Worried about chemical cleaners? Here are the 6 best alternatives for a better kitchen

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Cleaning chemicals consist of harsh liquids and are either meant to react with a surface or cut through the dirt on that surface. Over-the-counter cleaning agents rarely need to be diluted. 

They are harsh enough to cut through grime, and they can impact your skin if it comes in direct contact with the chemicals for too long. Many surfaces can also get damaged due to chemicals in the cleaning agents. 

If you consider taking an alternate route, here are better options for you. 

Cleaning with Vinegar

Vinegar is essentially a diluted acid that works wonders in kitchen areas. This can be used on the kitchen platform, probably the dirtiest area in the entire kitchen after the sink. If your counter is made of a natural material like stone or granite, you skip the vinegar as it causes some damage to the naturally occurring materials. You can also use vinegar to get out the burnt and heaped foods in the oven. Heat your oven to about 100 degrees and once the oven is warm, spray equal parts of vinegar and water on the tricky bits. Pour Salt onto the area, turn off the oven, and wait for it to cool. If you scrape it off with a cloth, you’ll see that it comes away easily. 

Lemon – The cleaning Elixir

The advantages of a bit of lemon cannot be emphasized enough. If you want to clean and sanitize your chopping board, you can scrub lemon on it and leave it for 10 minutes before rinsing off. If you want to scrub something off of the chopping board, then you can add salt or sugar to the board while scrubbing. Apart from smelling great, lemon’s acidity can overpower grime and leave a pleasant smell. If your gas stove is too sticky, cut a lemon in half, scrub all over with some salt, and wash with warm water. The most overlooked place for cleaning in a kitchen is the microwave. You may not notice the grime and splutters of food on the ceiling. To clean this, boil a little lemon juice and vinegar in a cup inside the microwave for a couple of minutes, and then wipe down the sides and ceiling. It smells great, and it is a task that requires minimal effort. Lemon is excellent against mold and mildew too. 

Herbal cleaners you can rely on

Chemical cleaners cause damage to your hands, can cause eye and skin irritation, and so on. Herbal cleaners deploy the goodness of natural products to keep your kitchen sparkling. Starting from the kitchen cleaner spray to the dishwashing liquid, choose a herbal cleaner that is not harmful to the environment and you. The herbal cleaners also have a soothing smell rather than the antiseptic smell of the chemicals. 

Herbal cleaners, apart from cleansing, are also excellent disinfectants and act as solid insect repellants not. Just they come with a host of advantages, too, such as: 

● They are anti-allergic

● You need not use gloves while handling herbal cleaners

● Kids friendly

Try Baking soda

Baking soda is excellent for scrubbing or combining with other chemicals to clean. If the trick in the microwave doesn’t work, you can use baking soda instead of salt to clean it. Baking soda is an all-around champion of the kitchen. You can unclog a drain by putting baking soda in it and adding boiling water. If you are looking to wipe your fridge down, you can mix about half a cup of baking soda in a bucket of hot water and wipe your fridge. 

Did you know the benefits of common Salt?

Something as familiar as Salt can help when you want to scrub something. For example, if you have a cast-iron utensil, you cannot use lemon to clean it. Instead, you need to use a mixture of oil and salt to scrub the pan with a brush. Salt can also be used in place of a coarse scrubber or steel wool. 

Rubbing alcohol

Rubbing alcohol can be found at your local pharmacy. It is easy to use, and you can use it on your granite, stone, and other surfaces to clean and sanitize. Rubbing alcohol kills 100 bacteria on the surface. This is a good option when you are worried about cross-contamination in the kitchen. It dries up quickly and does not harm the surface it comes in contact with. You notice some dryness in your hands after excessive usage, but it does no damage when used once or twice a day. 

Whatever mixtures you are thinking of concocting for better cleaning of your kitchen, ensure that there is no adverse reaction and it is suitable for the surface you will use. Wear gloves irrespective of cleaners for kitchen and don’t leave the mixture on any surface for too long. Wash it with water at the end (apart from rubbing alcohol). Use these tips and enjoy your chemical-free cleaning spree!

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