Soft scrub works great, but it has tons of harsh chemicals that I’m not super excited about. A couple of months ago, I stumbled onto a homemade soft scrub recipe, and although I’ve tweaked it a bit to suit my own tastes, it works AWESOME. No, seriously, this stuff is amazing. I clean my toilets and showers with it, and the best part is that there are literally NO harsh chemicals.
Ingredients {adapted from onegoodthingbyjillee}
- An empty dish soap bottle
- 1 1/2 cups baking soda
- 1/2 cup tea tree castile liquid soap
- 2 tbsp. water
- 2 tbsp. vinegar {your mixture will start to bubble and foam when you add this ingredient due to the reaction with the baking soda}
Directions
Put all the above ingredients into empty dish soap bottle. Place lid on dish soap bottle and shake vigorously–like, you really mean it. That’s it, now go clean something!
*I have found that after it sits for a bit, it can get a bit cakey and dry, so I just add a little bit of water from the faucet and shake it again–then it’s good as new.
Are you concerned about the chemicals in your cleaning products? Do you make your own?
~Mavis
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Sophie says
Im going to have to make this. I usually just pour plain dry baking soda on my stovetop or in my sink and scrub with my fingers to get it clean. I kid you not, it works REALLY good at picking up all the grease and dirt, but it is a mess to clean up. I like barkeepers friend for my sink and tub too, but would prefer something that is more people friendly. This looks like a great solution!
Laura says
Why do you add vinegar? The baking soda would just neutralize it, so it seems like using water instead would make more sense?
Amy says
I agree! I will be making it without the vinegar and see how it works.
Roo says
Agreed. I would use vinegar in a spray bottle after using the scrub, though. It’ll get any bs or castile soap residue off.
Meghna says
Have you tried to dilute it such that it can be filled in a bottle and used for bathroom cleaning ? Also, where did you get the castille liquid soap from ? How much of the prepared mixture do you use ? Have you to spread it out with a brush or layer the sink with it ? Thanks
Nichole says
I clean my sink with a regular cleaner then I spray with a home-made dilluted bleach solution. This way I don’t ever have to deal with soft scrub. My sink comes out looking just like this one. 🙂
Jenn says
I make all of my own cleaning products and my own laundry detergent as well. It is generally cheaper after the initial investment and is better for my family and the environment.
Brooke says
Dr. Bronner’s posted on their FB page today that you shouldn’t mix their soaps with vinegar. The soap is a base and the vinegar is an acid, so by combining them they are both neutralized. You can use vinegar after the soap, but they suggest we don’t mix them together.
Jenny Williams says
I read the same thing Brooke! I only use baking soda and vinegar together. We have well water and it keeps everything from having build up.
Helen in Meridian says
I love onegoodthingbyjillee. I learn so much from her post each day, especially enjoy learning about essential oils.
Jan in California says
This is kind of off the subject, but I’m new to this site, and I love the idea of making my own chemical-free products. I’m becoming more and more sensitive to chemicals because of fibromyalgia. Does anyone have recipes (or a source) for gentle, chemical-free shampoo and/or body wash?
Brenda says
Try Humblebeeandme.com
Joyce says
I use the Castile soap, bar or liquid for showering. I use the lavender as shown in above picture. I too have fibromyalgia and have found less skin issues using this. You can find this in most stores…..Target to health food stores!
Jan Bartholome says
Thank you all for your replies to my question about soap alternatives. Sorry not to reply sooner to Joyce and Karen, but I did not see your replies until yesterday! I will try the Castile soap, Joyce. Thanks for the suggestion. Pam, I have been using less and less product. I brush my teeth with warm water about half the time, using a tiny dab of tooth paste only when they begin to feel really grungy–sometimes I use baking soda on them. I’ll try baking soda for my hair AND my hands..I use it for SO many other things. Baking soda is truly a multi-purpose miracle. My allergies have gotten so much worse in the past year. I feel like the proverbial “canary in the coal mine.” I’m 68. Twenty years ago, nothing bothered me. Now, everything does. My allergist said I should move to the moon–except that there IS dust on the moon! LOL!
Pam says
You can go soap-free as well. I use soap only on my hands and I bathe just with water and a facecloth. My skin stays soft because I’m’ not removing the oils, and I smell clean. I usually just wet my hair when I bathe but about every six weeks or so I use 1 tsp baking soda in 1 cup of water as a shampoo, then 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar in 1 cup of water as a conditioner. It is super easy to look after personal hygiene with the very basics. It’s worth trying out – doesn’t cost anything to cut back on products!
Karen Coghlan says
I am a soap maker, and vinegar mixed with real soap will make the soap return partially back to oil.