How green is your kitchen sink?

Sun, Feb 7, 2010

If you’re new to green living a smart move is to make small changes rather than large. It’s easier and each small step can lead to other, larger steps. One excellent way to make small green changes is to choose an area of your home, green it, see how it goes, then move on to another area. With this in mind you’ll need to choose a spot to green up and your kitchen sink is as good a place as any.

Steps to greening your kitchen sink:

Green your dish washing habits – if you have a dishwasher, use it. Using a dishwasher for full loads is more eco-friendly than hand washing a full load. It saves water and energy. If you don’t have a dishwasher fill your sink with water then wash. Never leave the water running as you wash. This wastes scads of water. In fact NRDC notes that running the tap for seven minutes can use more water than running a full load in an old (not energy efficient) model dishwasher.

Run less water overall – Flex Your Power notes that a standard kitchen faucet can use 4 to 7 gallons of water per minute (gpm). So washing just one load of dishes by hand with the water running can use up to 120 gallons of water. A basic $3.00 faucet aerator from your local hardware store can reduce your water flow rate from 4 to 7 gpm to 1 to 2.75 gpm and reduces splashes so you’re saving water and improving your faucet performance at the same time.

Green your dish soap - if you’re washing by hand you’ll want an eco-friendly dish soap. Look for one that’s made with plant based surfactants, no funky colors (that’s artificial dye), and natural fragrances only.

Rethink the sponge situation – many sponges aren’t that eco-friendly. Look for a good alternative.

Clean it right - the best way to get a shiny sink naturally is to dribble some baking soda and lemon juice in there and wipe it down. You can also try a safe store bought cleaner. I like Earth Friendly Products Parsley Plus All Surface Cleaner but if want something scent free you can try Seventh Generations’ Free & Clear Natural All Purpose Cleaner which works well.

To disinfect your sink; say if you were tossing cut chicken in there, mix up a homemade disinfecting cleaner. Mix a few drops of natural soap, 2 cups water, and 15 drops each of tea tree and lavender essential oil. Spray on surfaces then wipe down. Hot water, believe it or not, is also a good cleaner – yes even for meat juice. You can also try Seventh Generations’ Disinfectant Wipes, which I’m currently testing out and while I haven’t decided on my full review yet they seem to work well and are made with safe ingredients.

Green your hand soap – If you keep hand soap by the kitchen sink I’d use a refillable, reusable hand soap dispenser.

Ditch paper towels – you can use a cloth to clean your sink and a cloth to dry your hands after washing dishes or your hands.

Clean clogs naturally – prevent clogs altogether with a drain trap. You can pick one up for about $2 dollars. For a sluggish drain, pour a cup of white vinegar plus one cup baking soda into the drain. Let it sit for a few minutes (it will bubble). Flush with a teapot full of boiling water. Your next move should be to try a drain snake or plunger. If that doesn’t work aim for natural drain cleaners first before calling a plumber. Personally, I would not use a conventional drain cleaner ever. Drain cleaner is one of the most dangerous cleaning items you can have in your home and it should be avoided.

How green is your sink situation currently?

[image via stock.xchng]