Clean Your Kitchen Sponges Naturally with Essential Oils

I like to clean kitchen sponges naturally...and frequently!

I've always been a little unsettled at the thought of all the bacteria in my kitchen sponge proliferating at rapid rates. I don't want to wash my dishes with that! Sure, you can pop the sponge in the dishwasher or microwave, but what about between the times you run the dishwasher? (And I don't know about you, but I have not always had a dishwasher and often don't use it.)

So I've made a lot of recipes to clean kitchen sponges naturally, using essential oils that kill bacteria. After I use my sponge, I rinse it out with hot water and then give it a few sprays. I also like to spray it right before I go to bed.

Here's one of my favorite recipes to clean kitchen sponges naturally, which doubles as an all-purpose cleaning spray.

I use this Daily Sponge Spray on surfaces, too. You'll need a 2 oz (60 ml) spray bottle. First, fill it ¾ full with water, then add the following:

• 1 tsp (5 ml) Castile soap

• 10 drops Peppermint essential oil (Mentha x piperita)

• 5 drops Eucalyptus essential oil (Eucalyptus globulus)

• 5 drops Lemon essential oil (Citrus limon)

I recommend making a fresh bottle of this blend every few weeks.

If you would like to watch me make this recipe, so you can see how much of each ingredient I add, you can see it on a YouTube video. (Yes, I love sponge sprays so much that I made a YouTube video for this one!)

I had a little trouble not cracking a smile in the video because I know that my obsession for clean kitchen sponges is a little unique!

The essential oils I'm using here are particularly good for destroying bacteria and microbes, and they make my kitchen smell amazing. A few other good ideas would be Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) and Orange (Citrus sinensis).

(And if you watch the YouTube video, click the "subscribe" button under the video! That way YouTube will notify you any time I upload a new Aromatherapy video.)

Here's the video: