Make your own kitchen cleaners

Homemade cleaners are effective and easy to make.

I love a clean kitchen, but I hate cleaning. What’s worse is how much cleaning supplies can cost these days. So I started researching how to make my own kitchen cleaners, keeping it simple. I’m thrilled with the results.

Today I am sharing my favorite stainless steel cleaner and granite cleaner. These two surfaces in my kitchen need a thorough cleaning just about every day.

These two surfaces need to be treated differently; what cleans one to perfection can actually damage the other. So carefully label your bottles and make sure everyone who might help you with the cleaning knows the difference.

You can add essential oils to each cleaner, but I make my stainless steel cleaner with just tap water and white distilled vinegar. When I need to polish with oil, I use something scented. With my granite cleaner, I love adding lavender essential oil. It’s such a calming scent. Even when cleaning, it’s nice to have a little aromatherapy.

The second part of successful cleaning is using the right cloth. I use an old diaper to wipe down the granite. It washes well and has held up for more than 20 years. If you don’t have old diapers, any lint-free, 100 percent cotton cloth works great. I use microfiber dishcloths to wipe down the stainless steel. They are easy to find in home stores, and multipacks are usually less than $5.

Homemade Granite Cleaner

Start to finish: 5 minutes

¼ cup rubbing alcohol

3 drops dishwashing detergent, such as Dawn

1 cup tap water

5 to 10 drops essential oil, such as lavender

Mix together in a clean, empty 2-cup-capacity spray bottle. Mark the bottle carefully as “Granite Cleaner.” Lightly spray directly onto granite and wipe off in a circular motion with a lint-free cotton cloth, such as an old diaper.

Homemade Stainless Cleaner

Start to finish: 5 minutes

1 cup tap water

1 cup white distilled vinegar

Mix water and vinegar together in a 2-cup-capacity spouted bottle, such as an old dishwashing detergent bottle. Mark the bottle carefully as “Stainless Steel Cleaner.” Squirt a microfiber cloth with the cleaner and wipe the stainless steel in a circular motion. Turn cloth to dry side and wipe in the opposite direction until dry.

Some stainless steel needs to be polished after cleaning once every few weeks, depending on the level of activity in your kitchen. You can use any type of cooking oil or light body oil for this purpose. I love to use lavender-scented baby oil. Apply oil to a clean microfiber cloth and polish until shiny.

Visit the Kitchen Scoop website at www.kitchenscoop.com.