Full disclosure: I’m not a cleaning expert. If anything, I’m a cooking expert and a mess-making expert (with the help of two small people). So why should you listen to me? If these 3 eco-friendly kitchen products can stand up to the challenge of my extensive cooking and sub-par cleaning skills, they can probably help you too!
Would you rather watch me talk about them?
Cleaning Sucks, Am I Right?
If you disagree, I invite you to just leave right now. Or maybe come to my house. I mean, definitely come to my house.
What I’ve learned over years of cleaning up kitchen messes, is that you can make cleaning easier by finding great products that work for you. That’s why I want to highlight these helpful cleaning products.
I have a few requirements for my cleaning products – maybe you do too:
- They must work
- They should be safe for my family
- I don’t want lots of different products crowding my precious kitchen
But before we get to the products I love, let me share some common sense upkeep techniques that can make cleaning easier. Here are the things that we do nightly to avoid having to do deeper/harder cleaning:
- Run the dishwasher: The less time that food has to crust on, the more likely that the dishwasher will clean it
- Clean out the sink and wipe it down: Your mornings will go much more smoothly and the sink will be easier to clean if food pieces haven’t been sitting overnight
- Wipe down countertops: See above…same reasons 🙂
In the event that you’re a fellow cleaning hater, here’s my #1 tip:Â DON’T BUY KITCHEN EQUIPMENT THAT CAN’T GO IN THE DISHWASHER. Literally, the only things that don’t go in the dishwasher in my kitchen are: an amazing ceramic serving bowl given to me by a friend, my chef’s knives, a couple of wooden spoons.
My food processor, my Instant Pot accessories, my stainless steel cookware? It all gets rinsed in the sink and then thrown in the dishwasher. Done and done.
Why use eco-friendly kitchen products?
Imma let you in on a little secret. I used to work at Whole Foods Market (not the secret) and the things that other team members most often told me they’d buy elsewhere were: soda (we didn’t sell it) and cleaning products (ours “didn’t work”). And they’re not wrong! In the name of earth friendliness, I’ve tried SO MANY different “eco-friendly” cleaning products.
Why keep trying them even though so many don’t work?
- As a fellow parent, I hope you can agree that protecting the legacy of our planet is more important than ever
- As  health-conscious parents you can probably agree that you want to protect your children from toxic cleaners as well
- And ultimately, don’t you have enough stress? I want to help you feel good about what you’re putting into your house
Curious about how cleaning supplies might affect your health and the planet?
- The Environment Protection Agency talks a little about the impacts of cleaning products in this guide
- The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has a lot of details about cleaning supplies and your health
3 Eco-Friendly Kitchen Products that actually work
Method Smarty Dish Plus Dishwasher Packs
You can find these most easily on Amazon.
What’s great about them is that they:
- Are mineral based
- Have a fragrance-free option – do you really need scented dishes?
- Actually work!!
I am especially passionate about finding more natural dishwasher soaps. After all, I can tell with most of them that there’s still residue on the plates and my family eats off those! I don’t want my kids eating toxic residues and I’m not the only one who’s concerned about this.
That said, given my inclination towards washing everything in the dishwasher, I really need the detergent to work too. Unlike many other “green” brands I’ve tried, this one actually does.
Fair warning that it’s not perfect. While this specific version isn’t rated, similar Method dishwasher detergents only get a “B-C” rating from the Environmental Working Group (EWG). Â However, effective counterparts like Cascade and Finish get D and F ratings. Cleaner counterparts like Wave, Seventh Generation, and Biokleen just haven’t worked for me in the past, so I recommend these Smarty Dish Plus ones as a “better not best” solution from a “green” perspective.
Puracy Natural All-Purpose Cleaner
This one is also best available on Amazon. It comes highly rated by Wirecutter.
Cool things about Puracy:
- It’s an alkaline cleaner
- It’s effective on everything from countertops to crayons on walls
- Since it works on many surfaces, I don’t have to have lots of other cleaners under my sink as well
As far as “eco-friendliness” and “safety”, the EWG gives it an “A” rating. Score!
White Vinegar
Distilled white vinegar is an awesome multi-purpose kitchen tool that can help with all kinds of things!
I especially like to use it for washing my fruits and veggies. That way I don’t have to buy those fancy and more expensive washes at the store. Here’s how to use it:
- 1 part vinegar
- 3 parts water
- Put in a big bowl
- Soak fruits and veggies about 2 minutes
Cook’s Illustrated found that this vinegar rinse technique removed up to 98% of bacteria. Check out more about washing fruits and veggies with vinegar here.
What other cleaning can vinegar help with? I’m glad you asked:
- Better Homes and Gardens uses it for everything from drains to cutting boards
- One Good Thing by Jillee dubs it a “favorite” but also warns about the items that shouldn’t be cleaned with it (natural stone countertops are one of the items, which is why I keep something like Puracy on hand as well)
- Bon Appetit shares 18 things you can clean with vinegar in your kitchen
Now I think it’s time to cook so that you’ll have something to clean! ;). Here are some ideas:
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