hard to navigate through daily routines, there is always a way to reduce nickel contact.

Wear gloves when dealing with stainless steel and metallic objects around the house. You can easily find many food-grade gloves at most supermarkets and online shops, but you must make sure they’re metal-free.
Use clear nail polish to coat some jewelry sets instead of buying new ones. This will provide a temporary fix for a couple of wears. Alternatively, get it coated using a precious metal.
Only wear jewelry sets made from tested and confirmed hypoallergenic sterling silver, precious metals like platinum, titanium, 18k or 24k gold, plastic, ceramic, or wood.

Wear watches made of rubber or with no visible metallic parts.
Use surgical metals for piercings, but in the case of an individual with hypersensitivity to nickel, use precious metals instead, as surgical metals still contain a small amount of nickel.
Wear clothes with paint-coated metallic parts or go for clothes that are made with full plastic parts.

switch 304 and 316 stainless steel cookwares with nickel-free alternatives like ceramic coated cookware, 430 stainless steel(21/0 – contains <1% nickel)
For utensils and silverware, buy ones with rubberized or wooden handles or use wooden chopsticks.
Use metallic tools that are plastic or paint-coated.