Non-Toxic Stainless Steel Cleaner | Make Your Own | 3 Simple Ingredients

stainless steel cleaner diy

When it comes to stainless steel cleaners, there’s some pretty toxic stuff out there. No worries, here is a non-toxic stainless steel cleaner recipe that works like a charm. There are only 3 simple ingredients and it’s super easy to make.

stainless steel cleaner toxic

What is so bad about commercial stainless steel cleaner and polish?

The cleaner that was recommended when I bought my stainless steel dishwasher was a product that worked great, however, there was a seriously toxic smell to it.

My son came over one day just after I had cleaned with it, and he asked what the smell was. He thought it smelled WD-40 or an auto shop. I looked up the ingredients and checked the EWG report.

stainless steel cleaner wd40Holy cow! No wonder it smelt so bad. One of the ingredients is KEROSENE and it had an “F” rating which is the most toxic. Seriously?????

Needless to say, I threw that stainless steel cleaner in the garbage and researched how to make my own. This recipe is the best one I’ve tried and it only takes about a minute to whip up.

stainless steel cleaner

Where to use stainless steel cleaner

Use it to remove fingerprints, smudges, streaks, and grime on stainless steel appliances like:

  • refrigerators
  • dishwashers
  • stoves
  • microwave
  • coffee maker,
  • toaster oven, and more

How to use stainless steel cleaner to polish & clean appliances

  • Shake the bottle well before using
  • Lightly mist your appliance. (It doesn’t take much)
  • Wipe with a soft cloth on the grain of the stainless steel.

Get ready for a shiny, sparkly, smudge-free, streak-free finish.

stainless steel cleaner

Stainless Steel Cleaner Ingredients

  • ½ cup olive oil (this does not need to be your best cooking oil)
  • ½ cup white vinegar
  • 20 drops of essential oil (wild orange, lemon, grapefruit, lime bergamot, etc.)

stainless steel cleaner**** I find citrus essential oils work well to cut through grease, dirt, and the grime that builds up on appliances.

Feel free to use any combination of oils to get your 20 drops. ( I personally like a combo of wild orange & lemon.

stainless steel cleaner bottle

Stainless Steel Cleaner Instructions

Store the stainless steel cleaner blend in a glass, stainless steel, or plastic (PET #1 or HDPE #2) spray bottle.

I really like these bottles for all my DIY cleaners. They are simple and attractive and the spray nozzle works well.

1 – Using a funnel, pour the vinegar and olive oil into the spray bottle.

2 – Add the essential oils

3 – Mix well

stainless steel cleaner painters tape**** Make sure to label your jar so you know what is in it. If you’re like me, you may not remember in a week what’s in the bottle. 🙂

You can use something as simple as painter’s tape, or masking tape, or you can make your own label.

stainless steel cleaner labels

I have a FREE printable PDF label if you want to download and print it. My treat.

GET THE STAINLESS STEEL CLEANER LABEL HERE.

The file is available as a PDF, SVG (for those who have a Silhouette or Cricut), and JPG file.

There you have it, another DIY NON-TOXIC CLEANER to add to your CLEAN & SAFE cleaning tools.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.

Non-Toxic Stainless Steel Cleaner | Make Your Own | 3 Simple Ingredients

stainless steel cleaner diy
When it comes to stainless steel cleaners, there’s some pretty toxic stuff out there. No worries, here is a non-toxic stainless steel cleaner recipe that works like a charm.
  • Prep Time1 min
  • Total Time1 min
  • Yield 16 oz.

INGREDIENTS

  • ½ cup olive oil (this does not need to be your best cooking oil)

Spicy Mayo

  • ½ cup white vinegar
  • 20 drops essential oil (wild orange, lemon, grapefruit, lime bergamot, etc.)

INSTUCTIONS

1

Using a funnel, pour the vinegar and olive oil into the spray bottle.

 
2

Add the essential oils

3

Mix well

4

Shake the bottle well before using

5

Lightly mist your appliance. (It doesn’t take much)

6

Wipe with a soft cloth on the grain of the stainless steel.

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Jan Howell

Jan Howell

Whether it’s a new recipe, a fun craft, or some handy tips for your garden and home, I hope to empower and inspire you with skills that you can use to create joy, improved health, and to do it in a simple way.

