ARTICLE CATEGORIES

Kitchen Cleaner With Essential Oils for Safe Food Prep Areas

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Kitchens are an area that can get messy fast. After all, the kitchen gets used multiple times a day! My Homemade Kitchen Cleaner With Essential Oils gets your kitchen sparkling clean with no chemicals. I know you’ll love it as much as I do!

Abundant living is so much more than what you put in and on your body. It also encompasses how you clean your home. Having a chemical-free home is essential to your family’s health, and it can impact your emotional and physical health. Swapping toxic cleaners is an easy step that makes all the difference!

Toxic Conventional Kitchen Cleaners

Sodium Hydroxide

Most cleaning products include sodium hydroxide, the main ingredient in bleach. When inhaled, this toxin can irritate mucous membranes and lungs. (1) Most of us don’t even use gloves when cleaning with these products, but manufacturers recommend wearing gloves, goggles, and even masks!

One of the worst things about these cleaning agents is that they destroy all bacteria, which isn’t good for your immune system! Specific forms of bacteria are good for you and should be left alone.

Synthetic Fragrances

Without the use of synthetic fragrance, conventional cleaners wouldn’t smell good. Your kitchen may smell fresh, but at what cost to your health? There are over 4000 chemicals that fall under a general “fragrance” label, and you never know just what toxins the company has used.

The FDA has set a legal loophole to allow companies to keep their formulas a secret. (2) While this prevents other manufacturers from copying their recipes, it doesn’t allow consumers much information about their purchases. Synthetic fragrances cause many people to react badly, with manifestations ranging from skin issues to migraines. Essential oils are a wonderful substitute for artificial fragrances!

Toluene

This toxin is found in many multi-purpose cleaners because it dissolves sticky substances. While it does the job well, it causes many health issues. Toluene can cause eye irritations, skin dryness, feelings of anxiety, and brain fog. If you use products that contain this toxin, you’re risking pregnancy loss, insomnia, and damage to the reproductive system. (3) There are safer ways to clean up a mess!

Transform Your Home into a Toxic-Free Haven

This lovely DIY is one of the many recipes we use in our home to create a toxin-free environment that’s safe for our friends and family.

If you like this recipe, I encourage you to try our Homemade Oven Cleaner With Essential Oils! A few simple recipes can equip you with the tools you need to create a clean home that doesn’t affect your body negatively.

Creating a healthier home is easier than you think!

Non-Toxic Kitchen Cleaner Ingredients

This recipe uses simple ingredients to get your kitchen squeaky clean! You may already have a few of these elements on hand. Here’s what you need.

Purified or Distilled Water: Did you know that your water plays a big part in your overall health? It’s true! Tap water is linked to obesity, diabetes, and more. I recommend using purified or distilled water whenever possible. Several water filtration systems are easy to install and keep homes toxin-free.

Organic White Distilled Vinegar: This frugal ingredient is a natural cleaner that’s effective against bacteria and mold. This is my favorite base for homemade cleaners and a fantastic replacement for caustic chemicals. For granite counters, omit the vinegar and replace it with the same amount of alcohol or vodka.

Lemongrass Essential Oil: This EO smells lovely and has antibacterial properties. (4) It can also effectively fight fungi like mold. (5) Lemongrass has an uplifting citrus scent. I love cleaning with it because it makes surfaces smell fresh!

Citrus essential oils can increase food safety by fighting nasty bacteria in the kitchen. They can also help cut through greasy messes!

Tea Tree Essential Oil: This is a fantastic antifungal essential oil, making it a great addition to your household cleaners. Its clean scent makes it popular in DIY cleaning products.

Lemon Eucalyptus Essential Oil: Lemon eucalyptus is part of the myrtle tree family. This EO sanitizes surfaces and also helps repel insects. (6) It’s one of my favorite fresh scents, and I love diffusing it in the Spring!

Citronella Essential Oil: If you live in a warmer climate, you know the struggle of insects invading your home! Citronella essential oil helps repel insects while freshening surfaces. (7) It has a relaxing effect, making this cleaner an excellent aromatherapy experience. I like using it to clean patio furniture in the Summer.

