Your Grandmother's Kitchen was Already Green and Environmentally Safe

Going green is thought of to be the new "in" thing, but what people don't realize is that your grandmother was "going green" in her day and wasn't aware of it. Our grandmothers used many natural products to clean with and she had a wonderful sanitized kitchen.

Through the years, modern chemical companies devised "new and improved" cleaners to make you think their product worked better than grandmothers old solutions. Women, who wanted something better than grandmother or mother had began buying these better solutions.

Many companies use the marketing technique of what a consumer "perceives" to be the better product. Over time, consumers began to believe the new products were better than grandmothers old stuff.

Now we've come to the time when government agencies are urging us to go green. In an attempt to keep your money, the chemical companies have supposedly made their products "green" and environmentally friendly.

Well your grandmother had the right idea and was on the right track. The cleaning solutions listed here are already green and environmentally friendly and in most cases they are much cheaper than a name brand all purpose cleaner that's been "designed" to be green and environmentally safe.

The best sanitizing agent is bleach. Most restaurants use bleach as a rinse and sanitizing agent. If it's good enough for their kitchens it's good enough for yours. Bleach is a green product because its breaks down into salt and water in the environment.

Another great cleaning product is baking soda which is slightly abrasive and can help break up stuck on foods off counter tops and spatters on the stove.

To sanitize your sink use other natural products. After cleaning the sink with soap and water, spritz some vinegar followed by hydrogen peroxide and let them air dry. Do not mix them but spray them on the sink separately.
To help shine your sink and prevent water build up give it a light wipe down with mineral oil.

Clean your dishwasher once a week with either baking soda or bleach to help keep bacteria from building up. You can also add bleach as a rinse agent to help sanitize your dishes too.
Running your dishwasher once a week while it's empty will help keep it clean. You can purchase a product like Dishwasher Magic that's designed to clean and sanitize your dishwasher or simply use bleach.

Hate cleaning spills in the oven? Get a nonstick oven liner that can be used over and over. They can be wiped clean with a cleaning rag and are dishwasher safe.

Clean and disinfect the garbage disposal the natural way. Maybe grandmother didn't have a garbage disposal, but she would have used these items to clean it.
Cut up a lemon and drop down into the disposal, add some ice cubes and salt and run as normal. This will help freshen the disposal and the salt and ice work as abrasives to clean the blades.

Do away with paper towels and use microfiber cloths instead. They can be purchased for less than $5, and many stores offer three to a pack for less than $5. They also work great for dusting and cleaning glass.

If you must use a sponge please disinfect and sanitize it nightly. When you're done with it, simply wring the water out and pop it in the microwave for about a minute on high setting.

Clean the kitchen in circles. Run a sink of hot, soapy water and then work your way around the kitchen in a circle. Start on the right or left side of the sink, depending on how your kitchen is arranged and work your way around back to the sink. Once you're back to the sink you can finish up those few dishes and you're done.

Going green in the kitchen can be easy, time saving and economical. Give up those pricey cleaning agents and use the products your grandmother used like bleach, baking soda, lemon, and vinegar. These products are all natural, safe for the environment and do a wonderful job.