Household cleaning recipes for the kitchen

You’ve discovered which nasty ingredients you want to avoid, found safer household ingredients and got together a batch of supplies.

Now the fun begins!

It’s time to roll up your sleeves and experiment with making your own household cleaners. Today are some suggestions for cleaning the kitchen – try them out and see which ones you like best.

Dishwashing liquid

i) Mix 10floz liquid Castile with 10 drops essential oils (a mix of 3 lavender,1 tee tree, 2 orange and 4 lemon is good)

ii) Use juice of half lemon and 1 tbsp bicarbonate of soda in a bowl of hot water, there will be no bubbles, but your dishes will be clean!

iii) Much of the time, if you wash up straight after preparation and eating, you can simply use hot water, with no need for any detergent, unless there is heavy grease to break down.

Automatic dishwasher powder

i) 2 tbsp bicarbonate of soda and 2 tbsp borax per load

Sink cleaners

i) Use neat bicarbonate of soda with a sponge scourer and rinse well

ii) Mix 1 tbsp bicarbonate of soda with a little water to make a paste, use this to scrub the sink and rinse well

iii) Mix 1/2 cup bicarbonate of soda, 1/8 cup white distilled vinegar, 2 drops lemon essential oil, 1 drop tea tree essential oil and 2 drops lavender essential oil. Use with a scouring sponge and rinse.

iv) Place 1/2 cup bicarbonate of soda in a bowl, add enough liquid castile soap until you get a frosting consistency and add 2 drops orange essential oil and 1 drop tea tree and 2 drops lemon essential oil.

v) Use borax, sprinkled onto a cloth and rinse with hot water

Antibacterial kitchen surface / table cleaner

These are great recipes for cleaning kitchen units or the dining table:

i) Combine 1-drop tee tree, 2 drops lavender, 3 drops lemon and 3 drops orange essential oil in a spray bottle. Top up with water and spray directly onto surfaces and wipe over with a cloth. Can safely be used near food and even on babies / children’s hands before or after the meal!

ii) spray areas with a 3-5% solution of hydrogen peroxide and follow with a spray of vinegar and water. (can be used on the hands or as a vegetable wash to neutralise pesticides.

Multi purpose surface cleaner

i) Combine 1 tsp borax, 2 tbsp white vinegar, ¼ tsp – ¼ cup (depending on preference) liquid castille and 2 cups hot water in a spray bottle. Shake well before use.

For cleaning greasy areas

mix: ½ teaspoon washing soda 2 Tablespoons distilled white vinegar ¼ teaspoon liquid soap 2 cups hot water

Chopping boards

i) Wipe over with the cut side of a fresh lemon to disinfect the board, or squeeze fresh lemon juice over the board and wipe with a damp cloth.

ii) I quote a friend of mine: ‘I discovered by accident that if you leave a big piece of pineapple on the board overnight, on top of a mouldy part of the board, it kills the mould and removes the stain.’

Multi-purpose scouring powder

i) Combine equal quantities of bicarbonate of soda, salt and borax, and use on surfaces that require extra cleaning.

Floor cleaner

i) To a large bucket hot water, add 2 tbsp white vinegar with 2 drops lemon essential oil

ii) Add 4oz borax to a bucket of hot water.

Oven and hob cleaner

i) Use neat bicarbonate of soda and a scouring sponge for the hob. In areas of bad grease, make a paste from water and bicarbonate of soda, rub over the surface of the hob and leave for a few moments before rinsing off with hot water.

For the oven, cover the base of the oven with a fine misting of water, sprinkle a layer of bicarbonate of soda over the water so that you can no longer see the base of the oven and lightly mist it with water again. Allow to dry out and mist with water again. Leave over night and in the morning scrape away the bicarbonate of soda and the grease. Rinse with hot water to remove white residue.

ii) Combine 1 part vinegar with 4 parts water and place in a spray bottle. Spray onto cool oven surfaces and scrub clean.

iii) Place 2 tsp borax, 2 tbsp liquid castile soap and warm water to fill a spray bottle. Shake well to dissolve. Spray onto oven surfaces, leave for 20 minutes and scrub with steel wool.

For tough areas on oven surfaces, use a razor blade to scrape off spills. If you’re looking for new kitchen units at a bank-friendly price, check out Kitchen Warehouse.

Next time we’ll be sharing recipes for landry cleaners and be unblocking drains!