3 Ways to Clean Your Kitchen Naturally

Once a week I dedicate a day to cleaning my kitchen. It is kind of my sacred space and I think it deserves a little TLC every now and then. I do, of course, put it through a lot so this is my attempt to make up with it.

I like to keep it clean for a lot of reasons, but, as you may know, I don't like spending a lot of time cleaning (who does!). This has lead me to try to find the most efficient ways to maximize the cleaning outcome while decreasing the cleaning time.

I usually do a wipe down every night, but this week I didn't clean one thing. I mean no cleaning at all just to show you how awesome my DIY cleaners are. This actually took a lot from me because I live with a man who looovveess the microwave and actually cooks, too. You can use your imagination to fill in the rest.

But I did it! I survived! Barely. ;)

I admit I was a little happy today when I knew this was the day that my dirty kitchen would be clean again! It's the small things...

Normally, when I clean the kitchen I tend to do it in stages and this is my favorite stage because it's so easy and it works! 

First I clean the glass top range with baking soda.

I generously pour the baking soda over the range (you don't actually have to use as much as I do. I just get excited)

Then you put a rag under hot water, ring it out and put it on top of the baking soda for 10 minutes. 

After 10 minutes, use the rag to move the baking soda around and clean off the top of the range. It's not really a scrub as much as a gentle exfoliation. 

I use a wet wash cloth to wipe off the excess backing soda and then use my DIY windex to create a little shine. (Remember to shake the bottle so the corn starch mixes back in!) You can also use regular windex or any glass cleaner.

The final result:

While the range is "soaking" for ten minutes I will clean the stainless steel, wipe down all the knobs/handles with my all purpose cleaner, and use my DIY windex to clean all the glass components.

It's really simple to clean your stainless steel.

All you need is a wet washcloth, some oil, and two soft cloths. I've used paper towels too and the results are still really good, but the best results are with something like an old t-shirt. 

I use olive oil, but you can try other oils if you don't have olive oil.

First, I will wet the wash cloth and wipe down the appliance. I like using a wash cloth because it has a bit more fibers to get in there and clean. 

After the wipe down, I will dry it off, then apply some oil to a dry, soft cloth. I do the whole karate kid "wax on, wax off" approach by apply the oil and then using the other cloth to remove any excess. I usually will apply the oil to all of my appliances and then come back around to wipe them off, so there isn't a huge rush.

Well, unless you have a dog that likes to lick olive oil....

It's so simple! It really takes less than 5 minutes for me to clean the stainless steel on my oven, microwave, dishwasher, and fridge this way and it's so much cheaper than the fancy stainless steel cleaners, too!

My range will still be "soaking"after I'm done cleaning all the stainless steel so then I move on to the microwave.

All you need is some vinegar, water and a bowl.

It's simple: put the vinegar in the bowl and add water. I usually use a ratio that is 4 parts vinegar and 1 part water, but it really doesn't matter.

There is no set amount-- just enough so it won't all evaporate when you put it in the microwave for about 5 minutes.

I usually stick this in the microwave right before I start cleaning the stainless steel so it's ready to go when I'm done.

Here is the dirty microwave. Ew.

After putting the bowl in the microwave for about 5 minutes you should be able to easily wipe out all the gunk without any scrubbing. If you have any trouble spots, just put the mixture back in for another minute or two. 

Tada! All done and that only took less than 20 minutes. Sweet. 

Don't pay attention to the time on the clock. I got distracted by laundry... and the TV... and then I found some ants creeping in through the french doors. I had to destroy them! Mauahahaha!! 

You know how it is.

I hope you like these methods to clean your kitchen more naturally! 

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