It is often said that the kitchen is the home where meals are cooked, family comes together and memories are made. But it is also one of the most hard to clean places because of all the grease, food residue and bacteria that accumulates on it. Commercial cleaners say they’ll help us deal with these issues, but many are laced with toxic chemicals that are harmful to our health and the environment. It is no wonder that the kitchen has been moving towards natural kitchen cleaners in recent years because it is eco-friendly, safe and affordable. This essay discusses why we should clean our homes using natural cleaners, how I do it and shares tips for maintaining a healthy kitchen with natural alternatives.
The Purpose of Natural Cleaners A Response by the author
Business cleaning solutions usually include chemicals like ammonia, chlorine and perfumes that will affect your breathing, your skin and worsen your health. They also taint waterways and kill aquatic animals when drained down the drain. Natural cleaners are however formulated using non-toxic, biodegradable materials that are safe for humans and nature.
Possibly the best reason to try natural cleaning is the benefits for indoor air. Since the kitchen is a very busy room, the accumulation of cleaning product chemical fumes can be especially bad. Alternatives that are natural, including vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice, emit no harmful fumes, so they are perfect for a family with children, pets, allergies or asthma.
Natural cleaning products are more sustainable, as they save us from using disposable plastic bags, and also cut the carbon impact of manufacturing and shipping commercial cleaners. A lot of natural cleaning products can be prepared at home from simple ingredients and this reduces waste even more towards zero-waste practices.
Experiences with Natural Cleaning Supplies From My Home.
My journey with natural cleaning products started a couple years ago when I started to experience dry and swollen hands after washing dishes or wiping down counter tops with the commercial cleaners. Intrigued about what to do, I started testing for cleaning products I could make at home from ingredients I already had on hand. These natural remedies worked for me, and were affordable.
I love that I also learned how to wash glass with white vinegar and water. The vinegar did not leave streaks or chemical odour on my windows and mirrors, like commercial glass cleaners do. I also discovered baking soda did wonders to get stubborn grease stains off my stovetop. Scrubbing it off with baking soda, a little water to make a paste, and a few minutes in the fridge removed the grease easily.
My other memorable one was lemon juice in the kitchen to remove the odours. When we cooked fish one night, it smelt so strong. I didn’t open an air freshener; I boiled a pot of water, lemon slices and a few rosemary leaves. The organic scent not only blotted the smell out but it made my kitchen feel clean and cozy.
Such experiences have convinced me that natural cleaning products really do work and I look forward to finding new ways to incorporate them in my daily routine.
Home Cleaning Natural Tips Experts Natural Cleaning Products in Kitchen How-To.
Get It Basic: There are just a few things needed for clean-ness to be natural, including white vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice and castile soap. All of these can be used separately or combined to create strong cleaning agents for different kitchen surfaces.
Face Grease with Baking Soda: Baking soda is a mild abrasive that will cut grease and grime without scratching. Make a paste out of baking soda and water, put on the stain and wait 15-20 minutes to scrubbing for stubborn grease stains on stovetops or oven doors.
Vinegar To Kill Bacteria and Germs: White vinegar is an organic disinfectant. Take equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle and use on countertops, sinks, and cutting boards. If you want something fresher, add a few drops of an essential oil like tea tree or lavender.
Lemon To Remove Odor: Lemon juice is also a natural deodorizer that can be used to wash away stains and to brighten things. Rub a diced lemon onto cutting boards to clean off odours, or squeeze lemon juice to scrub water marks from stainless steel faucets.
: Deodorize Drains On The Natural Way: In order to unclog drains, flush the drain with baking soda and vinegar, followed by hot water. The combination breaks down grease and food bits and deodorizes the pipes.
Polish Wooden Surfaces: For wood cutting boards or countertops, substitute 2 parts olive oil for 1 part lemon juice. Use a cotton cloth to scrub and polish the wood until it’s all natural.
Don’t Use Cruel Scrubbers: When cleaning with natural materials, use soft cloths, sponges, or brushes to prevent scratching the surfaces. – You can use microfiber cloths especially to wipe down areas without leaving streaks.
Keep Solutions in the Correct Packaging: DIY cleaning products need to be stored in sealed bottles so they remain effective. Avoid exposure to children and pets even though they are not poisonous.
The Environmental and Economic Benefits
Making the shift to natural cleaning solutions is not only good for our health, but also good for the planet. We could also avoid exposure to toxins by using cleaners with fewer chemicals, and we could save on plastics from packaging cleaning products. There are plenty of natural cleaning products that can be easily purchased and used, including vinegar and baking soda, that are cheap and widely available, and are a cheaper alternative to store-bought cleaners.
Besides, when you can make your own cleaning solutions, you have control over the components and make them how you want them. eg: You can dilute vinegar in a cleaning product or use essential oils to add aroma. You don’t usually get this customization with generic cleaners.
Overcoming Challenges
Natural cleaning products are alluring, but they are not without difficulties. The most recurrent complaint is that they don’t appear to work as well as commercial cleaners. In other instances, natural solutions take more time or effort to do the same job. Yet natural cleaning products can work just as well if not better than their chemical counterparts, given the right techniques and patience.
The other hurdle is the initial time and effort it takes to find recipes and try them out. But once you establish some basic fixes that work for your kitchen, it becomes so much more easy and natural.
Conclusion
Natural kitchen cleaners are environmentally friendly, healthful, and less expensive than commercial cleaning products. The energy of vinegar, baking soda, and lemon juice allows us to clean the kitchen without harming our health or our environment. I’ve had an overwhelming positive experience with natural cleaners personally and I recommend they check out the rest as well.
