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diy cleaning recipe: homemade soft scrub

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This is an all-purpose homemade soft scrub recipe that can be used in your kitchen and bathroom sinks, showers, bathtubs and more! The best part is that it’s made from natural cleaning products and super simple to make with only three ingredients needed. It’s quick and easy to make, but also effective at cleaning your home.

kitchen sink with homemade soft scrub and cleaning brush

why make a homemade soft scrub for cleaning

Making your own DIY cleaning products can be a great option for many reasons. This recipe is more affordable, it works better than the ones I have bought from the store and avoid many of the harsh ingredients in many cleaning products. While prices are always changing, this recipe costs me less than a dollar to make a single batch which I can use to clean my kitchen sink, bathroom sinks and bathtub in one use. Also, my hands have thanked me every time I use this cleaner since it’s so gentle.

where can you use a cleaning soft scrub in your home

This homemade soft scrub recipe is incredible for cleaning grease, stains or hard to remove spots. At the same time, it’s very gentle and can used in a variety of surfaces in your home. I love that it doesn’t have any harsh chemicals and actually leaves my hands soft instead of red, cracked or burning.

My favorite places to use this homemade soft scrub are in the kitchen and bathroom! It is so, so good for cleaning kitchen sinks (especially if they are white or easily stained), stovetop and inside your oven. Using the soft scrub for your kitchen sink and a few other tips for sink cleaning are all in this blog post. In the bathroom, this soft scrub is great for cleaning sinks, showers and bath tubs. I share a few more uses for the soft scrub at the end of this post.

simple homemade soft scrub ingredients

1 cup baking soda

1 capful thieves cleaner

5-10 drops lemon essential oil

homemade soft scrub glass jar, thieves cleaner, baking soda, lemon essential oil and scrub brush

homemade soft scrub cleaning recipe

This is going to be simple and go really quickly, but that’s the beauty of this homemade soft scrub recipe.

First, add 1 cup baking soda to glass or ceramic mixing bowl.

Then add 1/2 – 1 capful of thieves cleaner and 5-10 drops lemon essential oil to the baking soda.

Mix all of the ingredients together until well distributed. This may take a little time, especially to get the clumps evenly spread out in the baking soda. You can press a spoon down on any stubborn spots to ensure the are well mixed.

Add the homemade soft scrub to a sealed glass jar for storing. Best if used 8 hours later up to overnight before using to allow the mixture to meld together.

farmhouse kitchen sink with homemade soft scrub and scrub brush
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homemade soft scrub recipe

Equipment

  • 1 glass or ceramic bowl
  • 1 sealed glass jar for storing

Materials

  • 1 cup baking soda
  • 1/2-1 capful thieves cleaner
  • 5-10 drops lemon essential oil

Instructions

  • Add 1 cup baking soda to glass or ceramic mixing bowl.
  • Add 1/2 - 1 capful of thieves cleaner and 5-10 drops lemon essential oil to the baking soda.
  • Mix all of the ingredients together until well distributed. (SEE NOTE)
  • Add the homemade soft scrub to a sealed glass jar for storing.
  • Best if used 8 hours later up to overnight before using to allow the mixture to meld together.

Notes

When mixing ingredients together, it may take a little time. Especially to get the clumps evenly spread out in the baking soda. You can press a spoon down on any stubborn spots to ensure the are well mixed.

how to use your diy soft scrub

To use your homemade soft scrub recipe, you will want to add 1 part water to 2 parts soft scrub. This will make a paste to apply to your kitchen sink, stovetop, bathroom sink, bathtub, oven or anything else you are cleaning. If the paste is too think, you can add more water if needed. Typically, when I use this for my kitchen and bathroom sinks I just eyeball the ratios and add a little more if things don’t look right. You can’t really go wrong.

Using a cleaning scrub brush to rub in the soft scrub paste works wonders. Depending on what you are cleaning, leave the soft scrub paste for 5 minutes to absorb any stains and start working. Come back a second time, using the scrub brush with water to start rinsing and washing away the soft scrub. Make sure to thoroughly rinse away the soft scrub, as it can leave behind a white residue from the baking soda.

Repeat as needed or allow soft scrub to sit for up to 20 minutes for hard to get out stains.

dirty white farmhouse kitchen sink with sink grids

how long does this homemade soft scrub last?

This homemade soft scrub can last up 2-3 weeks in your sealed glass jar. This allows you to use it weekly without having to make another batch. If you find you are running out quickly, go ahead and double or triple the recipe!

Using DIY cleaning products can be a great start to a low tox lifestyle, but can also be an economical way to clean your home. Baking soda and thieves cleaner are staples in my home and are such a versatile cleaners. Once you start using these natural cleaning products in your home, there is no going back to anything else!

can you use the soft scrub for anything besides cleaning?

Some of my favorite cleaning hacks are to use this homemade soft scrub when I can’t get a stain out of something. This has worked to get scuff marks off walls as well as getting out tough laundry stains. This combination of ingredients has even gotten out grease marks from my husband’s work clothes!

For laundry stains, my recommendation is to add the soft scrub with just enough water to form a thick paste. Gently rub into the stain and leave for 15 minutes to several hours to overnight before washing the item in the laundry as normal. If the stain remains, repeat process and don’t put the item in the dryer otherwise your stain may set permanently.

Make sure to save this to your Pinterest board for later.

homemade soft scrub recipe using 3 ingredients pinterest

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. 

Lastly, if you make this recipe please share your comments below. I love to hear from everyone who makes these homemade recipes and do my best to respond to all of them!

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additional cleaning and laundry blog posts

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essentials for our life creator kristin johnsen

Hi! I’m Kristin, and I live with my husband, 2 kids, 1 dog and several chickens on our 10 acres in the suburbs of Minnesota. I fell in love with natural products and living a low tox lifestyle. It has grown into a passion for sharing them with others. Read more about me here.

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