Chemical Dependency Part 2:

Reducing chemicals in the kitchen

The kitchen is the heart of the home, so they say, and I tend to agree! We spend a lot of time there, making a lot of memories and messes! In fact, when I think back to some of my funniest memories, many are tied to the kitchen and a mess! Something got burnt, sat on, spilled or sprayed, and everyone laughed hysterically! Until they had to clean it up!  Of all the cleaning I do, most of it happens in the kitchen. I probably clean the kitchen ten times before I clean any other room even once. It’s in constant use! With all this emphasis on the kitchen,  I knew we had to focus on reducing chemicals in the kitchen!

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My first DIY (Do It Yourself) cleaner was my glass cleaner.

(You can find that recipe here.)

I created it first simply because I had run out of it and needed some more glass cleaner, but hot on it’s heels came a surface cleaner for use in the kitchen. I needed to stop using those unknown chemicals on my food prep surface! I also needed something that I could feel confident was actually cleaning and sanitizing my counters, safely. After much research, I came up with this recipe.

(DIY surface cleaner – not for granite).

My previous house had laminate counter tops, and this cleaner worked great! Then we moved to our current home which has granite counter tops. I was warned not to use anything acidic on natural stone or else it could cause etching and/or pitting. Vinegar is very acidic and was in my previous cleaner! For a while I just cleaned my counters with some soapy water until I could figure out something else. Then it occurred to me there was a much easier way! You won’t believe how simple and convenient this one is!

(Click here for the DIY surface cleaner recipe for granite and more)

I spray this cleaner generously on all the granite surfaces in my home. If I have a stuck on mess, I soak it with the solution, and come back to it after having wiped down everything else. Just make sure to wipe surface completely dry for a beautiful shine.  With these three Do it yourself cleaners, I am getting ever closer to my goal of reducing chemicals in the kitchen!

From my nest to yours,
Jo

P.S.  We would love to hear fun memories from your kitchen… Oh right, stay on topic, and we would also like to hear how you have found ways of reducing chemicals in the kitchen.