I know this is a random question, but when i read posts about working on your countertop, I can't help wondering what you clean them with? Obviously they need to be clean for food preparation, but at the same time I wouldn't want to be getting any harmful chemical residue off of my counters into the food. What do you clean yours with? Do you wipe it off with water afterwards to remove any cleaner residue??? sorry to be so random! thanks!

I clean all my counters with Clorox cleaner with Bleach. I wipe it down with a clean wet towel before I do any work to be sure there is no residue.

Berta

I use baking soda, vinegar and lemon juice. Lavender and rosemary are also disnfectants (used extensively in WWII to clean an disinfect supplies/people), but they leave their wonderful smells behind, so you probably don't want to use them where raw or cooked food will be coming into contact with them.

Here's some info (from Sarah Aguirre):

Vinegar
Uses:

Vinegar naturally cleans like an all-purpose cleaner. Mix a solution of 1 part water to 1 part vinegar in a new store bought spray bottle and you have a solution that will clean most areas of your home. Vinegar is a great natural cleaning product as well as a disinfectant and deodorizer. Always test on an inconspicuous area. It is safe to use on most surfaces and has the added bonus of being incredibly cheap. Improperly diluted vinegar is acidic and can eat away at tile grout. Never use vinegar on marble surfaces. Don't worry about your home smelling like vinegar. The smell disappears when it dries. Here are some uses for vinegar in the rooms of your house. Use it in the

Bathroom - Clean the bathtub, toilet, sink, and countertops. Use pure vinegar in the toilet bowl to get rid of rings. Flush the toilet to allow the water level to go down. Pour the undiluted vinegar around the inside of the rim. Scrub down the bowl. Mop the flour in the bathroom with a vinegar/water solution. The substance will also eat away the soap scum and hard water stains on your fixtures and tile. Make sure it is safe to use with your tile.
Kitchen- Clean the stovetop, appliances, countertops, and floor.
Laundry Room- Use vinegar as a natural fabric softener. This can be especially helpful for families who have sensitive skin. Add ½ cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle in place of store bought fabric softener. Vinegar has the added benefit of breaking down laundry detergent more effectively. (A plus when you have a family member whose skin detects every trace of detergent.)

Lemon Juice
Uses:

Lemon juice is another natural substance that can be used to clean your home. Lemon juice can be used to dissolve soap scum and hard water deposits. Lemon is a great substance to clean and shine brass and copper. Lemon juice can be mixed with vinegar and or baking soda to make cleaning pastes. Cut a lemon in half and sprinkle baking soda on the cut section. Use the lemon to scrub dishes, surfaces, and stains. Mix 1 cup olive oil with ½ cup lemon juice and you have a furniture polish for your hardwood furniture.

My favorite use for the fruit is to put a whole lemon peel through the garbage disposal. It freshens the drain and the kitchen. Orange peels can be used with the same results.

Baking Soda
Uses:

Baking soda can be used to scrub surfaces in much the same way as commercial abrasive cleansers. Baking soda is great as a deodorizer. Place a box in the refrigerator and freezer to absorb odors. Put it anywhere you need deodorizing action. Try these three kitchen ingredients as natural cleaning products in your home.



And from Pat Veretto :

I am a cake decorator and I have to use diferent types of frosting doing this job. I boil all of my cake decorating tips and spatulas in vinegar and water it removes all of the grease from them and gets them really clean!


And lastly, from http://my.execpc.com/~mjstouff/articles/vinegar.html
Vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide as Disinfectants
You can make your kitchen a cleaner, safer place and fight bacteria, without exposing yourself and your family to toxic chemicals that also damage the environment. You can use a simple safe disinfecting spray that is more effective than any of the commercial cleaners in killing bacteria. As a bonus, it is inexpensive!

Susan Sumner, a food scientist at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, worked out the recipe for just such a sanitizing combo. All you need is three percent hydrogen peroxide, the same strength available at the drug store for gargling or disinfecting wounds, and plain white or apple cidar vinegar, and a pair of brand new clean sprayers, like the kind you use to dampen laundry before ironing. If you're cleaning vegetables or fruit, just spritz them well first with both the vinegar and the hydrogen peroxide, and then rinse them off under running water.

It doesn't matter which you use first - you can spray with the vinegar then the hydrogen peroxide, or with the hydrogen peroxide followed by the vinegar. You won't get any lingering taste of vinegar or hydrogen peroxide, and neither is toxic to you if a small amount remains on the produce. As a bonus: The paired sprays work exceptionally well in sanitizing counters and other food preparation surfaces -- including wood cutting boards. In tests run at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, pairing the two mists killed virtually all Salmonella, Shigella, or E. coli bacteria on heavily contaminated food and surfaces when used in this fashion, making this spray combination more effective at killing these potentially lethal bacteria than chlorine bleach or any commercially available kitchen cleaner.

The best results came from using one mist right after the other - it is 10 times more effective than using either spray by itself and more effective than mixing the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide in one sprayer.

[References: Science News 9/29/96; Science News 8/8/98].


HTH
Cande

Thanks Cande,
That helps a lot. I buy detergents up the ying yang and now I really want to try the home remedies. Thanks again

I wash my countertops with Dawn, then I rinse them with another clean wet cloth, then I sanitize them using a few drops of bleach in about a gallon of water. Before I put any food/cake products on them, I give them another quick wipe down using a clean damp cloth. My family has been in the catering business and this is the method that the Health Department enforces.

