Millions of people suffer from asthma and allergies all over the world. They can be made worse by certain foods, chemicals, pet dander, tree pollen, and more. The symptoms can even be set off in your own home, particularly if there is plenty of dust.
So, how can you manage your asthma/COPD symptoms to live a more comfortable and healthier lifestyle? Finding good kitchen cleaners for asthma is one important approach, as these cleaners help you to keep things clean, without setting off your symptoms.
Why does this matter? Well, to reduce the spread of COVID 19, bacteria, or other respiratory diseases, such as influenza, it’s important to keep your home clean.
However, for people with COPD or asthma, the routine of cleaning the home might be challenging. Most kitchen cleaning solutions contain hazardous chemicals and strong smells that may aggravate your asthma or COPD. To reduce your risk of a negative reaction, look for cleaning solutions that avoid chemicals and perfumes.
In this article, we’ll cover a variety of kitchen cleaners for asthma and COPD, including homemade products that will help you to keep your home clean without aggravating your condition.
Safe Ingredients for Kitchen Cleaning
Fortunately, there are plenty of safe products on the market that could be used alone or in combination to keep things clean. Vinegar, baking soda, water, and lemon are among the organic substances used. These components are not only safe but also economical.
White Vinegar
For many years, white vinegar has been helpful for cleaning because of its antibacterial components. It contains 5% acetic acid. It can get a grip on grease and grime, so it is ideal for kitchen gadgets like counters, stovetops, and an electric hood.
Lemon Juice
Lemon juice contains a decent amount of citric acid, which is excellent for cleaning and restoring the luster of filthy items. You can use lemon to clean and descale your microwave oven, sink, and kettle. You can also use lemon juice to eliminate smells from wooden cutting boards.
Baking Soda
Baking soda, commonly known as sodium carbonate, provides a lot of cleaning properties. Deodorizing cutting boards with baking soda is a good idea. It may work to unblock drains in some cases.
Cornstarch
Cornstarch can help make your kitchen cabinets and windows sparkling clean. Cornstarch can absorb oils and moisture. This magical cleaning ingredient has unbelievable results for windows and cabinets, giving them the appearance of newly polished furniture.
Oxygen Bleach
Oxygen bleach is a natural disinfectant that is both effective and harmless. It can soften water and increase the effectiveness of your cleaning agent of choice. It works well on tough stains such as tea, coffee, blood, and fruit or vegetable stains from beets or strawberries.
DIY Methods for Kitchen Cleaning
1. Cutting Boards Cleaning
Cutting boards are surfaces for cutting different foods, including fruits, vegetables, and meats, and therefore should be cleaned on a regular basis and be chemical-free. Cleaning cutting boards at home is easy with this simple DIY approach.
- Take a large-sized lemon and cut it in half.
- Now rub the pieces of lemon over the cutting board.
- Now leave it for about 15 to 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, scrub it again and again until it becomes clean thoroughly.
2. Microwave Cleaning
Microwave cleaning is the most complicated and challenging task faced by anyone today. Explosions and splatters from vegetarian chili make the interior of the microwave greasy and disgusting. But the good news is that you can clean it without using toxic chemicals that cause asthma problems.
You can clean your microwave by using natural ways.
Vinegar as a cleaning agent
- Take two cups of water and mix them in a half cup of vinegar.
- Put this solution inside the microwave and let it boil.
- The boiling of vinegar helps to reduce the grease and grime in the microwave.
- Wipe the filth away with a gentle cotton cloth.
Scrub using baking soda
- Mix two tablespoons of baking soda and mix it with a quarter cup of water to make a fine paste.
- Now apply this paste to the dirty and stubborn stain areas.
- Leave it for about half an hour.
- Now scrub it with a toothbrush until the stains are removed.
- Now clean it with a cloth and let it dry.
3. Drain Cleaner
A clogged kitchen sink’s drain is anyone’s nightmare. This messy situation is enough to spoil your day. Follow the steps below for cleaning the sink drain:
- Mix half cup of baking soda and a half cup of salt with two tablespoons of cream of tartar.
- Boil some water on the stove.
- Now pour the above-dried mixture down the drain.
- Next, add the boiling water inside the drain.
- The dried ingredients will react with boiling water and make some frizz.
- Let the drain sit for about two hours.
- Then rinse with tap water.
4. Detergent
Nowadays, many dishwashing detergents come with toxic chemicals and fragrances and cause allergy symptoms. To avoid such detergents, you can make your own using the following:
- Combine one cup of liquid castile soap and one cup of water in a mixing bowl.
- Add two tablespoons of lemon juice to the mixture.
These two simple steps are enough to give you a non-toxic detergent that’s perfect for washing dishes.
5. Refrigerator Cleaner
Everyone wants a crystal clear and sparkling clean refrigerator in one’s home. The sweet and mild refreshing fragrance adds value to it. All you need is a spray bottle, white vinegar, hot water, and a few drops of essential oil.
- Add hot water to a spray bottle
- Now add white vinegar to it.
- Then add essential oil to it according to your preference. Lemon, grapefruit, or vanilla are particularly good choices.
- Close the lid tightly and shake it.
- Clear all the items from your fridge.
- Spray the liquid inside the refrigerator in all portions, including shelves.
- Let it stay for a while and then wipe it off.
Conclusion
Cleaning plays a vital role in disinfecting bacteria and viruses from our homes. But store-bought products for cleaning purposes include harmful chemicals that cause adverse effects for people with asthma and other respiratory conditions.
In such cases, those having COPD symptoms should avoid chemicals like chlorine, sodium hydroxide, aerosol sprays, and especially phthalates (fragrances). We’ve gone through a few of the best kitchen cleaners for asthma and COPD, ones that completely avoid toxic chemicals. We hope you find our ingredients helpful and you will use them with satisfaction. Stay healthy!!
Risa Weiner is a food writer at Kitcheniest. She writes about food, wellness, and ideas to make all your favorite recipes into low fat recipes. You can find Risa on YouTube and Instagram.
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