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I Replaced Ten Cleaning Products With Baking Soda Scrubs I Make Myself
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items My cabinet under the sink was stuffed with half-empty bottles, each one promising to clean exactly one surface. Spent more on cleaning supplies than groceries some months. If you're tired of buying a different spray for every room and want a simpler,...
Sections
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Baking Soda and Base Ingredients for DIY Scrubs
Mixing and Storage Containers That Don't Leak
Scrubbing Tools That Won't Destroy Your Surfaces
Spray Bottles and Finishing Supplies for Daily Maintenance
Baking Soda and Base Ingredients for DIY Scrubs
Every scrub I make starts with the same handful of ingredients. I used to overthink it, but once I nailed down these staples, I stopped buying anything else for months.
Grab the big bag. I go through about one a month between the kitchen and bathroom. Way cheaper per ounce than those little boxes, and you'll wonder why you ever bought single-surface cleaners.
ARM and HAMMER, Baking Soda, 4 lb Box
Keep this under every sink. Mix it with baking soda for that fizzy reaction that loosens soap scum in seconds. My shower doors went from foggy to clear after one round. Stock up because you'll use it constantly.
Natural Distilled White Vinegar, 1 Gallon (128 oz)
Switch to this if regular vinegar isn't cutting through hard water stains. It's 6% acidity instead of 5%, and that tiny bump made a real difference on my stovetop grates. For anyone in an area with brutal mineral buildup.
Heinz White Vinegar, 1 Gallon
Toss a tablespoon into your baking soda paste and the whole kitchen smells like a spa instead of chemicals. Works as the binding agent for thicker scrubs. Perfect for people whose hands dry out from regular dish soap.
Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Liquid Soap 32 oz for face
Use a tiny bit mixed into baking soda for stainless steel appliances. Polishes and cleans at the same time. My fridge went from fingerprint museum to actually reflective in about three minutes.
Sky Organics Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, 16.9 fl oz
Pair sugar with coconut oil and baking soda for a gentler scrub on delicate surfaces like porcelain sinks. I accidentally scratched a vintage basin once using pure baking soda. Never again.
Wholesome Organic Cane Sugar (6 lbs.)
Drop five or six drops into any scrub batch for a fresh scent that lasts hours. Visitors kept asking what candle I was burning. It was just the countertops.
Now Foods, Essential Oils, Lemon, 1 fl oz (3 Pack)
Mixing and Storage Containers That Don't Leak
First time I made a big batch, I stored it in a random takeout container. Leaked everywhere in the cabinet. These actually seal and make it easy to scoop out what you need.
Swap out those flimsy plastic containers. These seal tight, look decent on a shelf, and you can see exactly how much scrub you have left. I label mine with a dry erase marker right on the glass.
Ball, Glass Mason Jars, 32 oz, Wide Mouth, with Lids
Try these if you want stackable options. The lids snap on so firmly that even my baking soda and vinegar pre-mix doesn't dry out for weeks. For anyone with limited cabinet space.
Rubbermaid Brilliance 2-Pack | Food storage containers for
Use the one-handed lid when your other hand is covered in scrub paste. Sounds minor until you're mid-clean and fumbling with a twist-off jar. My wife stole two of these for the pantry.
(2 pack) OXO POP Container 1.1-Qt Short Small Square
Microwave-safe, so you can warm coconut oil right in it before mixing. Saves dirtying an extra bowl. I make a week's worth of stovetop scrub in one of these every Sunday night.
Pyrex Glass Storage Dish, 7 Cups, Round
Get a dedicated set just for cleaning mixes. I used to eyeball ratios and the results were wildly inconsistent. Two tablespoons baking soda, one tablespoon soap, done perfectly every time now.
Prepworks by Progressive Stainless Steel Measuring Cups
Scrape every last bit of scrub out of the jar. Before these, I was wasting probably a quarter of each batch stuck to the sides. For the person who hates throwing anything away.
