If you’re serious about your kitchen cleaning and you want to make sure that you’re doing your part to saving the environment, as well as keeping your family as healthy as possible, you need some organic kitchen cleaners to do the dirty job for you.
And in today’s article, we will share exactly that with you: a list of the best organic kitchen cleaning products, divided in two additional categories: the 5 best organic kitchen cleaners you can buy from stores, but also five options to DIY.
While it is necessary to maintain cleanliness as part of safe and healthy living, do you know that many off-the-shelf cleaning products actually do more damage than what meets the eye?
We are not only talking here about protecting our environment only. The hazards hit closer to home!
The American Environmental Protection Agency has declared that sanitation formulas with harsh synthetic ingredients can cause eye, skin and respiratory irritation.
Aside from that, there are serious hazards that may occur from improper handling, storage and disposal of chemically-based sanitation products.
Why is it important to consider switching to organic kitchen cleaners? Here are some important reasons to think about:
- Natural means less chemical and synthetic allergens like chlorine and formaldehyde which cause skin and respiratory irritation. This is especially useful if you already have allergies.
- Organic products are environmentally-friendly, biodegradable and low in toxicity.
- Foregoing harsh chemicals will mean a safer environment for kids, the elderly and pets and ultimately – yourself!
There are many roads that we can choose to take in our switch to more environmentally friendly cleaning habits. Let’s walk through our options. You can choose from reputable organic kitchen cleaners and concoct your own best kitchen cleaning recipes – and we have you covered no matter which road you choose to take.
We’ll start with the easiest products to get: the 5 best organic kitchen cleaners you can buy right now!
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5 Best Organic Kitchen Cleaning Products You Can Buy Online
For some of us who would like the option of purchasing ready-made yet organic, environmentally friendly and effective kitchen cleaning products, here are our top 5 picks.
We researched the ingredients as well as how efficient they are in getting the job done and we are sure that you will love our recommendations!
Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Multi-Surface Everyday Cleaner
This product has been well-reviewed as a multipurpose cleaner and disinfectant. Its natural lemongrass component makes for a natural antibacterial, leaving a fresh after-clean scent.
It is relatively easy to use and cleans quite well especially on your kitchen’s hard stains and grime builds on hard surfaces. It does not do well on glass, as they have a separate product specifically for this – so choose the right one based on your needs.
Verifiably an ecologically friendly company, they do a lot towards the environmental cause, planting a tree for every order they receive – so not only that you keep your kitchen clean, using an organic product, but you also do more to saving the planet!
With products being cruelty-free and biodegradable, they are also certified carbon-balanced and affiliated with EPA Watersense and Green America.
JAWS Home Cleaning Kit
JAWS stands for Just Add Water System and it promotes organic cleaning products to include recyclability and refillability of their containers.
This set includes a complete cleaning kit so you can start to organically clean your kitchen, and the rest of the home as well. The cleaner is plant-based and biodegradable, child and pet-friendly.
What we want to hear most is that they do the job of cleaning grit and grime. Since the system involves us adding a pod of JAWS cleaner to their refillable spray, many often scrimp and add more water than recommended, which diminishes the effectivity. Just follow the instructions and the product will go a long, long way.
Bluewater Chemgroup – 20% White Vinegar Solution
If you are an eco-cleaner with a love for using vinegar as an organic cleaning option, you can opt for Bluewater Chemgroup’s 20% White Vinegar. It is made of industrial-strength vinegar (20%) which is safe and natural.
It is recommended to be diluted and is stronger than grocery bought vinegar and not made for human consumption. We’re talking about cleaning products here, after all!
That said, below are some vinegar cleaning suggestions as this product is great for build-up, grime and grit removal, and is usually bought together with great quality Arm & Hammer Baking Soda for your natural kitchen cleaning solution.
Don’t hesitate to click the link below to get the Vinegar Solution now:
Dr. Bronner’s – Sal Suds Biodegradable Cleaner
This organic kitchen cleaner can clean multipurpose areas from the sink to the kitchen floor. It is plant-based and environmentally-friendly.
You will be really blown away on how good the product is when it comes to cleaning. Many users love the foaminess of the solution, yet it is easy to rinse, leaving no film and residue.
The fragrance that lingers after cleaning using this organic cleaner is an additional perk that few organic cleaning products offer.
And yes, it cuts through grease and dirt quite effectively! There are various formulas and recipes where users can tweak to fit their cleaning needs.
The company is also involved in rehabilitating soil and a proponent of fair wages in employment, so that is also a plus!
Better Life Natural All-Purpose Cleaner
This organic cleaner is a great natural cleaning alternative. It is best known for being gentle on the skin and lungs since it is wholly derived from plant-based cleaning ingredients like soap bark, corn, and coconut.
It can clean countertops, walls, floors as well as your oven and stove-top. Many also report its effectiveness in restoring shine to your faucets and even lifting congealed grime after a good soak.
Now, if you are the do-it-yourself type of person and you want full control over the ingredients that you’re using, you can make your own organic kitchen cleaner at home.
