Source: sage's people
In our house, it seems like one of the hardest places to keep clean is the kitchen. No sooner do I have everything put away and wiped down does it become the collect all for more stuff. My kitchen island is the meeting point for all things looking to be put back where they belong. And I have no one to blame for this but myself!
Keeping the kitchen clean for our home is a never-ending task. But keeping it chemical free is much easier. Here are some simple things you can do to convert your kitchen to a more earth friendly and chemical free version.
First you will need a Basic Cleaning Kit. Here are my recommendations:
- Vinegar (I like to buy the Costco size because a green household goes through a lot of this!)
- Castile Soap (Tea Tree
is a good option for the kitchen or you can get Unscented
and add your own essential oils)
- Baking Soda (another item to buy in bulk)
- Essential Oils (Tea Tree, Rosemary, etc)
- Funnel
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Spray Bottles (clean out and reuse old bottles if you have them)
- Old Rags (old dish towels, t-shirts, etc.)
My absolute favorite kitchen cleaner is my All Purpose Cleaner. It can be used for everything from counters, stovetops, refrigerators, cabinets, tables and the microwave to bathrooms, carpets, toys, baseboards and you name it.
Switch out your Triclosan filled hand soap for plain old Castile soap diluted with water. A reused foaming hand pump works best, but any hand pump will do.
I really like the Whole Foods 365 Every Day Value Dish Liquid. It smells great (no artificial fragrance here, just essential oils) and works quite well.
Invest in recycled dish scrubbers, organic cotton dish towels
You can also make your own reusable swiffer type cloths.
The one item we haven’t been able to find that we can be happy with is a good green dishwasher detergent. We’ve tried homemade, Bright Green by Safeway, Whole Foods brand and most recently Seventh Generation but they all seem to do a horrible job cleaning the dishes and leave a nasty film on the glass.
Do any of you have any suggestions for a good dishwasher detergent and rinse aid because I’d really love to know about it!
Disclaimer: There are affiliate links in this post, if you make a purchase after clicking through one of my links, I will receive a small commission. Thanks for supporting Tree Hugging Mom!
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
white vinegar makes a great rinse aid for the dishwasher . love your site
Thanks Lilly,
Glad to have you here!
c
Here is the exact recipe that I found online with the above ingrediants:
1C Washing Soda
1C Borax
1/2C Kosher Salt
1/2 C Citric Acid or unflavored lemonade packet
Use one Tablespoon per load and add vinegar to the rinse dispenser. I am trying it today for the first time. I have been making my own with a different recipe but it has left a film and this sounded like it may work better.
Charlotte,
Thanks for the recipe! I do have to say this recipe looks soooo familiar. I think my husband may have already tried it. We found that we were still getting film. So back to square one
But please let me know how it works for you. Maybe we just have a hard water issue?
C
Charlotte
Is your dish detergent still working good for you? I’m going to try adding the Kosher salt to my next batch, because we’re getting film on our dishes
I really would like to find a recipe that works.
I just tried my own homemade dish washing recipe over the weekend, and I was very happy with the results! I found the recipe online. Basically it’s this: Borax, baking soda, kosher salt, distilled vinegar, and citric acid (I just squeezed some fresh lemon juice into the mix). I didn’t really measure stuff out, just threw it all together. I did use a little more borax then baking soda..then added maybe a tablespoon of kosher salt, 2-3 tablespoons of vinegar, and 1 tbsp of lemon. Give it a try! It left a little bit of film, but it wasn’t all that bad. I’m sure if I reduce some of the borax then it would go away almost entirely. Our normal detergent (which isn’t eco friendly) leaves a horrible horrible film, so this was a huge step up plus it’s natural, eco friendly, and cheaper! Hope this helps! =)
Jacinta,
Thanks for visiting and thanks for the recipe! I have two questions for you…(1) did you use a rinse aid along with this and (2) do you live in an area with hard water? We have hard water out here and I am wondering if I will need to adjust anything? Probably the vinegar.
This definitely sounds like something worth trying. Thanks again!
C