I clean my countertops a lot. The kitchen is a high traffic area that sees a lot of action when you make three meals a day for three kids. I try to clean up messes as I make them (you’d be surprised how far your beloved Kitchen Aid can fling cake batter!). Add in wiping down counters and tables after every meal and we can go through a bottle of all-natural cleaner in no time.
Keeping the kitchen spotless is about as likely as keeping the counters clutter-free, but you can mix up one of these simple solutions to eliminate a lot of the yucky allergy-causing chemicals. Yes, it’s surprisingly easy to create a homemade countertop cleaner that is effective, eco-friendly and inexpensive. It can even be as simple as just mixing white vinegar and water.
DIY Ways to Keep Your Countertops Clean
Scroll down to find a few of our favorite DIY countertop cleaner recipes to clean and disinfect your kitchen prep areas naturally.
1. Homemade Grapefruit All-Purpose Cleaner
Good news: vinegar is pretty much all you need in a counter cleaner (unless you’ve been cutting raw chicken). The natural acid is tough on bacteria and viruses on counters, floors, sinks and toilets. Bad news: vinegar totally stinks. That’s where infusing (like lavender and sage here) and essential oils are extremely helpful. Vinegar soaking citrus peels in vinegar helps to extract a natural, powerful solvent found in citrus peels called limonene.
2. Alkaline DIY All Purpose Cleaner
Not sure when to use baking soda instead of vinegar? Well, baking soda is alkaline, and alkaline cleaners are excellent at cutting through grease, dirt, proteins and oils. Baking soda is a very gentle abrasive while washing soda is more heavy duty. Alkaline cleaners are also effective in neutralizing acidic odors (like urine) and removing acidic stains (like wine).
3. Natural Granite Cleaner
This homemade counter cleaner is gentle enough for surfaces like granite and marble. Vinegar-based cleaners are a no-no for natural stone counters because the vinegar can etch the surfaces. Instead, this spray uses safe, non-toxic ingredients like Castile soap and rubbing alcohol to clean and disinfect your countertops.
4. Homemade Cleaning Wipes
Don’t be intimidated – making your own cleaning wipes is easier than you think! This recipe makes a whole roll of paper towels to use for spring cleaning around the kitchen. Plus you don’t have to worry about what’s in the mystery solution of store bought wipes.
5. Better-Than-Bleach All-Purpose Cleaner
Worried about getting your cleaner on food or leaving harmful residue? Using vinegar and hydrogen peroxide together is 10 times more effective than using either spray by itself. And it’s safe around food and kids. Simply spray one right after the other onto surfaces you want to clean – counters, cutting boards, even fruits & veggies.
6. How to Clean a Cutting Board
Wood countertops and wood cutting boards need more than just a rinse in hot water. To remove stains and get rid of any residual odors, scrub the surface with a mixture of salt and lemon juice. The acid in the lemon juice will give the abrasive salt the extra kick it needs to remove tough stains.
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Exceptional tips.
Vinegar + hydrogen peroxide creates peracetic acid, while not as toxic as chlorine gas (vinegar + bleach), it’s still harmful