5 kitchen staples that can be used as sustainable household cleaners

Spring cleaning offers a fresh start each year—and that fresh start feels especially needed in 2020. But amid the pandemic, finding cleaning supplies is equivalent to finding a unicorn.

Enter: your pantry staples. Items like oil and vinegar can be used for more than cooking, and there are lots of good reasons to give them a try instead of your usual chemical-filled stuff. For one, Earth Day is coming up, and it’s as good a time as ever to focus on cleaner, more sustainable living. Two, indoor air pollution is real, and it can be caused by cooking our favorite foods, airborne particles from furniture, and yes, your household cleaners.

Vinegar

It’s our go-to-marinade and salad dressing, but vinegar can get rid of soap scum, grease and grime. Use it to clean glass, countertops, faucets, floors, dishwashers, your bathroom and even your laundry.

Try to opt for white distilled vinegar when it comes to cleaning, since it doesn’t have a coloring agent, meaning it won’t stain your different surfaces.

And yes, it will leave a vinegar-y smell, but that goes away after about an hour or so. If you really can’t stand it, add some drops of your favorite essential oil to the vinegar mixture, or just open a window.

Lemons

Squeeze juice from this delicious fruit and mix with a little salt to disinfect wood cutting boards. You can also dilute an ounce of lemon juice in two cups of water to clean your tea kettles, and you can even use lemon juice to freshen up your toilet bowls and garbage disposals.

Olive oil

It is said to be healthier than vegetable oil—and olive oil is just as nourishing for your surfaces. You can clean and condition your favorite stainless steel appliances (by starting with vinegar to remove the grease, then finishing with the olive oil); leather chairs and kitchen cabinets (mixing it with one part lemon juice and two parts oil). Don’t forget to clean and season your cast-iron skillets with it, while you’re at it.

Baking soda

If your grandma told you that baking soda can fix anything, she wasn’t wrong. Baking soda can be used to remove food stains from your Tupperware, clean your store-bought produce, scrub off marks and mildew, and deodorize your fridge, upholstery and pet beds.

Rice

We all know rice goes great with everything, but it’s actually a versatile cleaner for your household.

Grinding coffee beans can leave your coffeemaker grimy, but grinding uncooked rice in it can absorb moisture and oils left behind by the beans and sharpen the blades. Rice water isn’t just for your hair; it can be used as a glass cleaner or a natural starch for ironing clothes. When cleaning your reusable bottles, or any kitchen tool with hard-to-reach places, add some rice to your soap and water. It will act as a scrubbing agent as you swirl it around in the container.

What natural household cleaners do you like to use? Tell us in the comments!