This article covers kitchen surfaces, washing dishes and utensils. You might also be interested in my recommendations for food prep, hand hygiene or kitchen accessories to maintain good hygiene throughout your kitchen.
Most cleaning products (even bleach) are safe to use when you’re pregnant (source: APA). However, it’s best to wear gloves when cleaning to reduce chemical contact with your skin. As I mention in my hand hygiene article, strong, disposable gloves like these industrial-grade ones are better than flimsier alternatives when cleaning.
You should ventilate the room you’re cleaning properly, as the smell from many cleaning products may aggravate nausea in pregnancy. Liquid products may be better than aerosols in this case (source: Babycentre).
Keeping Kitchen Surfaces Clean in Pregnancy
The usual rules about cleaning products also apply in pregnancy. For example, you shouldn’t mix ammonia with chlorine-based cleaners like bleach. Although most cleaning products are safe in pregnancy, you may wish to reduce your exposure to chemicals and use more ‘natural’ products.
For example, Chlorox makes ‘bleach-free’ surface wipes that are the type you’ll likely be using to keep your baby safe after he or she is born, too, as it has a ‘baby safe’ formula. You can view them on Amazon, where they are well-reviewed.
Meliora’s Home Cleaning Scrub (view it on Amazon) is totally natural and available as a fragrance free version, or with a pleasant peppermint scent. It’s good for cleaning almost any hard surface, including your kitchen.
It’s a great option if you find the strong scent of chemical cleaners bothers you, or if you just want to use something more natural and chemical-free.
Gentler Cleaners for Dishes and Utensils
Many of the gentler, non-chemical soaps and cleaners are great to continue using after your baby is born. Babyganics (click to see their range on Amazon) have a huge range of products that are fragrance-free and derived from plants, with baby-safe packaging. Their dish soap is one of their most popular products, pictured below.
Another good option for dish soap that is both natural and organic is Trinova’s Natural Dish Soap (also on Amazon). The scent is from essential oils such as jasmine and lavender, so it smells really nice. It’s often bundled with deals such as dish scrubbers or brushes as an all-in-one solution.
If you’re interested in other recommended products in pregnancy, you can check out my other pages here. There’s a section on pregnancy-safe foods and treats, too – for when you’re fed up with anything related to cleaning!