Corin has a good question: I've switched to all green cleaning products and I also use natural cleaners like baking soda, vinegar, and lemon juice. But after preparing and cooking raw meat and other foods, I'd like to spray a disinfectant on the counter and sink. Are there any green disinfectants?
Good Questions: Green Way to Disinfect Sink?
That's a good question.
We found a good answer over at Mom's Organic House. Natural oils will actually disinfect. For example, you can mix equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle and add tea tree oil- a natural disinfectant. She suggests lavender and thyme as two other oils that work well at disinfecting.
Essential oils smell so much nicer than Mr. Clean! It's definitely worth the switch.
Anyone else have another solution?
Pic via Inspired Sinks
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sigh, i just cannot give up bleach, though i know i should. if only i didn't live in an apartment that had white formica kitchen cabinets and counters.
good to know about those essential oils though! maybe at my next place i can make the switch.
view gleek's profile
Vinegar kills 96% of bacteria- Lavender is anti-microbial... As for getting things white- baking soda does a great job.
view Jet'set's profile
Grapefruit Seed Extract. If you buy a bottle of it at Whole Foods (it runs about $12, but lasts forever and can be used for a tone of things) and just dilute it in water (just a few drops of GSE) and it will kill most everything. Google it for tons of info.
view twostraightlines's profile
Benefect thyme oil disinfectant: http://www.benelifegreen.com/
Our Music Together class uses it on all the instruments/toys.
view peanutbutter's profile
gleek, have you gone 'bleach free' for a period? your white counters are understandably worth protection and cleaning, but i went bleach free some time ago and it's really working. just asking. you sound admirably dedicated to a beautiful space.
view avianmission's profile
tests have shown that a spray of vinegar and water followed by a spray of hydrogen peroxide are just as effective as any other sanitizing routine, and very green. (H202 just breaks down into oxygen and water, though it will bleach things too.)
view marthachick's profile
I'm interested in the pic above. I'd like to use butcher block counters and an undermount sink (like the apron sink in the pic) in my kitchen remodel, but didn't think the counter would hold up to the water exposure. Has anyone used this combo?
view Shawn's profile
Shawn - don't do it! I lived in an apartment with butcher block counters on either side of the sink and within a year after they were installed, they were horribly stained from water. I went online and searched and it's not recommended to do it - please take my advice, if you want nice looking counters!
view katieLA's profile
If you're trying to be green, the first step would be not to have the meat in the first place. Its production is harming the planet much more than eco-unfriendly cleansers.
view eeka's profile