Kitchen Cleaner Series: DIY Natural Kitchen Counter Cleaners

If you spend any time in the kitchen during the day, then your counters probably should be wiped down before the day's over. We usually cook all three meals each day, so the counters sometimes need an extra cleaning midday. Let's take a look at how some of the typical store-bought granite cleaners rank on EWG. First, here's the list of granite cleaners they've investigated so far:

Don't you love how the product labeled "non-toxic" received an "F" rating?! Wow. Once again this proves you can't trust the main label. Because of this irony, I had to check that product out, so here are its details:

Besides the cancer-causing preservatives, there are a few other things that jump out here for me. The ingredient disclosure for this product it poor, which means EWG can tell that there are other ingredients in this product besides what's listed on it. Also, one of the ingredients is "Fragrance" which means that some unidentified, synthetic scent was used in this product. Since it's not clearly defined either, the company could add a slightly different "fragrance" whenever they want!!

DIY Alternatives

Since the list of granite cleaners on EWG's database doesn't look promising, it would be best to go with making your own granite cleaner. I have been using this Homemade Granite Cleaner recipe found on One Good Thing by Jillee that's worked very well. The necessary ingredients are:

• A spray bottle (glass bottle, if using essential oil)
• Rubbing alcohol
• Liquid castile soap (or another natural liquid soap)
• Water
• Optional: essential oil of choice, but not citrus

Her recipe is for a 16-ounce spray bottle, but I prefer a larger, 32-ounce bottle, so be sure to adjust your measurements according to the size of your bottle. She also suggests a dishwashing liquid like Dawn, but that's far from natural, so don't use that. You can find Dr. Bronner's liquid castile soap in the beauty section at Target or on Amazon for a reasonable price.

If you have a non-granite counter, you can use my DIY Non-Toxic All-Purpose Cleaner. To scrub tile grout, you can use this disinfectant scrubbing recipe from Growing Up Natural. She uses it for toilets, but it's also safe and wonderful for sinks and tile grout!

Also, these recipes will cost you half to a quarter of the cost of a store-bought counter cleaner!!

This post is the first in my Kitchen Cleaner Series. Stay tuned for more natural kitchen cleaning alternatives later this week and for the next couple weeks!! If you missed it, here's a link to my 2-Ingredient DIY After-Shower Spray that also contains links to the rest of my natural bathroom cleaners.

Will you be ditching your counter top cleaner now? Are you going to try this out?