When I get stains on my countertops from the icing colors I use a product called "Bar Keepers Friend". It takes away any kind of stain that happens to land on my countertops. (I also use it in the bathrooms) If I am just wiping down my counters(no stains) I like to use a combo of water and bleach.

I use clorox cleanser first, then straight bleach, and rinse really well.

I make my own disenfectant/cleaner.

I use:

1 oz vinegar
1 oz rubbing alcohol
1 oz amonia
fill spray bottle up with water and add one drop of dishwasher rinse agent and one drop of liquid dish soap.


This is a great all purpose cleaner and saves a ton versus buying commercial cleaning products.


Amy

I also use Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to rid my counter of colored stains.


Amy

I wash mine off with hot soap and water. Then I go over them with the glass cleaner that has vinegar. I don't put any kind of food directly on my counter tops. I also put a piece of foil down on my counter tops to lay my utensils on...helps keep my counters clean.

LittleBMoma is right about health dept regs. Dishes, countertops, tables, everthing is supposed to be cleaned then sanitized. Do not use the same cloth for everything in your kitchen. Air dry items or use a clean towel.

i used the vinager/hydrogen peroxide combo that cande posted! i've been using it for several years now, i refuse to have any chemicals in my house, i always seem to have a negative reaction to them.

cande..thanks...great tips!

You're Welcome. Hopefully you all can find the information useful. I was sick of using so many chemicals so I searched for an alternative. They really do work and are so much healthier for us and the environment...

I wipe the counters down with hot soapy water. Then I use bleach in water to wipe the counters down. Then give it one more rinse with just plain water.

When I am decorating or cooking for that matter. I always have a clean plate or platter that I place my utensils/ tools on. This way they Are off my countertops and I dont have to worry about stains.

i Have no idea if my last post went through. But just in case once again. Teatree oil diluted in the water is very good for counters and also for the floors. I love the smell of it as well

I use Lysol antibacterial Kitchen cleaner and I don't ever reuse my rags.

Just one safety issue to remind people of before they begin mixing anything. When it comes to mixing/making cleaners be sure to follow already established 'recipes'. Some chemicals can form toxic fumes when combined, such as bleach and amonia. I know the prior posts for homemade cleaners were all natural ingredients, but I just thought I'd throw that out there as a caution.

wow!!! thanks for all the responses! I think i will definitely try the alternative cleaners. Feels much safer with a little one in the house anyway. So, for the vinegar, you just put half vinegar, half water??? That sounds easy enough! Just one more question..,I have extremely sensitive skin and most cleaners really irritate my skin. Using those disinfecting wipes is just out of the question for me unless I have gloves on. Does the vinegar solution seem to burn your skin if it gets on it? Thanks again!!! I really appreciate being able to ask all my questions here and get such knowledgeable answers!

one of my degrees is in chemistry (most of the info I have since forgotten) but anyway, he is a recipe for a cheap and effective antibacterial multipurpose cleaner....
1 oz rubbing alcohol
1 oz white vinegar
1 oz low (non) sudsing ammonia
one a couple of drops liq dish soap
mix in an empty 1 qt spray bottle (perfer a new GP bottle and label this new bottle as General Purpose Cleaner and also lable contents - poison control info, No MSDSs needed but please be safe with all chemical content labeling)
opt ingredients:
a drop of two of Jet Dry (helps with streeks on stainless steel and glass)
a drop of blue food coloring (gives the mix a "professional" look)
this stuff is pennies to make and cleans everything!!!! I've been using this formula for years and so have my friends, neighbors, and family. Don't buy the expensive stuff! Use this and save your money for more cake supplies!!!

PS. DO NOT MIX THIS WITH CLORINE BLEACH!!!!! YOU WILL GET A MUSTARD GAS - CLORINE BLEACH AND AMMONIA NEVER MIX!!!!!!!

Hey CakeMommy! I know where you got your recipe!!!!

I use Barkeeper's Friend for scrubbing the sink (white porcelain sink + aluminum pots = ugly scratches), and after a thorough rinse, I wipe everything down with straight-up bleach. If I were smart, I'd buy a spray bottle and dilute the bleach, but I love knowing that NOTHING is living after the full-strength bleach bath. Overkill, I know....

I use Clorox, dilute half and half with water and fill a spray bottle with it for easy access. After I wash the counters with my regular dishsoap rag - I spray with the bleach and after a minute or two - I wipe them clean. I always let them dry before I use the counters again.

Be careful not to get a spray like this on anything that is not colorfast.

I use the Mr. Clean magic eraser also. On everything. I love those things, Best to happen to cleaning since the broom. If you haven't tried one, do it. You would think I have stock or something lol!

BLEACH!!!! I also got my husband to get me a plastic to roll out on my kichen table so when I am done I can roll up my mess and throw it away. I was afraid my new table would get rined!

I have 2 bottles under my sink. One is diluted bleach to soak all of my dish clothes in. I usually get a bowl of water and add about 10ml of bleach to 250ml of water, place the cloth in it and place in the microwave for 5-6 minutes. I do this twice a day with my dish clothes as I am germ paranoid. I have a daughter who went through leukemia and I learned alot about germs. The other bottle is a spray bottle with bleach that I clean my counters/cupboards - any surface in the kitchen again twice a day and before I cook.

I wish I could find a spray bottle to keep bleach in. In all the bottles I've ever tried, the spray mechanism ended up getting corroded from the bleach.

I'm sorry to hear your daughter and family went through leukemia, sgirvan. I hope she is healthy and well now.