YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT, BUT ALSO WHERE YOU COOK

How many times have you heard the phrase "you are what you eat"? In a way, yes – the nutrients from our food become a part of us. In part, we really are what we eat, what we consume. But what about the kitchen – the place where we cook what we’ll eat? If we truly are what we eat, isn’t it important to first consider the conditions in which we prepare our food? To think about the ways in which we clean and maintain it. Have we poured all sorts of chemical cleaners on our stoves and countertops? Do we want our food to come in contact with all of them? Apart from being what we eat, are we also where we cook?

IS A KITCHEN ALSO A LIVING ROOM?

Many of us spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Some out of sheer necessity – we must prepare and eat something. Some of us do it out of love for cooking – yes, we still must eat something, but we’ll also enjoy preparing food, and with joy and anticipation eat what we prepared that day. Whatever the case may be – and it can be both at the same time – the kitchen is a kind of a living room. Some of us have them in the same room, even. It certainly deserves to be safe and clean.

In order to keep our ‘’second living room’’ as clean and safe as possible – for ourselves and our family – we’re sharing a few simple natural recipes that will help you maintain your kitchen. In that way, you can prepare your food workstation for further adventures in a natural way and without harmful chemicals.

REMOVE GREASE FROM KITCHEN SURFACES

The kitchen is often the most difficult space to clean regularly. There are always some stains on the stove, grease all over the place – it never seems to stay clean for longer than a day.  To effectively remove grease and simplify your cleaning routine, try out the following recipe.

You’ll need the following:

• 250 ml of white (alcoholic) vinegar
• 150 ml of water
• 25 drops of lemon essential oil
• 25 drops of tea tree essential oil
• 10 drops of true lavender essential oil

Mix vinegar, water, and essential oils in a glass spray bottle. Shake thoroughly and spray on the stove and other parts of the kitchen where grease has accumulated. Leave the mixture to act for up to 30 minutes to dissolve the fat as well as possible, then remove it and repeat the process if necessary. In the case of very stubborn deposits, you can add 3 to 4 tablespoons of biodegradable dishwashing liquid to the mixture to enhance the effect.

Vinegar will very easily do its job at degreasing. Lemon essential oil will come to aid while providing its disinfectant properties along the way. Tea tree essential oil has broad antimicrobial properties and will efficiently get rid of mould. True lavender essential oil will give the kitchen a soothing atmosphere and turn it into a relaxing space. Feel free to add a few drops of essential oils whose scent you enjoy and personalize your kitchen aroma.

DISINFECT YOUR CUTTING BOARDS

Cutting boards can be a source of many dangerous bacteria if not thoroughly washed. It’s best to have at least two boards to prevent the transfer of bacteria from one type of food to another. If you have the opportunity, opt for wooden or non-porous ones. Whichever you have, clean them with this natural solution:

You’ll need the following:

• baking soda
• 250 ml of white (alcoholic) vinegar
• 25 drops of tea tree essential oil
• 25 drops of lemon essential oil

Place your cutting boards in the sink or a bowl in which they’ll fit horizontally. Sprinkle them with baking soda – cover them with it completely. Mix vinegar and essential oils in a glass spray bottle, shake thoroughly and spray on your cutting boards. A chemical reaction will occur – it will start to foam. Leave it alone for 30 minutes and then rinse and wash. Repeat the process on the other side of the board, also. To finish off, you can pour hot water on the boards to make sure there are no more bacteria or germs left

As with the first recipe, vinegar will easily dissolve grease build-up in your boards. Tea tree essential oil has a broad range of properties – antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal – making your cutting boards as safe as possible. Lemon essential oil will add its disinfectant properties and complete the process.

FRESHEN UP YOUR OVEN

For many of us, cleaning the oven is the most laborious part of cleaning the kitchen. Let’s face it, this is something we like to put off. With every new bake, traces and stains gladly attach themselves to the oven, with high temperatures only sealing them even more. The longer we delay cleaning, the harder it is to remove them. Try this simple recipe and see that it’s not that difficult:

You’ll need the following:

• baking soda
• water
• above mentioned essential oil cutting board cleaner

Make a paste by combining baking soda and water in a bowl. As far as ratio and density go, there’s no strict rule. Pour water into 5 to 6 tablespoons of baking soda until the mixture becomes thick enough to adhere to the oven surfaces – you don’t want it to fall off or drip down. Test the consistency until you find what works best. Make as much paste as you need to cover all the parts of the oven you wish to clean. Then spray your natural cleaner on all the parts of the oven you applied the paste on and give it a rest for 30 minutes. After that, simply wipe everything off. Repeat the process again if necessary.

CLEAN KITCHEN – WE’VE COVERED THAT. BUT WHAT ABOUT CLEAN FOOD?

Let's head back to the beginning. Other than being what we eat, but also where we cook – are we healthy, do we live sustainably and mindfully just because our kitchens are rid of harmful chemicals? Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Cooking usually precedes eating, who would have thought. But the next question is: what exactly do we eat? That’s a topic for another occasion. For starters, a clean and natural start will be enough. You can go from there.