Green Your Kitchen

Has going green become a mission in your life? Are you looking for ways to change your family and home for the better of the planet? If so, start with your kitchen. With a few simple choices, you can find options that make your kitchen ecologically friendly.

Make natural surface cleaners. There are several natural options for creating homemade surface cleaners to replace the over-perfumed and chemical sprays of store-bought cleaners. The simplest and most effective homemade cleaners use baking soda, lemon juice and water. This combination removes odors, offers scrubbing capabilities and leaves a fresh scent once the surface is clean. A second option is a mixture of white vinegar and water though people don't always like the scent that remains.

For stains and soap scum, make a paste. The first cleanser requires a tablespoon of baking soda, a squeeze of lemon and a teaspoon of warm water. Mix the three together to form a paste for scrubbing surfaces. Add some additional water if needed.

Use a spray for surface cleaning. Use the same ingredients to make a non-scrubbing cleaner to wipe down surfaces to clean and sanitize them. Combine a cup of warm water with a tablespoon of baking soda and a teaspoon of lemon juice in a spray bottle. Spray surfaces that need cleaning and wipe down with a clean, dry cloth.

Simplify recycling. If your family isn't joining you on the environmental bandwagon, you might need to make the process simpler for them. Consider placing three bins under the kitchen sink so that the containers are easily separated. Or designate one family member each week to sort the garbage every day. After a few weeks, everyone will be sorting ahead of time so they don't have to sort through the trash at the end of the day.

Make the switch to organic. The final step to greening your kitchen is the hardest one. Start picking up your produce from the local farmers market or from the organic aisles in your grocery store. The switch to organic foods will keep the pesticides and unnatural chemicals from invading your kitchen in the first place. Though the change can be expensive, think of it as an investment in the future of the planet.

Renata Lavlor writes clean green tips and other housekeeping tips for HowToDoThings.com.

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