Many years ago I found out I have a bad reaction to the smell of Bleach. It’s not surprising when it is used for chemical warfare! It isn’t just chemical warfare against germs, it’s incredibly toxic to us.
There are so many accidents with household bleach. Also if you have children it is such a dangerous chemical to have in the house.
The other problem ... one of many... is that if it is inadvertently mixed with any product containing ammonia, you actually create a very noxious gas that you definitely don’t want to breath in.
I do keep a container of bleach, but safely locked away. If I do use it for some bizarre reason, I mix it with a little water outside and wring an old cloth out in it to wipe whatever I think I might need it for. It amazes me that people bleach kitchen worktops and sinks. The kitchen is the last place to use bleach.
I try everything’s else in the safer alternatives homemade handbook befor considering it.
10 volume Hydrogen peroxide is a far better chemical to have around. It also doubles up as an emergency first aid wound cleaner, and general steriliser for things like tweezers.
It is expensive to buy these days. However a little goes a long way. Worktops in my opinion are better cleaned with strong vinegar, Lemon juice, bicarbonate of soda, and yes if I have prepared or handled Chicken I will actually spray vodka around the sink and over the worktops and my hands. I put a few drops of wild oregano oil in the vodka spray, this way I can actually leave an antibacterial oil on the surface of my kitchen worktop. Vinegar would work just as well I suppose, It’s just a thing I have about using neat Spirit I suppose. Any of those chemicals will kill germs although not necessarily mixed together. However if they are, they are all edible and not toxic in any way.
This is why I prefer Laminate. Stainless steel, or preferably copper are better for worktops. At least copper has antimicrobial properties. That’s why old cooking pans were made of it. I did look at composite worktops, granite, or rather the only one I liked was a faux stone worktop. I didn’t like it enough to shell out £4,500 for it! Not when a gorgeous Duropal Laminate cost just under £600.
The other problem with the stone finishes apart from scratches and dinks, is that they have to be looked after more. They also cost a lot to have them refinished, and in my opinion look dull very quickly.
They also chink too much when you put a good glass down on them. I can’t see the point of having to protect a kitchen worktop from wear and tear.
The next consideration, is that should a £600 worktop get ruined, it isn’t going to cost a nightmare amount to have it replaced. My workto is a mat finish, although it has a slight texture to it, which looks fantastic. Both my Husband and I fell in love with it the moment we saw it, which resolved all our kitchen worktop woes.
I do do like to see wood worktops too, some woods are naturally antiseptic, although hardwoods are better for kitchens. I wonder if olive wood could be put together butcher block style for worktops. Anyway, it wasn’t the right look for my new kitchen. I wanted a very urban box look for it.
I think I described our little house as a Neoclassical Box style. For a small house, it does find a lot for me to do! It’s a needy little house. It likes a lot of attention to detail. It is starting to feel loved. I think it had a very unloved time before we got it.
It is shivering at the thought of more trauma, of having the bathroom done up sometime in the future. I think I will leave it another year or two, you can’t shock a house too much all in one go! Well not this one. I want to concentrate on getting all the details downstairs finished before tackling upstairs. Besides, I like to ring fence the money for a project. I like saving up for things, it gives me plenty of time to think through what I want to do. I just enjoy saving up!
There are so many accidents with household bleach. Also if you have children it is such a dangerous chemical to have in the house.
The other problem ... one of many... is that if it is inadvertently mixed with any product containing ammonia, you actually create a very noxious gas that you definitely don’t want to breath in.
I do keep a container of bleach, but safely locked away. If I do use it for some bizarre reason, I mix it with a little water outside and wring an old cloth out in it to wipe whatever I think I might need it for. It amazes me that people bleach kitchen worktops and sinks. The kitchen is the last place to use bleach.
I try everything’s else in the safer alternatives homemade handbook befor considering it.
10 volume Hydrogen peroxide is a far better chemical to have around. It also doubles up as an emergency first aid wound cleaner, and general steriliser for things like tweezers.
It is expensive to buy these days. However a little goes a long way. Worktops in my opinion are better cleaned with strong vinegar, Lemon juice, bicarbonate of soda, and yes if I have prepared or handled Chicken I will actually spray vodka around the sink and over the worktops and my hands. I put a few drops of wild oregano oil in the vodka spray, this way I can actually leave an antibacterial oil on the surface of my kitchen worktop. Vinegar would work just as well I suppose, It’s just a thing I have about using neat Spirit I suppose. Any of those chemicals will kill germs although not necessarily mixed together. However if they are, they are all edible and not toxic in any way.
This is why I prefer Laminate. Stainless steel, or preferably copper are better for worktops. At least copper has antimicrobial properties. That’s why old cooking pans were made of it. I did look at composite worktops, granite, or rather the only one I liked was a faux stone worktop. I didn’t like it enough to shell out £4,500 for it! Not when a gorgeous Duropal Laminate cost just under £600.
The other problem with the stone finishes apart from scratches and dinks, is that they have to be looked after more. They also cost a lot to have them refinished, and in my opinion look dull very quickly.
They also chink too much when you put a good glass down on them. I can’t see the point of having to protect a kitchen worktop from wear and tear.
The next consideration, is that should a £600 worktop get ruined, it isn’t going to cost a nightmare amount to have it replaced. My workto is a mat finish, although it has a slight texture to it, which looks fantastic. Both my Husband and I fell in love with it the moment we saw it, which resolved all our kitchen worktop woes.
I do do like to see wood worktops too, some woods are naturally antiseptic, although hardwoods are better for kitchens. I wonder if olive wood could be put together butcher block style for worktops. Anyway, it wasn’t the right look for my new kitchen. I wanted a very urban box look for it.
I think I described our little house as a Neoclassical Box style. For a small house, it does find a lot for me to do! It’s a needy little house. It likes a lot of attention to detail. It is starting to feel loved. I think it had a very unloved time before we got it.
It is shivering at the thought of more trauma, of having the bathroom done up sometime in the future. I think I will leave it another year or two, you can’t shock a house too much all in one go! Well not this one. I want to concentrate on getting all the details downstairs finished before tackling upstairs. Besides, I like to ring fence the money for a project. I like saving up for things, it gives me plenty of time to think through what I want to do. I just enjoy saving up!
RSS Feed