Full confession: my kitchen is a disaster.
The small space is cramped and cluttered, and a complete mess. My spice cabinets are unruly and have become the kitchen equivalent of the closet we all have and hope no one will ever open. My oven has enough charcoal build-up on the bottom that I could probably scrape it together and make enough coals to cook dinner on my outdoor grill, and the top of the fridge has become the place to put any, but often all, of the following items: bread, cereal, flour and sugar canisters, cookbooks, water bottles, permission forms, and receipts.
In essence, it needs some help.
So I decided I finally needed to tackle the trouble spots and make my happy place a little, well, happier. I’ve purchased a small appliance shelf to go into the basement pantry, a rolling kitchen cart for my bread products, potatoes/onions/garlic, and countertop fruit, and I’ve installed a functional cast-iron hook to hold my many aprons. I’ve also upgraded my broom and mop.
But my most favourite change is the bottle of homemade citrus cleaner I whipped up and leave on the counter that makes the space smell like summer.
Natural Homemade Citrus All-Purpose Cleaner
To make your own cleaner, you’ll need:
- 1 lemon
- 1 orange
- 4 cups cold water
- 8 tbsp white vinegar
- 2 tsp baking soda
Directions:
- Juice the lemon and orange and chop the leftover peels.
- Place the peels in a pot and cover with 4 cups of cold water.
- Bring the liquid to a boil, then remove from the stovetop and allow the mixture to cool.
- Add the juices, white vinegar and baking soda to the pot and stir well (be careful, it will bubble up a little bit).
- Transfer to a spray bottle and use to clean your kitchen.
I can’t change the size or the layout of the room, and I’m not upgrading my oven any time soon (which means I need to clean it), but I’m already liking the look of the place a little more than I did last week. And with this all-purpose spray, my kitchen is sparkly clean and fresh-smelling. Love it!
Do you have any trouble spots in your kitchen right now?
Tagged under: kitchen,Homemade Citrus Kitchen Cleaner,cleaner,DIY cleaner,organic cleaners
Category: cleaning