How to Make Homemade Kitchen Cleaners

This cleaner comes together in minutes. It smells amazing and disinfects the worst messes!

Homemade Kitchen Cleaner With Refreshing Essential Oils

Author Mama Z

Quantity

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces organic distilled white vinegar*
  • 10 drops lemongrass essential oil
  • 10 drops tea tree essential oil
  • 5 drops lemon eucalyptus essential oil
  • 5 drops citronella essential oil
  • 1 cup purified OR distilled water

Instructions
 

  • Pour all the ingredients into a glass spray bottle and shake to evenly combine.
  • Spray kitchen surfaces and wipe down.

Step One: Pour Ingredients

kitchen spray with essential oils step one

Pour the vinegar, essential oils, and water into a glass spray bottle and shake evenly to combine.

Step Two: Sanitize Surfaces

To use your homemade kitchen cleaner, spray surfaces and wipe them down. Enjoy your sparkling clean kitchen!

Mama Z Pro Tips:

  • Because this homemade kitchen cleaner contains essential oils, it’s best to store it in a dark, dry spot. I usually keep my DIY cleaning products under the kitchen sink!
  • For extremely tough messes, try spraying the surface and letting the cleaner sit for about five minutes before scrubbing.
  • You can switch up the scent of this spray if you like. Try replacing a citrus-based oil with lavender or magnolia!

References:

  1. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/sodium-hydroxide/default.html#:~:text=Sodium%20hydroxide%20is%20very%20corrosive,from%20exposure%20to%20sodium%20hydroxide.
  2. https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-labeling/trade-secret-ingredients
  3. https://www.osha.gov/toluene#:~:text=Without%20proper%20ventilation%20and%20safety,being%20drunk%2C%20confusion%20and%20anxiety.
  4. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1995764510601290
  5. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/%28SICI%291099-1573%28199611%2910%3A7%3C551%3A%3AAID-PTR1908%3E3.0.CO%3B2-Q
  6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3059459/
  7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21481108/

Read this next

Natural Beauty

Homemade Body Wash for Kids & Sensitive Skin: Safe, Gentle & Non-Toxic DIY

QUICK SUMMARY Homemade body wash for kids and sensitive skin is a gentle, non-toxic bath wash made with organic unscented...

Natural Beauty

Non-Toxic Homemade Gifts for Men: Father’s Day, Christmas & More

Have you thought about making Daddy, Hubby or that special guy non-toxic homemade gifts for men? If so… this is...

Natural Home

Essential Oil Diffuser Recipes for Every Occasion

40+ Essential Oil Diffuser Recipes for Every Season

QUICK SUMMARY Essential oil diffuser recipes are simple combinations of pure essential oils that you can use in an ultrasonic...

Natural Beauty

DIY Dry Shampoo with Essential Oils & Safe Ingredients

DIY Dry Shampoo with Essential Oils & Safe Ingredients

QUICK SUMMARY Homemade dry shampoo is a simple, non-toxic powder that absorbs excess oil at the roots, adds volume, and...

Natural Beauty

DIY Body Powder Recipe with Essential Oils for Safe Skin Care

Homemade Body Powder Recipe: Talc-Free DIY Body Powder

QUICK SUMMARY Homemade body powder is a simple, natural alternative to store-bought powders that often contain talc, synthetic fragrance, and...

Natural Home

13 Chemicals in Laundry Detergent & How to Avoid Them!

13 Chemicals in Laundry Detergent to Avoid for a Non-Toxic Home

QUICK SUMMARY Your laundry detergent can be a source of daily chemical exposure because detergent residues, scents, brighteners, softeners, dyes,...
Join Our Natural Living Family!

Be the light your family, friends, and community need with FREE eBooks, meal plans & daily guidance
on healthy DIYs, healing with essential oils, natural living, and Biblical inspiration 
from the most trusted faith-based natural health newsletter online.