This homemade soft scrub recipe is a non toxic but effective homemade cleaner that really gets the grime off your tub. It’s easy to make with just a few ingredients.
Homemade Soft Scrub Recipe
This homemade soft scrub recipe is a non toxic but effective homemade cleaner that really gets the grime off your tub. It’s easy to make with just a few ingredients.
Ingredients
1 tsp. liquid soap
several drops of an antibacterial essential oil (such as tea tree, eucalyptus, rosemary, or peppermint)
1 cup baking soda
water
Instructions
- Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl.
- Add just enough water to form a paste and mix.
- Use this homemade Soft Scrub recipe with a sponge or brush to scour bathtub surfaces.
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I try to avoid harsh chemicals when cleaning, too. For the bathtub, I just use some cheap shampoo on a washrag. Shampoo is designed to break down oils, so it works on the tub surface as well as my hair. For the shower doors I use vinegar in a spray bottle, then wipe down with a rag. If the soap scum is bad on a shower door, I use a kitchen scrubby (also know as an onion bag bound together with a rubber band), and a spray of vinegar. Works well, and I don’t inhale caustic chemicals.
I also like to use shampoo for cleaning the shower. I use any shampoo I don’t like. I also purchase inexpensive shampoos at the dollar stores.
Shampoo I imagine works really well in the shower. I was taught to use things like the cleanser you use on your face to remove make up for removing make up stains on clothing. If something was formulated to remove make up from you face then logic tells us it should be good to remove it from your clothes. The same goes for shampoo. It was made to remove body oil and dirt and that is what is in the shower. Great idea.
I use baking soda and lemon juice. It works wonders. I also use it for many other things too such as stove top, fridge, sinks and toilet bowls. Here is my disinfectant recipe for spray bottle
2 cups water
20 drops tea tree oil
1 cup vinegar
Oh my goodness. Wish I had seen this for the weekend. I used Comet in my bathtub to scour some soap scum stains and the scent was overpowering. Even with the window wide open, I had to keep leaving the bathroom (it’s pretty little) to get a good breath of air before having another go at it. I’ll use this formula for the upstairs bath although it is not nearly as bad because it is just an old footed tub and has no shower. Do you think I could use the baking soda in the washer to clean the soap scum from the shower curtain? I washed that this weekend, too, but it still doesn’t look like it got really clean.
Yes, you could try a couple of things for your shower curtain in the washer. The first it to wash it with a towel. The towel will get it cleaner. Then you could rinse with vinegar and that would help with water spots. You could wash with baking soda and see if that works but don’t use both the baking soda and the vinegar together or you will have a big mess! :-)
Sounds great. Probably smells nice too.
Where do I purchase the antibacterial essential oil?
It’s tea tree oil and most store like walmart have them now in the pharamcy.
gonna try this for sure…..
I love finding recipes like this. I’m trying to cut expenses everywhere I can and cleaners are so expensive. This will help a lot. Only problem I foresee is that I’m “addicted” to cleaning products – lol – yes you read that right. So, this means I’ll just have to detour around the cleaning product aisles. I have a big bottle of laundry soap my sister made and gave to me, plus I just bought the ingredients to make fabric softener. I’ve used baking soda in the past to clean my kitchen sink, and it works great. Next I’m going to make the disinfecting wipes from the recipe I got off this site. And when I run out of the bathroom cleaner I now have, I’m going to make this recipe — in fact, I may not wait!!!
This living a on dime stuff is actually pretty fun.
You are right Terri. It isn’t as much work or as hard as what some people seem to think it is. It really is in the mind set on all of these things. I had to chuckle because I can tell you are addicted to cleaning products – never heard anyone quite so excited in discussing them. : ) Don’t feel alone though I enjoy them too especially if they smell good. As a treat every once in awhile I will buy myself some new cleaning product to try just for fun so don’t feel alone. : )
I use vinegar and dawn in a squirt bottle! Works well!
Thank you I was trying to remember what I used last time and couldn’t think of it then I saw this and it reminded me
Your recipe is very similar to one I have from Plant Therapy (where I order EOs from). The only difference is the amounts of the ingredients and they add a little water and some vinegar. Now…to me, I would think that the vinegar would “kill” the baking soda. What are your thoughts? https://essentialoilblogging.com/2013/02/28/homemade-soft-scrub/?fb_source=pubv1
I don’t know about the vinegar killing the baking soda but I do know I don’t ever use vinegar and baking soda mixed for cleaning at all. To me there is nothing that shows me they really do anything special at all when mixed together. I know many love both of them and use them for many things but I have not seen them do too much for me. I think if my basic science serves me right too that when you mix the 2 together they pretty much turn to salt water or something like that.
vinegar mixed with baking soda makes a great drain cleaner. It foams up and works on the gunk in the pipes. If you follow up with boiling water it should do the trick. Put a 1/4 cup of the baking soda in the drain and follow up with a cup or so of vinegar. Much safer for pipes and no poison for your family.
I usually use the bleach one. Can I add bleach to the baking soda, soap mix (no e.o.) safely?
Yes you can.
Do you make this ahead of time and keep it in a bottle or just mix it as you need it?
You can do which ever is most convenient for you.
This is so timely…my bathtub is in need of a good scrubbing and all I have is ajax, which has been making me wheeze every time I use it. I started making my own laundry powder and now am going to be using this. Do you have any good cleaner recipes or tips for hard water/mildew in toilet bowls? You are so generous with your free recipes and tips. God bless you all abundantly.
(I Also love your YT channel!
Here are some cleaning posts from the website that might help you Robbin. Two things I have found when people have problems with mildew is you really need to use a cleaner that has bleach in in – vinegar does not kill all mildew and leaves 20% or more of it behind so it immediately starts growing again when you are done cleaning where bleach products kills it all. The thing with bleach is that many say the smell is too strong. If that is the case most of the time you are using way too much. It only takes a very small amount. I only use 1 capful in my dish water to clean my kitchen counters. Just use a little. Then the second thing is to be sure and clean on a pretty regular basis. Not necessarily every day but at least once a week if possible. Vinegar does how ever work really good on hard water spots because that is mineral build up and vinegar is an acid and eats away mineral build up.