A clean kitchen is a common desire among individuals. But nowadays, you need to remember that not all the cleaning products we use in our homes are safe for our environment. The excellent news is that more eco-friendly cleaning products are available now than ever to make our kitchens stand out. In fact, with a few simple ingredients most people already have in their households, you can make safe, effective, natural cleaning products that cost a fraction of store-bought brands that perform just as well or better.
Eco-Friendly Cleaners Are Safer for Your Health and the Environment
Utilizing eco-friendly cleaning products in the kitchen presents several good advantages. Harsh chemicals can harm your skin, eyes, nose, throat, and respiratory system. What is more, they pose a serious threat to any pets or sensitive household members.
Beyond the negative effects on your health, many store-bought cleaning products are composed of chemicals that can harm the environment. Toxic compounds can migrate from our kitchen drains into rivers, lakes, and groundwater, resulting in the death of vegetation, polluting the soil, and poisoning fish and animals.
Conversely, eco-friendly products use simple, non-toxic ingredients that are better for the environment. It is critical to recognize that not all brands that claim to be “natural” or “organic” genuinely adhere to eco-friendly practices. Few federal regulations indicate which products are allowed to use the term “natural.” Furthermore, no protocols require cleaning product manufacturers to list the ingredients in their products on their labels.
How to Clean Your Kitchen Safely with Natural Ingredients
Shoppers need to make informed choices when determining eco-friendly cleaning products or making their own. Numerous effective choices, whether homemade or store-bought, incorporate simple, natural ingredients like white vinegar and baking soda, which are useful and environmentally safe.
When utilized in various combinations, these two pantry staples have the potential to address nearly any mess your kitchen can generate. With a few other common, versatile cleaning supplies, you can clean your entire kitchen, floor to ceiling, without relying on the harsh chemicals in many store-bought brands.
For example, sealed wood and tile floors can be cleaned and disinfected with white vinegar, warm water, and a mop or rag. While the aroma of vinegar may be unappealing, you could easily add a drop or two of your favorite essential oil to enhance the scent of your kitchen.
This is especially true for cleaning one of the messiest parts of your kitchen: inside the oven. Getting that burned-on gunk off your oven’s interior can be complicated. But with some baking soda, water, and patience, you can create a baking soda paste to get rid of all that hard dirt. Allowing baking soda paste to sit overnight prior to scrubbing will yield optimal results.
In a similar manner, glass and shiny surfaces can also be cleaned with eco-friendly ingredients. To achieve this, combine rubbing alcohol, white vinegar, cornstarch, and water in a clean spray bottle. Subsequently, spray and wipe clean with a lint-free or microfiber cloth. Using paper towels to clean glass and shiny surfaces is not advisable since they are not eco-friendly and have a tendency to leave marks and remnants of the material.
Regardless of your decision to buy or make eco-friendly cleaning products, initiating this change will likely lead you to abandon harsh chemicals permanently! Not only will you protect yourself and your home, but you will also be doing your part for the environment.
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