In order to do so, you can use a bunch of regular items which are usually already in your pantry – if not, just buy organic and work your magic using our instructions below.
5 Best DIY Organic Kitchen Cleaning Ingredients
Baking Soda
Not only is it an essential cooking and baking ingredient, but baking soda is also known to help soften water, deodorize, clean and is a very effective alternative in dissolving grease and grime since it forms an alkaline solution when mixed with water.
It is indeed a wonder-ingredient that you really must have at home. Here are several of the many uses of baking powder:
- You can leave a paste of baking soda and water spread over grimy surfaces on sinks, ovens, stovetops, and countertops for a few hours then wipe it off, leaving them clean and shiny.
- Lightly scrub your refrigerator’s interior, freezer or microwave and apply a paste for a thorough clean!
- Baking soda is a great option when it comes to bringing back the shine to copper and stainless-steel cookware as well as de-staining chopping boards.
- 1/2 cup of baking soda followed by a cup of vinegar into a clogged drain will result in a soft popping in your drain as it de-clogs grime. Following it up with a lot of very hot water will clear your blocked drain.
White Vinegar
Another kitchen staple, vinegar is known for its cleaning and deodorizing properties. White vinegar is known to do the job best.
It can remove mildew, stains, and smells as well as cut through grease and grimy buildups throughout the kitchen – and we already recommended above a perfect product for this.
Here are several ways you can utilize white vinegar in your kitchen cleaning routine:
- Simply run a normal cycle with two cups of vinegar in a bowl in an empty dishwasher to effectively cleanse it.
- A 1:1 white vinegar-water solution will effectively clean your kitchen floor, stove-top and sink.
- From your knife block, pots and pans, baking trays, scouring and washing had never been easier than with white vinegar! However, you would need to boil a cup of vinegar with water in a burnt saucepan, drop a tablespoon or two of baking powder after taking it off the heat and scrub after the fizzle stops for effective residue removal.
- Wrap your faucet ends or sink nozzles in a plastic bag filled with vinegar overnight. Remove and let some water flow through it to clean them
Salt
We might not often hear of this ingredient as a catalyst in keeping our kitchens clean, but it is.
A cheap and natural cleaning alternative, let’s see how this seasoning can spruce up your kitchen:
- To clean your cast-iron skillet, sprinkle coarse salt onto the bottom then wipe it off with a paper towel before a good wash and rinse. This effectively removes food and oil buildup at the bottom of the pan.
- Sprinkling a few tablespoons of salt onto fresh oven spills that happen when baking will make scrubbing off the stain and crust later on when the oven cools.
- A regular run-through of salt and hot water down the kitchen sink deodorizes and prevents grease buildup.
- Water rings on wooden counters and table tops can be removed with a gentle scrub and a mixture of vegetable oil and salt.
Lemon/Citrus
When life gives you lemons, you can… clean your kitchen! These citrus beauties are not limited to juices, preserves, and zests, they can do wonders for keeping the kitchen spic and span.
Aside from being a valuable natural scrubber, lemon is also known as an organic disinfectant. Some tidying jobs that lemon can assist you with include:
- Removing stains and odors from butcher blocks and wooden cutting boards. Simply rub lemon juice and let it stand overnight. A good wash in hot soapy water the morning after will leave them stain and smell free.
- Copper cookware will come out shiny when you rub the surface with lemon juice and let it set before a thorough scrub and polish.
- Don’t discard your lemon peels! You can rub these onto smelly plastic containers before washing to deodorize and clean them thoroughly.
- Clean your microwave using a sliced lemon immersed in a bowl of water. Set the time for 3 minutes and cook on the highest temperature setting. Once done, remove the bowl and wipe the inside of your appliance!
Borax
This natural mineral can be purchased in boxed powder form and is usually found in hardware shops even though you will not find it certified organic.
It is a component of many cleaning products but you can also use it independently to do the following kitchen cleaning jobs:
- A solution of one teaspoon of Borax and 3 liters of warm water can be used to wipe down the inside of your fridge, countertops, and shelves.
- Another organic drain clogging technique is to pour about 2 cups of borax followed by hot water.
- Disinfect your dish rags and remove mildew by soaking them in a solution of 1/2 cup borax dissolved in 2 1/2 cups hot water. After a few hours wash and rinse well.
An important component for organic cleaning concoctions would be essential oils to freshen up the smell of your kitchen.
You can opt for soothing lavender or citrus and fruit blends to spruce up your personal galley – but make sure you choose only high quality oils which are also organic.
Organic Kitchen Cleaning: Choose Wisely!
There are now multitudes of options on how to keep our kitchens in tiptop tidy shape, while not harming the environment or yourself.
We are not confined anymore to the harsh chemicals we thought kept us safe. Whether you decide to concoct your own special organic cleaning solution or buy reputable organic kitchen cleaning products, the most important consideration is that compassion to Mother Earth is a kindness we extend to ourselves as well!
Another thing you can do to leave your mark is reducing plastic waste in the kitchen – make sure to read our article on that topic as well.