Chef Craft Select Wooden Handled Silicone Spatula
Label your jars with the recipe and date. Sounds obvious but I once grabbed the wrong mix and used a sugar scrub on my oven. Didn't go great. Five seconds of labeling saves real headaches.
Sharpie Permanent Markers, Fine Point
Scrubbing Tools That Won't Destroy Your Surfaces
Learned the hard way that steel wool on a glass cooktop is a terrible idea. Replaced the scratched panel for $200. These tools do the heavy lifting without the damage.
Firm in cold water for tough grime, soft in warm water for gentle wipe-downs. My bathtub ring disappeared without any scratching. Wish I'd found these before I ruined my old apartment's tub finish.
Scrub Daddy
Keep one at every sink. They're thin enough to get into faucet crevices where baking soda paste likes to hide. Perfect for renters who can't risk damaging fixtures.
Scotch-Brite Zero Scratch Scour Pads, 3 Pack
The rough side handles baked-on stovetop spills without leaving marks. Paired with my baking soda paste, it took off three months of neglected grease in one session. Not exaggerating.
O-Cedar Scrunge Sponge, Multi-Use Non-Scratch
Grab this for grout lines. Dip it in baking soda paste and work the bristles along tile seams. My bathroom floor went from grayish grout to actually white. Neighbors thought I re-tiled.
Full Circle Tough Stuff All-Purpose Household Scrub Brush
Use the flat edge to spread paste evenly across large surfaces like countertops. Even coverage means less scrubbing overall. For anyone whose arms are sore after cleaning day.
Great Value Heavy Duty Scrub Sponges, 8 Count
These come pre-soaped but I add my own baking soda mix on top. Double the cleaning power on really stubborn stains. Burned pasta pot went from black to silver in ten minutes.
S.O.S Heavy Duty Steel Wool Soap Pads, 15 count - 3 Pack
Dampen one and dip it in dry baking soda for scuff marks on sinks and tubs. The combo works faster than either product alone. Toss them after one heavy session though. They fall apart fast.
Mr. Clean, Magic Eraser Extra Durable Cleaning Pads
Spray Bottles and Finishing Supplies for Daily Maintenance
Big deep-clean sessions got old fast. Now I do a quick spray-and-wipe daily that takes maybe two minutes. These keep everything looking like I just scrubbed, even when I didn't.
Fill this with a vinegar and water mix for daily countertop wipe-downs between deep scrubs. The nozzle actually adjusts from mist to stream. Cheap bottles always broke on me within a week.
Harris Professional Spray Bottle 32 oz. 2-Pack
Use these for mixes with essential oils. Clear plastic bottles let light degrade the oils over time. Learned that after my lemon spray stopped smelling like anything after a month.
Liba, Glass Spray Bottle, 16oz, Refillable, Amber, 2 Pack
Ditch paper towels for good. These pick up baking soda residue way better and you just throw them in the wash. Saved me probably $15 a month in paper towel costs alone.
Soft Textiles 24-Pack White Cotton Washcloths
Try these for glass and mirrors after a vinegar spray. Zero lint, zero streaks. My bathroom mirror finally looks clean instead of smeared. For anyone who gave up on streak-free mirrors years ago.
Customer reviews for Swedish Wholesale Swedish Dish
Keep one can for the rare job baking soda can't handle alone. Rust stains on old porcelain, mainly. I only reach for it maybe once a month, but when I need it, nothing else comes close.
Bar Keepers Friend Cleanser Powder 21 OZ
Baking soda handles most things, but I'm honest. Toilets get their own product in my house. Sprinkle baking soda first, then follow with this. The combo is unbeatable on hard water rings.
Clorox Toilet Bowl Cleaner w/Bleach, Rain Clean, 24 fl oz
Grab this if you want something that looks nice enough to leave on the counter. Refill it with your own vinegar mix. Guests see it and think you have your life together. They don't need to know the truth.
Grove Co. Reusable Cleaning Glass Spray Bottle