Squeaky is all about the borderline genius hacks and ideas that keep literally every inch of your space pristine.
Cleaning the toilet might be the most unpleasant bathroom task, but tackling the bathtub is definitely the biggest hassle. We've all been there: hunched over the tub, scrubbing the porcelain, knees hurting, and soaking ourselves in the process. Not to mention the leftover grit in the bottom of the tub that's enough to ruin your next soothing soak.
This baking soda bathtub scrub recipe makes the scouring much easier — and you don't have to inhale yucky chemicals while you work. You can use this homemade soft scrub on the bathtub, sinks, even shower stalls. Plus, it's customizable for fighting heavy duty soap scum, mildew, bacteria, and stains.
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Things You'll Need
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup sea salt
15 drops sweet orange essential oil, optional
Step 1: Make the Soft Scrub "Frosting"
In a mixing bowl, stir together the baking soda and salt. Slowly pour in the liquid soap, stirring as you go, until the mixture has the consistency of frosting.
You can make this recipe with just baking soda, and you'll still get a mildly abrasive scrub that's perfect for bathtubs. Adding salt gives the mixture a bit more scrubbing power.
Step 2: Add Essential Oils
Add the essential oils, if using, and stir together. You can use an oil because you like the smell or pick one that will up the scrub's bacteria-fighting power. I like the classic, fresh clean scent of citrus when I'm cleaning, and most citrus essential oils, like lemon or lime, are also antibacterial.
Step 3: Use Immediately
The mixture doesn't store well so it's best if used immediately. It tends to dry out, so only mix up the amount you'll need for each cleaning.
Scoop the mixture onto a clean sponge and scrub down tubs, sinks, showers, toilets, or other porcelain items. Then rinse thoroughly.
Alternate Ways to Make the Soft Scrub
To save time, you can mix up the baking soda, salt, and essential oil without the liquid soap. Store the dry mixture in a jar and remove as needed to make a new batch of soft scrub.
If you're really in a hurry, just sprinkle baking soda onto your bathroom surfaces. Add a bit of soap to a wet sponge and scour thoroughly then rinse.
This soft scrub recipe is very customizable. You can change up the ingredients to make a scouring scrub that fits your bathroom's cleaning challenges:
To gently scrub: Leave out the salt and just use baking soda.
To fight bacteria: Add any antibacterial essential oil that you have on hand, like sweet orange, lemon, lavender, rosemary, or tea tree.
To fight mildew: Substitute borax for the salt and use tea tree essential oil.
To whiten stains: Use two tablespoons of baking soda and add two tablespoons of cream of tartar. Substitute three percent hydrogen peroxide instead of liquid soap to make a paste.
To cut grease: Substitute washing soda for the baking soda and rinse extra thoroughly. Wear gloves when working with washing soda. Don't use it on fiberglass as it can scratch.