All of us hope to have a clean kitchen. Although in this day and age, it is very important to really understand that not all of the cleaning products we use in our Scottsdale homes are safe for our environment. The good news is that there are more eco-friendly cleaning products available now more than ever before to make our kitchens sparkle. In point of fact, with a few simple ingredients most people already have in their cupboards, you could easily make safe, effective, natural cleaning products that cost a fraction of store-bought brands that perfectly work just as well and maybe even better.
There are various reasons to apply eco-friendly cleaning products in the kitchen. Harsh chemicals can be very harmful to your skin, eyes, nose, throat, and respiratory system. What’s more, they present a serious threat to any pets or sensitive members of the household. Apart from the negative effects on your health, a number of store-bought cleaning products contain chemicals that can harm the environment as well. Toxic chemicals can directly go out from our kitchen drain into rivers, lakes, and groundwater, killing vegetation, polluting the soil, and poisoning fish and animals.
Eco-friendly products, on the contrary, use simple, non-toxic ingredients that are better for the environment. The only concern is that not all brands that claim to be “natural” or “organic” are truly eco-friendly. There are few federal regulations that define which products can claim to be “natural.” To top it off, there are no regulations that require cleaning product manufacturers to list the ingredients in their products on their packaging.
Thereby it lies on the informed consumer to either do some research to find the truly eco-friendly brands of cleaning products available or make your own. Essentially, some of the best eco-friendly cleaning products you can make or buy contain the same simple ingredients: white vinegar and baking soda. Applied in innumerable combinations, these two pantry staples can tackle almost any mess your kitchen can produce. With several other popular, versatile cleaning supplies, you could clean your entire kitchen, floor to ceiling, without resorting to the harsh chemicals included in many store-bought brands.
For instance, sealed wood and tile floors can be cleaned and disinfected with just a little white vinegar, some warm water, and a mop or rag. Despite that the smell of vinegar may not be all that pleasant, you could easily add a drop or two of your favorite essential oil to make your kitchen smell great. The same thing would apply for cleaning one of the messiest parts of your kitchen: inside the oven. Getting that burned-on gunk off your oven’s interior can be a difficult task. Yet with a little baking soda, water, and some patience, you can use a baking soda paste to remove all that tough grime. For the best outcome, you may have to allow the baking soda paste to sit overnight before scrubbing.
By the same reason, glass and shiny surfaces can also be cleaned with eco-friendly ingredients. To do so, you could easily mix together some rubbing alcohol, white vinegar, corn starch, and water in a clean spray bottle. Then simply spray and wipe clean with a lint-free or microfiber cloth. It’s nice thinking to not use paper towels to clean glass and shiny surfaces since they are not eco-friendly and also tend to leave streaks and bits of paper towel behind.
If making your own cleaning products still doesn’t appear tempting enough, there are quite a few eco-friendly options now available. The more popular brands are Mrs. Meyer’s products, Bon Ami cleansers, and Method brand products. These and similar brands guarantee that their products are both safe and effective, not to mention eco-friendly. Most of these brands furthermore actually use 100% postconsumer recycled plastics in their packaging.
It doesn’t matter whether you are determined to buy or make kitchen cleaning products, it is quite possible that once you actually start, you will surely never go back to harsh chemicals again. Not only will you protect yourself and your home, but on top of that, you will also certainly be doing your part for the environment, too.
In the instance that you are at present looking for a rental home or needing guidance managing your Scottsdale rental property, contact Real Property Management East Valley at 480-658-0869 to have a talk with a competent Scottsdale property manager today!
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