5 chemical free, DIY Kitchen Cleaners

When it comes to the kitchen, we love it to be spick and span and yet that’s one area covered with grease, grime, and all sorts of stains. Of course, we all have our quick to go to all-purpose cleaners, which can be used to clean any surface with just one quick squirt and a swipe of a sponge. However, according to a report by CHFA, all-purpose cleaners contain MEA (Monoethanolamine), DEA (Diethanolamine) and TEA (Triethanolamine), chemicals which may have cancer causing potential. These cleaners are also attributed to various health issues and when used, usually these cleaning agents leave behind a residue on your counter tops. When you use them, they also mix with water and don’t always break down, polluting our surrounding water sources.

So the next time, we suggest you opt for a 100% natural home made multipurpose kitchen cleaner, which combats bacteria, and keeps your kitchen clean while being safe for the environment. Listed below are 3 ways to make them:

1. Baking Soda: We’ve been harping about the goodness of this kitchen ingredient for a reason (see related posts). This fragrance neutralizer also works very well as a cleaning agent. Here’s what you need:

1. Baking soda for sprinkling
2. Cleaning rag 
3. Warm water

How to use: Sprinkle some Baking soda on greasy areas and wipe it with a cloth dipped in warm water.

2. Vinegar: This one’s another fab kitchen ingredient, which is a must have. Known for its goodness to fight bacteria, cut grease and grime and fight offensive odours, this one’s an easy.

What you need:

1. 1 cup white vinegar
2. I cup water
3. 3 drops of tea tree oil

How to use: Add the vinegar to a glass bottle, then, add the water and 3 drops of the tea tree essential oil. The tea tree oil serves as an antibacterial, and deodoriser for the  vinegar itself. For the cleaning spray bottle, ideally opt for a recycled spray plastic/ glass bottle and use with a clean rag. *When using Tea Tree oil, always exercise caution and use in limited quantity and in diluted form. Keep away from direct intake of Tea Tree oil as it can cause stomach issues among others.

3. Orange Peel: This one’s a little time consuming but smells and works wonderfully. The orange peels can be replaced by any other citrus peel like lemon or lime. 

What you need:

1. Orange /any other citrus peel
2. 1 tablespoon salt
3. Vinegar
4. Water (optional)

How to use: Add the peels to a recycled mason jar/ clean washed recycled jam bottle. Fill it till the top. You could keep adding the peels everyday till you have a jarful. Sprinkle some salt on the peels (this extracts more oil from the peels, making it a stronger cleaning agent) and let this sit for a couple of hours. Then add to this the vinegar till the top. If using water, add half vinegar and half water. Keep this concoction for at least two weeks (the longer you keep it, the better the fragrance and effectiveness of the cleaner). Then using a sieve, transfer it into a spray bottle (preferably recycled plastic bottle) and use it for cleaning with a rag.

4. Two in one: This easy to fix combination of two powerful ingredients is super effective too. In addition to that the Eucalyptus essential oil has antimicrobial properties that keeps bacteria from growing and it also gives the mixture a pleasant fragrance. 

What you need:

1. 1/4th cup white vinegar
2. 2 tablespoon baking soda
3. A few drops of Eucalyptus essential oil 

How to use it: Mix all the ingredients in a spray bottle. Top it with water, shake well, and use.

5. Vodka: Vodka is a great cleaning and disinfecting agent. Use  it for cleaning kitchen counter-tops, your vegetable chopping board or even the glass for a squeaky clean look. Not only will it clean, it will also disinfect. Read our post on how to use Vodka in multiple ways here. 

If you do opt for using one of these, we’d love to know how your experience was. Please do share with us! Also if you do use any other cleaning agents that are homemade and free of chemicals, we’d love to hear about them too.