In the last Healthy Home post, we gave you 5 simple tips for cleaning your kitchen with natural ingredients. This week, we're adding another 5 easy ways to use items already in your pantry to clean your kitchen. Here are 5 (more) tips for cleaning your kitchen naturally.
1. Clean Your Wooden Cutting Boards
This is a simple way to deep clean your cutting boards using only a lemon and salt. You don’t even need to use a new lemon — just use a mostly squeezed half after cooking. Do this at least once a month to keep your cutting boards in great shape.
Sprinkle coarse salt onto the cutting board. Scour the surface with the cut side of a lemon, squeezing slightly to release the lemon juice as you go. Let it sit for 5 minutes, and then scrape the dirty liquid into a bowl using a bench scraper. Discard the liquid and give the surface a final rinse with a clean wet cloth.
2. Clean Your Sink
A juiced half lemon can also be used to clean porcelain sinks. This method acts as a mild bleach that gets out minor stains from daily use. Sprinkle baking soda into your wet kitchen sink and use the cut side of a lemon to scrub the surface. This will remove grime and make the sink much brighter.
3. Make Your Own Wood Polish
This natural wood polish is easy to make in small, single use batches. If you make too much, just save the excess in a separate jar and use it as the base for a salad dressing!
Ingredients
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 Tablespoon grapeseed or olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon water
Equipment
Pour the lemon juice, oil, and water into the jar. Seal the jar tightly and shake until blended, then dip your cloth into the polish and use as you would a store bought polish. This polish keeps for up to a week in the refrigerator.
4. Clean Coffee Stains
This is a cheap, quick way to clean old coffee stains without any harsh chemicals or special cleaners. Sprinkle a little baking soda onto the bottom of your stained pot, carafe, or mug, add just enough water to form a paste, and scrub. The gentle abrasion of the baking soda scrubs away stains on pots and carafes in a matter of minutes. Mugs are even easier, and the stains lift off in seconds—it’s as simple as that!
5. Eliminate Kitchen Odors
Plenty of people know about the wonders of baking soda, but it turns out that coffee is also a great odor neutralizer. To absorb stubborn smells in your kitchen, leave a small bowl on the counter filled with baking soda or coffee grounds before you go to bed. The odors will naturally dissipate by morning.
Be sure to check out the first set of kitchen cleaning tips here!
