I'm Richa, the face behind My Food Story. Welcome to this series where I'll be sending you an email exclusive tip/recipe every Wednesday! Here's today's Tip/Kitchen Hack: A lot of cleaning supplies we use today are filled with chemicals and we can totally avoid those! Did you know you only need a few basic pantry ingredients to do a kitchen deep clean? Here are a few simple things that can make your kitchen shine again: - Lemon or Citric Acid - The citric acid in lemons works wonderfully on alkaline stains and can also be used to sanitize non-porous surfaces and shine oxidized metal (hint: use it to make old copper pots and pans sparkle). It's also a great way to get rid of odour or have your microwave smelling like new. Have a weird smelling pot? Fill it up with water and a few pieces of lemon and let this boil for a few minutes. Or place a glass of water in the microwave with a few pieces of lemon in it and run the microwave for a 1 minute cycle.
- White Vinegar - White vinegar is a super powerful cleaner made from acetic acid and water. It can easily cut through grease, odours, stains, and wax buildup. Thanks to its high acidity, white vinegar reduces surface bacteria, making it a safe option. If you have a stubborn kadai or pan with oily stains stuck to it, use a vinegar and baking soda solution and spread it over the stains. Leave it for a few minutes and then clean it with soap. Voila! Clean as new!
- Baking Soda - Baking soda is a great ingredient to make scrubs. Its properties help in attacking grimy stuck-on grease and absorb strong food odours making it the perfect non-toxic pantry staple.
- Essential Oils - Essential oils are versatile to use and have the added advantage of a great smell. They have a wide range of medicinal properties and are also quite powerful agents against bacteria and fungus. Tea tree, citronella, geranium, lemongrass, orange, and patchouli are some essential oils which when added to soap solutions increase its bacteria-fighting abilities.
- Hot Water - The simple combination of water and heat makes for the ultimate economical and chemical-free disinfectant. When heated to at least 100C (boiling point), it not only eliminates tough stuck-on stains and grease, but can also sanitize both hard and soft surfaces. Have a pan with burnt bits and bobs stuck to the bottom? Before using that scrubber try this. Just fill the pot up with water and boil it for a few minutes. Then use a spatula to scrape the bottom - the burnt bits should just come off.
Here is my basic all-purpose cleaner recipe:
- Add a few dried lemon peels to a mason jar and cover it with equal parts warm water and vinegar. Mix well and add 1-2 spoons of baking soda and allow it to react with the acids. Once it's done frothing, add a few drops of an essential oil of your choice and mix. Allow this to sit for a few days (the longer it sits, the better). Strain and transfer to a spray bottle. You can strengthen or dilute this mix according to your liking. You can even add a few drops of dish soap if you keep them on hand, this increases the potency of the cleaner.You can use this to clean countertops, spray on fruits and vegetables to remove that waxy coating, clean steel sinks and even your dishes! Hope this helps!! Is there anything else you need help with? Reply and tell me and I'll make sure to include it in my next few emails. | |
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