Cleaning My Kitchen With Food

I’m doing it! I’m cleaning my kitchen with lemon juice and vinegar!

I was very hesitant to try it, but now that I’m doing it, I’ll never look back.

First of all, I cannot possibly tell you the peace of mind that comes from cleaning your kitchen with food. I can make a sandwich on top of a freshly cleaned countertop without worrying about residue from cleaners.

And it’s so inexpensive that I can use it liberally without a second thought. I don’t just swipe a rag over my table now. I really clean it.

Is it effective, you ask?

Cosmetically, it’s definitely effective! The acidic properties of the lemon juice and the vinegar break down dried-on food and grease. I just spray, leave to soak for a few minutes, then come back and wipe for a clean stove-top. Cooked-on food wipes away like a charm!

In terms of bacteria, we need to first review the real idea behind cleaning. We’re not looking to eliminate ALL bacteria, just to greatly diminish their numbers.

We want enough to give our immune system some exercise, but not enough to make us sick. This is why, unless you have an immunosupressive disease, you should not use antibacterial cleaners on everything. The medical community widely agrees that overuse of antibacterials can lead to allergies, as the immune system seeks things to attack.

That said, lemon juice and vinegar CAN kill bacteria. They are not potent germ-killers, but they do kill some germs. Combine that with their ability to dissolve spills for easy clean-up, and it’s a perfectly safe, effective cleaner for kitchen use. If you really want something antibacterial, you can add a few drops of tea tree oil.

A convenient, unexpected side effect of my new, liberal use of this cleaner is that my kitchen rags smell cleaner longer! The vinegar seems to be preventing bacteria from growing on the rag as quickly. Nice! I go through so many kitchen rags…

To make the solution, you mix 2 parts water, 1 part vinegar, and 1 part lemon juice. It needs to be diluted because vinegar can harm some surfaces if left on them at full-strength.

I didn’t like the vinegar smell, so I added a few drops of sweet orange essential oil. That greatly decreased the smell. You could use any essential oil.