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Health

26th May 2019

Green living: DIY this non-toxic, all natural kitchen cleaner today

Trine Jensen-Burke

natural kitchen cleaner

We all want to have gleaming, clean homes (don’t we?) – but have you though about what you are actually doing when you are cleaning your home with some store-bough cleaning concoction?

Because sure, it may look and feel clean – but you have also breathed in some very harsh chemicals, and of course, spread these around on the surfaces of your home. Worse? You might have been using one of the many ‘anti-bacerial’ cleaners available to buy in every supermarket, and, whether or not you are aware of it, been contributing to your kids leading more and more sanitzed lives, not being exposed to nearly enough good bacteria in their formative years.

Which, we now know, can have a hge impact on their future health.

This is why I have recently decided that when it comes to cleaning products – among other things – I am going to DIY from now on. And guess what? Having done some basic research into it, it turn out making your own non-toxic cleaning products is actually so easy you’ll be kicking yourself for not having made the swap sooner.

I recently came across this recipe for a simple, non-toxic kitchen cleaner, and have just ordered myself a set of amber glass spray bottles (goodbye, plastic!) on Amazon – so when they arrive, I am all set to get to work.

The herbs used in this recipe are known for their natural disinfecting, anti-bacterial & anti-microbial properties, and the smell alone is enough to make you want to clean – no, really!

natural kitchen cleaner

Fancy trying to make this spray yourself – and say goodbye to toxic, expensive cleaning sprays once and for all? This is what you need to do:

Natural Kitchen Spray

Homemade, all-natural Kitchen Cleaner Spray made with lavender, thyme and grapefruit-infused vinegar.

Ingredients

  • 23  cups white distilled vinegar (a natural disinfectant)
  • grapefruit peel from 1 grapefruit
  • ½ cup dried Thyme ( or use fresh)
  • ½ cup dried Lavender ( or use fresh)
  • Or substitute essential oils: 10 drops lavender, 5 drops thyme, 5 drops grapefruit in 3 cups vinegar. Use immediately.

1 Quart-size mason jar

Glass spray bottle

Instructions

Fill the mason jar with thyme, lavender and grapefruit peel.

Fill the jar with vinegar.

Screw on the lid (if using a metal lid, place a piece of parchment, wax paper or plastic on jar first then screw on lid- vinegar eats metal!)

Give a thorough shake and bless with intentions.

Let sit for 24 hours (or longer- it doesn’t go bad!)

Strain through a strainer. Strain again through a paper towel or cheesecloth-lined strainer, then pour into a spray bottle. Keep this full strength or dilute with water (use half strength).

Notes

Vinegar may etch porous surfaces like marble, some granites and soapstone countertops, so make sure to dilute with water and test first. A 50/50 blend is good.

This is a super flexible recipe and can be made with dried or fresh herbs, or essential oils.  Play around to find your favorite scent.