There are innumerable sound reasons for the use of eco-friendly cleaning products in the kitchen. Harsh chemicals can be very harmful to your skin, eyes, nose, throat, and respiratory system. On top of that, they surely pose a serious threat to any pets or sensitive members of the household. Besides the negative effects on your health, a lot of store-bought cleaning products contain chemicals that can harm the environment as well. Toxic chemicals could most definitely find away from our kitchen drain into rivers, lakes, and groundwater, killing vegetation, polluting the soil, and poisoning fish and animals.
Eco-friendly products, on the contrary, use simple, non-toxic ingredients that are better for the environment. The predicament is that not all brands that claim to be “natural” or “organic” are truly eco-friendly. There are few federal regulations that define which products can claim to be “natural.” Indeed, there are no regulations that require cleaning product manufacturers to list the ingredients in their products on their packaging.
Consequently, it follows that it’s on the informed consumer to either do some research to find the truly eco-friendly brands of cleaning products available or make your own. Actually, some of the best eco-friendly cleaning products you can make or buy contain the same simple ingredients: white vinegar and baking soda. Generally used in many different combinations, these two pantry staples can tackle almost any mess your kitchen can produce. With some more versatile cleaning supplies, you can surely clean your entire kitchen, floor to ceiling, without resorting to the harsh chemicals included in many store-bought brands.
By way of illustration, sealed wood and tile floors can be cleaned and disinfected with just a little white vinegar, some warm water, and a mop or rag. Even though the smell of vinegar may not be all that pleasant, you could easily add a drop or two of your favorite essential oil to make your kitchen smell great. The same thing would apply 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 a difficult task. But, with a little baking soda, water, and some patience, you can use a baking soda paste to remove all that tough grime. For an excellent outcome, you might want to allow the baking soda paste to sit overnight before scrubbing.
In a similar way, glass and shiny surfaces can also be cleaned with eco-friendly ingredients. To do so, you can easily mix together some rubbing alcohol, white vinegar, corn starch, and water in a clean spray bottle. Then simply spray and wipe clean with a lint-free or microfiber cloth. It’s a brilliant plan, indeed, not to use paper towels to clean glass and shiny surfaces since they are not eco-friendly and also tend to leave streaks and bits of paper towel behind.
If making your own cleaning products still doesn’t seem enjoyable and so not appealing at all, there are quite a few eco-friendly options now available. Some of the more popular brands include Mrs. Meyer’s products, Bon Ami cleansers, and Method brand products. These and similar brands guarantee that their products are both safe and effective, not to mention eco-friendly. A bunch of these brands also use 100% postconsumer recycled plastics in their packaging.
It doesn’t really matter whether you like to buy or make kitchen cleaning products, because in all likelihood, once you start you will never go back to harsh chemicals again. Not only will you securely protect yourself and your home, but equally significant, you will be doing your part for the environment, too.
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