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How to Reduce Hazardous Products in Your Kitchen

First, throw out all of those chemical based cleaning supplies. You don't need them. It doesn't mean that you don't need to keep your kitchen clean and disinfected, but there are ways to achieve that without using poisons.

There are three very inexpensive, all natural cleaners that you probably already have in your kitchen and they work quite well without exposing you and your family to countless toxins. Lemon, vinegar, and baking soda have been used for many generations in kitchens all over the world.

Cut a lemon in half and use for stain removal on marble, tile, appliances, stainless steel, aluminum, and most other hard, non-porous surfaces. The citric acid in the lemon works wonders on a wide variety of stains. It also is effective in removing odors, leaving your kitchen smelling fresh and naturally clean. For garbage disposal odors, cut a lemon into small wedges, turn on your garbage disposal and feed it one wedge at a time until you have used the entire lemon.

Baking soda can be used as a mild scouring agent for tough, baked on foods, difficult stains on hard surfaces, odor removal, and much more. To clean the inside of appliances, make a paste of baking soda and water. Use the paste same as you would ajax or other scouring powders. Use a damp cloth to apply to stains and heavily soiled areas. Apply in a circular pattern, applying a little pressure until the stains are removed. Next, add more water to the paste to make a liquid solution. Soak your cleaning rag in the solution, then wring out enough of the liquid that it won't drip all over your kitchen. Apply the liquid to the entire inside of your appliance, then go back over it with a clean cloth. This works wonders for the inside of refrigerators, freezers, ice chests, toaster ovens, dishwashers, microwaves, and even ovens. Not only will it effectively clean, but it will remove odors. You can even add a half cup baking soda to your laundry to remove tough odors in towels, pet bedding, and children's clothing.

Vinegar is a powerful cleaner as well. Use white vinegar same as you would bleach or Windex. I know it has a strong odor, but it will clean well and it is safe to use. I put vinegar in a spray bottle and use it to clean windows, mirrors, glass tabletops, marble, tile, stainless steel, sinks, showers, toilets, and just about any other hard surface in my home.

If you have odors coming from your kitchen sink or garbage disposal, you can pour about a cup of baking soda down the drain, then follow it with a cup of vinegar. You will see lots of foam and bubbles. Let it sit for about ten minutes, then turn on the tap to rinse everything down the drain. It will eleminate the odors.

These three natural cleaners can be used without fear of contaminating other foods or leaving poisonous residues behind. If you have children or pets, then it won't hurt them if they eat or drink these cleaners since they are natural food items. In addition to being safe, effective cleaners, they are also inexpensive and available in all grocery stores.

Learn more about this author, Kaitlyn Hamilton.
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