Green Substitutes for Soft Scrub

Clean your bathroom and other hard surfaces in your home with homemade cleanser.

Soft scrub products work great at cleaning tubs, counter tops, toilets and a variety of other surfaces around the home. But they often contain harsh ingredients that pose a danger to the environment. So instead of heading to the market to buy soft scrub cleanser, consider making your own green alternative. Not only is it eco-friendly, you can make your own with inexpensive ingredients.

Castile Soap and Baking Soda

Castile soap is made from vegetable oils rather than animal oils and contains all-natural ingredients. Mixing it with baking soda makes a good soft scrub cleanser. Combine ½ cup of liquid castile soap and 2 cups of baking soda into a bowl. You can add about five drops of an antibacterial essential oil like rosemary or tea tree oil if you want to give the cleanser a nice scent. Mix the ingredients well with a spoon to make a paste.

Vinegar and Baking Soda

Vinegar has other uses besides in cooking, one of which is cleaning. When mixed with baking soda, it works well to disinfect and clean a variety of surfaces. Combine ½ cup of baking soda with ½ cup of an eco-friendly dish soap into a bowl. Mix in ¼ cup of white vinegar, and stir it up well to create a homemade soft scrub cleaner.

Borax and Baking Soda

Borax powder is sold in the laundry aisle at most supermarkets. It's a naturally occurring substance in the earth and is ideal for green cleaning. To make a homemade soft scrub cleanser, mix ¾ cup of baking soda with ¼ cup of borax powder. Stir it well, then slowly add in an eco-friendly dish soap while constantly stirring until a paste forms. If you want to give the cleaner a fresh scent, add ¼ tsp. of lemon juice as well.

How to Use

Using a homemade soft scrub cleaner is no different than using the commercial kind. Dampen a sponge with water. Scoop about a quarter-sized amount of the cleanser from the bowl you mixed it in. Scrub your counter tops, sinks, bathtub, appliances and other hard surfaces with the sponge and homemade cleanser. Rinse the surface well with a clean rag and water, then buff with a dry cloth to remove any residue.

References

• Care 2; Homemade Soft Scrubber; Annie B. Bond; May 1999
• The Old Farmer's Almanac; Make Your Own Cleaners; Christine Halvorson and Kenneth M. Sheldon; 1999
• Utah State University Cooperative Extension: Homemade Non Toxic Household Cleaners;