This week we made a few new concoctions. I really love the idea of non-toxic cleaners for the kitchen. Most of what is cleaned in the kitchen is used for food preparation or consumption, so it makes sense to be careful.
Today I wanted to share a few natural cleaning tips for the kitchen that I tried this week:
The first is Homemade Dishwashing Soap.
I used the following recipe (It was found here along with some other homemade cleaning recipes):
1/4 cup grated soap
2 cups hot water
1/4 cup glycerin
½ teaspoon lemon essential oil
Combine grated soap and water in a pot and heat on stove. Stir until the soap is dissolved. Cool to lukewarm.
Stir in the essential oil and glycerin. Leave to cool. As it cools it will form a loose gel. Stir with a fork and break up the gel and then pour into a bottle (I used an old dishwashing soap container).
To use, squirt 3 teaspoonfuls into hot running water.
Next, Scouring Powder for the Sink
This one is not for extremely tough stains but is good when a light cleaning and freshening is needed.
Just mix up the following in a jar:
2 cups baking soda
A few teaspoon of ground cinnamon
3-6 drops of orange essential oil.
Sprinkle in the sink. Let sit for a few minutes, scrub then rinse with water. It smells great.
The recipe is based on one I found in:
The Naturally Clean Home: 100 Safe and Easy Herbal Formulas for Non-Toxic Cleansers
Last of all, Cleaning the Cutting Board
I have heard that you can rub the cutting board with half a lemon....but that is just not very convenient. Last week I found a new way in the book Clean House Clean Planet by Karen Logan. Just rub the cutting board with salt and leave to sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Then rinse with vinegar. I tried it and it worked great. I rubbed the salt in with bare hands and it exfoliated my hands too!
If you have any natural cleaning tips you would like to share, please feel free to add them in the comments section. | 
Posted by 
Posted by 
Posted by 
