Keeping your kitchen green and clean

I have been fixated with the cleanliness of our kitchen these days so I’ll pick up where I left off with my previous post and offer a few more tips on how to keep your kitchen green and clean.

I was noticing the other day how grungy our kitchen sink can get. And really, if the sink seems dirty the whole kitchen doesn’t feel much better, no matter how tidy the counters are. I came across a study showing that the kitchen sink can be home to more germs than a toilet. Yikes! I suppose that’s why people feel they need to turn to harsh chemicals in the kitchen.

When it comes to a healthy sink, germs aren’t the only thing to consider. The kind of cleaners you use for dishes and drains have a lot to do with the overall health of your kitchen, and your family.

As usual there are eco-friendly ways to keep your kitchen sparkling:

Clean your drain on a regular basis. But stay away from harsh drain cleaners, they’re highly corrosive so just plain dangerous to have in the house. They’re also destructive to our waterways.

Instead try this: pour ½ cup of baking soda down your drain. Chase it with a cup of white vinegar and let it bubble away for a few minutes. Chase this with a kettleful of boiling water.

When it comes to dishwashing liquids this is how I see it: since there are dish detergents readily available that safer for you and the environment when compared to the name brand detergents, why not choose them? Also, I don’t like the idea of sloshing petroleum-based suds (which is what name brands contain) on items that I use for food. My favourite eco brand is Down East, made in NS. It works well and you can buy it in four litre jugs to save on packaging and cut costs. Just check the natural foods section of the grocery store for it and other green brands.

Dish cloths are something else to consider. Since they can get grimy quickly just get in the habit of using a fresh, clean one each day. Hang the dirty cloths to dry before you wash them. Never use a sponge! Every study I found says they’re germ incubators (the “sink is dirtier than the toilet” study implicated sponges). Throwing them in the dishwasher doesn’t help since most dishwashers don’t get hot enough to kill dangerous bacteria. Instead bacteria get flung around on everything else in the dishwasher.

We have used cloths made from wood fibre that are great. They inhibit the growth of bacteria so don’t get smelly, just need a simple rinsing to clean and can be composted when they wear out.
Add these ideas to the vinegar-hydrogen peroxide spray system from my previous post and you’ll have all your kitchen cleaning needs covered with eco-friendly alternatives.

This post was previously published in KV Style (www.kvstyle.com)