Homemade Soft Scrub: Bleach Free and Effective (+ green cleaning basics!)

A lot of homemade soft scrub recipes call for toxic ingredients like bleach. This is the easiest, most budget-friendly homemade soft scrub that you can make. And it works like a charm!

A lot of homemade soft scrub recipes call for toxic ingredients like bleach. This is the easiest, most budget-friendly homemade soft scrub that you can make. And it works like a charm!

A lot of homemade soft scrub recipes call for toxic ingredients like bleach. This is the easiest, most budget-friendly homemade soft scrub that you can make. And it works like a charm!

Like anything else, cleaning naturally seems like a much more onerous task than it actually is. It might also seem complicated and expensive. But it doesn’t have to be!

Related: 50 Ideas for Natural, Green Cleaning

I am nothing if not paranoid and frugal. Making your own cleaning products falls under my comfort umbrella. You can be sure that this homemade soft scrub recipe is safe, cheap, and effective. On top of the DIY soft scrub, we’ve got some additional tips, so that you, too, might give natural cleaning a go.

I use this fantastic homemade soft scrub for everything from shining up my countertops to polishing up the bathtub. It even works magic on toilets.  I may have also used it last weekend to clean out my kid’s sand/water table after outside dirt and grime had gotten the better of it.

What I’m trying to say here is that homemade soft scrub is versatile as all get-out, and I’ll bet you can make it, well, right now.

Homemade Soft Scrub Recipe

Ingredients:

+ 1/4 cup baking soda
+ enough liquid soap to make a paste – As far as the soap is concerned, I prefer Dr. Bronner’s liquid castile soap in peppermint, but use any castile soap with which you’re comfortable.  In the past, I’ve used Seventh Generation dish soap, for example.

To clean: Spread a bit of paste on a clean sponge and scrub, scrub, scrub to your heart’s content. It’s a magical thing.

For super stuck-on grime: Spread your homemade soft scrub over the area that needs cleaning, and let it sit for a few minutes before you begin scrubbing.

Homemade Soft Scrub: Bleach Free and Effective (+ green cleaning basics!)

Beyond DIY Soft Scrub

Homemade soft scrub is just the tip of the green cleaning iceberg. There are so many simple ways to make your own green cleaners for your home, body, and your family. I’ve included some additional tips below on DIY natural cleaning.

+ Essential oils – Put a few drops of tea tree oil on the inside of the toilet for natural disinfecting and fresh scent. Use peppermint or lavender to repel bugs (not necessary cleansing-related, but handy nonetheless, right?).

+ Liquid castile soap – Put a few drops in your homemade baby wipe solution to keep bums clean. Use Dr. Bronner’s Tea Tree Oil soap to clean your gunked-up pans. Make a quick cleansing spray with 3/4 cup distilled water, 1/4 cup white vinegar, 1 teaspoon castile soap, and several drops essential oil of your choice (I’m a peppermint gal all the way…).  Use this on just about anything (except glass…to use on glass, leave out the soap).

+ Baking soda – Clean counter tops with plain baking soda and warm water, if you’d like (it’s just that effective). Combine baking soda with a little arrowroot powder or cornstarch and coconut oil for a natural deodorant (see how it’s done with Cadry).

+ Vinegar – White or apple cider vinegar are both great at cleaning and actually rival toxic bleach in their germ-killing powers. Make a simple all purpose cleaner with just vinegar and water, or use vinegar to make homemade drain cleaner or even de-gunk your hot water heater.

Do you make your own homemade soft scrub or have a favorite basic green cleaning recipe? Tell us about them in the comments!

Image Credit: cleaning photos via Shutterstock

1 thought on “Homemade Soft Scrub: Bleach Free and Effective (+ green cleaning basics!)”

  1. Pingback: How to Clean with Baking Soda and Vinegar - Crafting a Green World

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