Kitchens are a MAJOR hotspot for food-borne pathogens, germs, and other bacteria that can lead to illness...

If you want to keep you and your family safe, you’ve got to know what can keep your kitchen clean!

No matter how often you wipe down your kitchen counters, you may not be ridding your home of harmful germs! Kitchens are one of the most highly contaminated areas in the home and that’s because it is central to daily life. You prepare the food you and your family needs to get through each day, as well as store and clean the utensils you use to eat and drink. If you aren’t using the right products, you could unknowingly be putting you and your family at risk! According to the CDC, 20% of food-borne illness outbreaks are traced back to food prepared in the home. To make matters worse, the NSF’s 2013 Germ Study concluded that several common kitchen items and appliances were noted as breeding grounds for E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria, and yeast and mold! Most of the issue comes from improper food storage and improper cleaning of the kitchen, so making sure you have the right cleaning items at the ready can make a huge difference for your family’s health! Here are 8 noteworthy cleaning items to keep your kitchen clean and your home happy and healthy! 

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1. Mild Dishwashing Liquid

Having a reliable dish detergent is a staple for most homes, probably because it is such a versatile cleaning agent. It obviously has a lot of use for cleaning dishes, especially greasy pots and pans, but it can also be used in other ways to clean your kitchen and home more effectively! By mixing 1 teaspoon of dish detergent with about 16 ounces of water in a spray bottle, you’ve created a great all-purpose cleaner to get into every nook and cranny for a more thorough clean! It can also be used as an effective, convenient, and affordable stain remover. All you have to do is pour a bit of your dish detergent on the stain you want gone and let sit for a few hours while the soap penetrates the fabric. You can also place the fabric in a soapy bath and let soak for a few hours. Afterwards, rinse the fabric thoroughly and wash as usual and voila, stain-be-gone! 

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2. All-Purpose Household Cleaner

All-purpose cleaners are a must-have for keeping a clean home, let alone a clean kitchen. These are perfect for cleaning everything, hence the “all-purpose,” but are especially great as stain-lifters and to restore your home’s surfaces to their prime! It’s pretty easy to make effective all-purpose cleaner out of all natural ingredients, but there are also a ton of effective brands out there, as well! Feel free to check out this article covering the Top 10 All-Purpose Cleaners in 2021 by The Spruce! 

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3. Baking Soda

Baking soda is an incredibly versatile and useful ingredient to have in your home. Aside from its usefulness in baking cookies and cakes, baking soda is a deodorizer and can be kept in places like the fridge or in cars to help reduce unwanted odors. You can also mix 2 parts baking soda to 1 part water and create a cleaning paste that works wonders to restore your stainless steel appliance and have them looking brand new! 

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4. White Vinegar

White vinegar is another ingredient that is great to have in the home. Vinegar is great in some recipes, but white vinegar is known to be great for making all-natural cleansers. White vinegar is incredibly acidic, making it great for disinfecting and cleaning, but it also means it’s a more harsh cleaner. Especially when mixing with lemons, another acidic ingredient, it can be pretty abrasive for porous surfaces. To utilize white vinegar as a cleaner, make sure to dilute it with water! 

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5. Glass Cleaner

There’s nothing like a streak free mirror or window. It really adds the final touch to a clean house. Glass cleaner isn’t the only thing that makes glass so spotless, but technique plays a huge role, too! For the best streak-free shine you’ve ever seen, every time, opt for a squeegee and a homemade window cleaner that’s better for the environment! 

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6. Sponges

Sponges aren’t just for dishes, they can be quite the asset to keeping a clean home! The abrasion is key for removing dirt, grime, and even bacteria that piles up on kitchen counters and even harder to reach places. Having a cleansing agent like an all-purpose cleaner or a bubbly soap can be even more effective when friction is added to the equation! It’s also super easy to keep a steady rotation of sponges by reserving the newest sponges for lighter tasks like rinsing dishes and wiping counters, whereas the older sponges are perfect for more heavy-duty assignments like cleaning the oven! 

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7. White Cloths

Cleaning can be really taxing on the environment, as well as your wallet. There are plenty of options to opt for more green or environmentally-friendly cleaning materials, but it’s not a topic that’s discussed enough! One of those options is to switch from paper towels to reusable rags. For a lot of people, this is a pretty tough decision. In fact, a study conducted in 2017 found that Americans spend about as much as every other country combined just on paper towels. Roughly 45% of the global spending for that year dedicated to paper towels belonged to the U.S. alone, which is an interesting find. It’s about time we catch up with the rest of the world and turn toward more sustainable alternatives, but it’s not all bad! Reusable cloths are not only convenient and just as effective as paper towels, but cutting out the cost of paper towels will do wonders for your bank account! 

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8. Toothbrush

Dentists recommend replacing your toothbrush every 3-4 months to prevent bacterial build up, but that means you’re going through about as many toothbrushes in a single year. That’s quite a lot considering they only have one specific use, but luckily, toothbrushes are great for cleaning, too! Saving old toothbrushes is not only a good way to implement zero-waste/ minimal-waste practices into your life to give back to the environment, but they are also designed perfectly to reach into impossible nooks, crannies, and crevices! 

These are only a few of the many important cleaning materials you should have in your kitchen, but these basic items are guaranteed to improve the cleanliness of your home within their first use! 

We hope you enjoy this article for 8 Must Have Kitchen Cleaning Items. If you tried incorporating these things into your regular routine, make sure to let us know! For more recipes, follow us on social media and make sure to check out our weekly blog posts where we share our new favorite recipes and must-know facts about food and living a healthy lifestyle! Check out the other meal options Mealfit provides such as our Weekly Specials, Individual Meals, and other Meals by the Pound.