(StatePoint) Are you looking to avoid harsh chemicals in the place where you prepare and eat food? Hoping to green your clean? Here are three natural hacks for keeping a healthy and tidy kitchen:

1. Ditch the paper towels: Whether you’re quickly wiping up a spill or doing a deep clean, it’s easy to forget that the paper towel you’re using was once a tree, and in many cases, part of a virgin forest. To clean more effectively, reduce your impact on deforestation and climate change, and minimize waste, switch to reusable towels or rags.

2. Use worry-free cleaning ingredients: Harnessing the power of baking soda, Arm & Hammer Essentials Kitchen Cleaner offers a natural way to clean and deodorize your kitchen and other spaces throughout your home. Comprised of simple ingredients like baking soda and plant-based detergents, the cleaner contains no bleach, ammonia, phosphates or other harsh chemicals. It’s both strong enough to remove food, grease and other tough stains, but also gentle enough to clean your glass cooktop, stainless steel appliances, countertops, and food contact surfaces when used as directed. While formulated for the kitchen, this baking soda-based product can be used almost anywhere, including bathroom sinks, tubs and tile, the garage, laundry room and outdoor spaces like the patio and deck.

3. Go green, literally: Houseplants are not only beautiful to look at, they can actually improve the air quality of your indoor spaces. Hang planters or clear your kitchen window sills to make room for air-purifying houseplants. When selecting the varieties of plants you will cultivate, keep in mind that kitchens tend to be higher humidity.

For a truly clean kitchen, skip the harsh chemicals. Using natural methods, you can clean just as effectively, worry-free.