18 Jul 5 Smart Ways to Use Essential Oils in the Kitchen
Kitchens are sacred spaces. We pour our time, effort, creativity, and love into them. The least we can do is to ensure that our kitchens are hygienic, safe, and welcoming. In this article we explore how you can use essential oils for different purposes to keep your kitchen clean, fresh, and inviting.
But first, why essential oils?
Essential oils are concentrated natural oils that are extracted from various herbaceous and beneficial plants. Most of them are naturally antiseptic, antimicrobial, and antibacterial. This makes them highly suitable for various purposes ranging from personal care to home care.
These oils are great ingredients for DIY natural cleaners. Natural cleaners are a great alternative to the chemical-laden, harsh cleaning products that are commercially available.
So how can we use essential oils in the kitchen?
Essential oils can effectively disinfect, de-grease, and deep clean. Here are some effective and easy ways of using essential oils for a clean and sparkly kitchen.
1. For cleaning counters
Kitchens are perhaps the most-used parts of the house through the day. Moreover, within the kitchen, the counter-tops are used and cleaned multiple times. It is vital that the counter-tops where most of the processing, chopping, kneading, and handling of food items takes place, is free of germs and bacteria.
Lemon and Clove essential oils are great choices for creating an all-purpose surface cleaner. Combine 30 ml of white vinegar with 5-6 drops of each essential oil in a spray bottle. Spray and wipe off your kitchen counter-top with a damp cloth to reveal a germ and microbe free surface.
Both Lemon and Clove are highly antibacterial. Additionally, Lemon essential oil is also a great grease-cutter which is a quality you need in a kitchen counter-top cleaner.
2. As a fridge deodorizer
Refrigerators come to contain and hold strong odours. This could be the smell of onion, garlic, or worse of some rotting item. As a matter of fact, often these unwanted smells are absorbed by other food stuff. An easy and gentle way to get rid of unwanted smells from your fridge is to deodorize it. However, since you are dealing with food here, it is absolutely imperative to avoid any harsh and harmful chemicals.
You can prepare an easy DIY fridge deodorizer by combining 4 to 5 drops of Grapefruit and Bergamot essential oils to a small spice jar filled with baking soda. Mix these well. Then, remove the lid of the jar and place it in the door of the fridge. You’ll notice the unpleasant smell replaced by a citrus fragrance. It is a good idea to choose citrus-based essential oils instead of more floral or woody fragrances.
Remember to always first clean and wipe off any spills before you place the fridge deodorizer.
3. As an air freshener
DIY air fresheners made with essential oils are a great way of disinfecting the air, while also creating a clean and fresh ambience. You can choose from a wide variety of essential oils based on the aroma profile that you prefer. Lavender, Peppermint, Marjoram, Clove, Eucalyptus, Roman Chamomile, Sage, Rosemary, Lemon, Thyme; the list can go on and on.
Take a spray bottle and fill 3/4 of it with water. Add four to five drops of around five essential oils of your choice. (Experimenting with these to arrive at your unique blend is great fun!) Mist the spray in your kitchen as you start the day and when you end the day as a morning and evening ritual. Heck, spray when you like to refresh yourself and your kitchen alike.
4. As a floor cleaner
The kitchen really needs to be a safe space. What we mean by this is that the farther away chemicals and harsh commercial cleaners are, the better it is for your and your family’s health. And just in case you’re a fan of the five-second rule, it is imperative that the floor cleaner you use is a natural one!
Commercial floor cleaners are made of artificial dyes, synthetic fragrances, and other harmful ingredients that you should stay far away from. While we would recommend a natural floor cleaner for your entire house, especially if you have pets and/or children, a natural floor cleaner for your kitchen also means that chemicals don’t get absorbed by food items that you are handling or cooking.
You can make a refreshing and powerful floor cleaner with the following ingredients: 4 to 5 drops each of Lemon, Tea Tree, Lavender, and Eucalyptus essential oils combined with half a cup of white vinegar, half a cup of rubbing alcohol, and 5 drops of liquid dish soap. Avoid the temptation of using Castille soap, as it will leave smears.
Mix these ingredients well and store in a spray bottle. Spray the contents on the floor after you have swept the floor with a broom or vacuumed. Ideally, wipe the floor with a microfiber cloth to reveal a sparkly clean kitchen floor.
5. As a garbage deodorizer
It is but natural that garbage bins will smell. The wet waste in particular begins to decompose and breakdown and that powerful, unpleasant whiff every time you open the bin isn’t something that anyone looks forward to.
However, you can use essential oils to mask these bad odours. Similar to the fridge deodorizing mixture, combine half a cup of baking soda with 10 drops of Rosemary, 8 drops of Eucalyptus, and 6 drops of Lavender essential oils and store in a glass container. You can sprinkle some of this mixture into your trash can before you start adding the garbage for the day.
Alternatively, you can combine a few drops of Lavender, Tea Tree, and Orange essential oils to 3/4 cup of white vinegar and 1/2 cup of water in a spray bottle and spray your trash can twice a day to keep unwanted smells at bay.
Enjoy these easy and effective hacks with essential oils to keep your kitchens clean, healthy, and safe. Happy cooking!
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