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FOOD SAVERS: How To Keep Leftover Produce Fresh Longer

food savers

What happens when you only need HALF of the onion? Several months ago I found a little gadget that I have to tell you about. The KITCHEN GADGET GOTO this month is the silicone food savers.

There are so many times when I am preparing food, that I only need half of whatever I am cutting up. Things like onions, lemons, pomegranate, grapefruit, and apples often go to waste because a plastic bag covering them in the fridge just doesn’t’ cut it.

Another thing these babies do is keep the order down! When I put half an onion in the fridge you don’t smell a thing. (Unlike the smell you get in a baggie. Even a ziplock bag it reeks).

Drinking lemon water every morning is one of my healthy rituals that I SWEAR BY! I only use HALF A LEMON and I used to put either a plastic bag or plastic wrap around the other half. (What a waste)! These food savers are quick to put on and very easy to clean. They can be put in the dishwasher, microwave, and freezers.

Have leftover smoothies? No problem. These also work as great jar covers.

As you can see, this set comes in FOUR bright colorful sizes.

RED – larger onions, grapefruit, big apples

ORANGE – onions, apples, oranges, etc.

GREEN – apples, small onions, etc.

YELLOW – lemons, large limes, etc.

 

food saver set

These are definitely some of my favorite kitchen gadgets. They are way inexpensive and easy to order.

So if you waste a lot of produce because you only need half, give these colorful gems a whirl. I love them!

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Jan Howell

Jan Howell

Whether it’s a new recipe, a fun craft, or some handy tips for your garden and home, I hope to empower and inspire you with skills that you can use to create joy, improved health, and to do it in a simple way.

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DIY – How To Make A Fruit Fly Trap

The harvest season is upon us and coming to an end very soon. I love having access to so many fruits and veggies from my garden and from local markets. There is only one drawback, FRUIT FLIES! Those little buggers can find their way into my kitchen within minutes of bringing fresh fruit into the house.  It can be so annoying. I am going to show you how easy it is to make a simple non-toxic fruit fly trap that works very well, and I will also give you a few tips on how to keep them at bay.

fruit flies

WHERE DO FRUIT FLIES COME FROM ANYWAY?

Seriously, it’s like they show up out of nowhere. Because the flies are so little, they can sneak into your house through windows and door screens or on fruit as larvae. They hang out on ripened fruits or vegetables, as well as drains, garbage disposals, empty bottles and cans, trash bags, or cleaning rags and mops.

Speaking of larvae, you may want to read this article. After reading this, you will never want to eat a piece of fruit without washing it again, and you will learn a few things you may not have wanted to know. It’s all good. Fruit flies are not disease spreading; they’re just annoying and gross. Actually, without them, we would all be deep in rotting produce without them.

HOW TO GET RID OF THEM

  • Banish all but the freshest produce from your countertops.
  • Buy produce only as you need it.
  • Keep ripe or overripe fruits and vegetables in your refrigerator.
  • Make sure there are no old food scraps hanging out on your floors, countertops or trash.
  • Keep your kitchen free of all those sources for a few weeks, and you’ll wipe out your local fruit fly population.
  • Trap them.

There are a lot of different ways to make a fruit fly trap, but this is one that I use and find that it works great.

What you need

  • Glass mason jar (narrow mouth works best)
  • Small pieces of ripe fruit (banana works great, even the peel)
  • You can add a little apple cider vinegar to juice it up and make it a little more potent.
  • Painters tape, masking tape, or duct tape
  • Piece of paper

How to make the fruit fly trap

fruit flies

Take a piece of paper (this is an 8 1/2 x 11-inch sheet of paper) and roll it up to make a funnel. The bottom hole should be about 1/2 -3/4 inches. Tape in place.

WANT TO KNOW SOME OTHER GREAT USES FOR PAINTER’S TAPE? 

fruit flies

Place the paper funnel inside the jar. You may need to adjust the width of your funnel if the bottom of the funnel touches the bottom of the jar. Tape in place.

fruit flies

Place the jar on your countertop and wait. It won’t take long for the fruit flies to smell the yumminess and fly down the funnel to their fate. They can’t fly out.

