How to Make Your Own Scouring Powder: Frugal and Green

Learn how to make one of the most common cleaning products with items you may already have in your kitchen. Whether you prefer mildly abrasive cleaners, stronger abrasive cleaners, or non-abrasive cleaners, these can all be made at home without strong chemicals and frugally.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Baking Soda or
• Salt or
• Borax
• Vegetable Oil Based Soap
• Lemon Oil

1. RECIPE 1:
   
   Sprinkle baking soda onto a damp sponge or cloth, and rub into surface. Rinse with water. The baking soda is a mild abrasive and natural disinfectant. To be used to clean hard surfaces like stove tops, counters, porcelain, fiberglass and tile. For tough stains, make a paste of baking soda and water and let sit on stain for a couple of hours before wiping up.
   
   TIP: A used Parmesan cheese shaker makes a good container to keep your baking soda scouring powder.

2. RECIPE 2:
   
   Table salt can also be used as a stronger abrasive. Salt can scratch some delicate surfaces, so care should be taken. This does work well on glass surfaces, such as burnt on coffee in the bottom of a glass coffee carafe.

3. RECIPE 3:
   
   For a non-abrasive solution mix 1/4 cup borax with enough vegetable oil based liquid soap (like Murphy's Oil Soap) to form a creamy paste. Add 1/2 teaspoon lemon oil and mix well. A small amount of this mixture can be used to wash the surface with a sponge, then rinsed off.

Resources

• Frugal Patti - Tips for Frugal Living

[Oktobers]

on 12/15/2008 These are great tips!