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Natural Year Challenge: Household - Month Five
Clean Your Kitchen
Welcome to the fifth step in our Natural Year Challenge! This month our transition to natural household products takes us to that all-important part of the home: the kitchen.
Your five supplies will serve you well in the kitchen. There are all sorts of combinations of these basic ingredients that will keep your kitchen sparkling. This month we'll focus on your oven, cutting board, wood cabinets, dishwasher, and sink. Several of these recipes are taken from the book The Naturally Clean Home by Karyn Siegel-Maier.
Oven Cleaner
Ingredients:
- 2 c. baking soda
- 1/2 c. salt
- 1/4 c. washing soda
Combine in container. Add enough water to make a paste (approx. 1/4 cup). Remove oven racks and preheat oven to 250 degrees for 15 minutes, then turn off the oven and leave the door open. Spread the paste on the oven walls with a sponge or cloth and allow to set for 30 minutes. Combine 3/4 c. white vinegar and 20 drops essential oil of choice (lemon and thyme work well together). Spray the oven walls and wipe clean. Rinse well.
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Cutting Boards
Keep a small spray bottle handy for quick disinfection of cutting board surfaces or to add a fresh scent into the air.
Combine the following ingredients:
- 1 c. filtered water
- 20 drops orange essential oil
- 10 drops lavender essential oil
- 10 drops eucalyptus oil
Other combinations of oils include lemon and orange, or tea tree oil and lemon.
Wood Cabinets
To clean wood cabinets, combine 1/2 c. white vinegar and 1-2 tbsp. olive oil. Add 15 drops cedar oil for a fresh, woodsy smell.
Automatic Dishwashing Powder
This is one of the trickiest natural cleaning products to master. Trial and error should eventually yield an inexpensive yet effective product.
Ingredients:
- 2 c. washing soda
- 1 c. borax
- 1 c. baking soda
Combine ingredients and store in container. Use 2 tbsp. per dishwasher load. If the dishes are cloudy, try reducing the amount to 1 or 1.5 tbsp. and adding white vinegar to the rinse compartment. If the dishes still have film, try adding several tablespoons citric acid to the powder mix. Another option is to add green tea to the rinse compartment, as the tannic acid helps break down soap residue.
Sink Scrub
Enjoy a fresh herbal sink scrub by combining the following ingredients:
- 1/2 c. baking soda
- 1/4 c. ground sage
- 1/4 c. ground rosemary
Store under the sink in a sugar container or other shaker jar.
Lemon-Vinegar Cleaner
Make your own lemon vinegar by adding lemon peels to a quart size or half-gallon size mason jar. Cover lemon peels with vinegar. Cover jar and allow to soak for 5-7 days. Strain and place vinegar in spray bottle. This makes a wonderful general-purpose cleaner.
Sponges
For easy disinfection of sponges, microwave at high power for 3 minutes.
The video below demonstrates a few of these recipes. Try a new recipe this month
and sit back and enjoy the rewards of a clean kitchen without harsh chemicals!