When you don’t see any more flies flying around your kitchen, you can place the jar in the freezer and simply let them freeze to death, or you can take the jar outside to free them. I like the freezer idea.

fruit flies

Once they are dead, take the jar outside, remove the tape and dump the contents in the trash. Save the funnel in case you need to use it again. Wash the bottle. Now that you are fruit fly-free, use the preventative measures listed above to help keep the flies down as much as possible.

Enjoy this yummy time of year fruit fly-free!

Jan Howell

Jan Howell

Whether it’s a new recipe, a fun craft, or some handy tips for your garden and home, I hope to empower and inspire you with skills that you can use to create joy, improved health, and to do it in a simple way.

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Painters Tape: 6 Handy Household Uses

painter's tape

Although painter’s tape is mainly used to mask off areas that should not be painted, I have found 6 other handy ways to use it around the house.

Painters tape is a type of pressure-sensitive tape made of thin and easy-to-tear paper that has an easily released pressure-sensitive adhesive. It is available in a variety of widths and can be found in blue or green, depending on what brand it is.

I use it all the time and I keep a roll in my kitchen utility drawer for easy access. My husband knows not to mess with my roll of tape. I told him to get his own or to be sure to return it. Just a little frustrating when I go to use it and it’s not there.

Now I am sure there are a lot of other ways to use this beautiful blue strip of stickiness, but here are some handy ways I use it.

1- Dating and labeling food storage containers

Have you ever put leftovers in the freezer and a week later wondered what the heck it is? You seriously think you will remember, but when food freezes it takes on a whole new look. Right? I simply rip off a little piece of blue tape, grab my Sharpie marker, and write on it. I write what it is and sometimes I write the date. Not only is it good to know what it is, it comes in handy to know how long this food item has been hanging out in the freezer or fridge.

2- As a chip bag clip

If you don’t down a bag of chips in one sitting, a little strip of blue tape actually works really well to close it back up. I will admit I was a little doubtful about whether it would work or not, but it does. The same piece of tape will keep working even after opening and closing it multiple times. No more need for all those random chip clips. I used to use a close pin, but this works better.

3- Label plastic bins and tubs

If you are not real picky about how your storage tubs are labeled, painter’s tape is a great quick way to let you know what’s inside. I use this method when I am organizing. If it is a bin that I will be keeping long-term, I go back and make a more professional label. Using the tape makes it easy to peel off if I choose to use the bin for something else.

4- Sewing guide

For those of you who sew, painter’s tape will now be your new friend.

When the seam allowance is much wider than your sewing machine guide displays is a great time to rip off a piece of painter’s tape. Simply measure the width and apply it to the sewing machine arm. Works like a charm.

It works really well to mark where you need to topstitch. Instead of using chalk or a fabric pen, this allows you to mark the fabric nicely right where you need to sew. You can also mark on the tape where you need to apply elastic or buttons, etc.

5- Sticky note replacement

Instead of using a sticky note pad, grab a piece of blue tape. Leave a little message to someone you love, or leave a little reminder for yourself of something you need to do. What I love about this tape is that it doesn’t leave any residue and it can be moved and used again. You can even use it on paper without tearing it when you remove it.

6- Household product dating

You may be wondering why in the heck you need to put a date on your household products. Well, this is something that I have been doing for many years.

  • It helps you know how long it takes to go through something.
  • You don’t overstock your storage. Have any of you kept buying a particular item in fear of running out, only to find out you only go through it 6 months or even yearly? I have. Not only do you get stuck with a bunch of product, you have wasted money.
  • Awareness. It may be very enlightening for you to see how long items last.
  • Helps with budgeting.
  • You won’t have to go without something you need.

I am all about having a good food storage and items on hand. However, I have lightened up a bit because I found I was overbuying and in many cases waiting food and product. This method of dating products has really helped.-

You can apply a strip of painter’s tape to the box or container or simply write the date on the package with a marker.

I hope this has given you a few ideas on how to be a little more organized and thrifty by using painter’s tape.

Enjoy your day!

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Jan Howell

Jan Howell

Whether it’s a new recipe, a fun craft, or some handy tips for your garden and home, I hope to empower and inspire you with skills that you can use to create joy, improved health, and to do it in a simple way.

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