Make This Cheap and Easy DIY Soft Scrub
I’ve become a bit of a boater this summer. My boyfriend bought a boat and suddenly I learned about fishing, mooring, navigation and the uniqueness of maritime culture. However, perhaps the most valuable thing I learned was about soft scrubs. I had never used one before, but this abrasive cleaner became a very important part of my life as a boater because it allowed us to easily remove salt water and fish guts from the deck and outside of the boat. A little gritty, it made cleaning easier than if I had to use plain old soap and water, and allowed me to use a long-handled broom to clean up messes that I’d rather not get within elbow distance of.
Excited by this new discovery, I wanted to buy some for personal, non-marine use, but couldn’t justify the expense of adding another bottle of product to the cleaning shelf in my small apartment.
So I decided to learn how to do things myself. After looking at a few DIY recipes and thinking about how best to use a gentle scrub in my life, I found a method that was completely cheap and effective.
How to make a soft scrub at home
Most DIY gentle scrub recipes call for a similar combination of products: something abrasive like baking soda, mild soap, and oil for scent and ease of use. You mix them with water to create a slightly gritty mixture that will remove grease, dirt, and grime from countertops, sinks, toilets, and other surfaces.
Before making any purchases, I checked with my office. After all, saving money is my main goal here. I had baking soda, regular dish soap, and baby oil. The most important element is obviously the baking soda, so I added one cup of it to the bowl along with ¼ cup of soap and a few drops of baby oil. (Essential oil is usually recommended here, but whatever you have will do in a pinch. Just don’t expect a strong scent from anything other than essential oil.)
After stirring it all up a bit, I added ¼ cup of water, but it was too thick for me and didn’t resemble the soft scrub I had come to love during my unexpected stint as first mate. I added more water until I liked the consistency (shown below). Keep in mind that making this mixture will cause bubbles to form in the soap and water mixture, which may make adding water difficult if you are measuring visually. Just take it slow.
How to apply a soft scrub yourself
I focused on the part of the sink where there were several water rings and unidentified dirt. I wiped them down with a paper towel and, as I suspected, the baking soda did the trick. The combination of sand, soap and oil made it easy to clean up the mess without having to do a lot of physical labor, which is not usually the case when it comes to cleaning up after my culinary adventures.
What I like about this method is that baking soda is relatively safe. If I were using a store-bought soft scrub, I’d be wary of scratching or weakening the surface, but baking soda works just fine. After I wiped the area with a fresh paper towel soaked in water, there were no marks left. My sink was sparkling. The only thing I will do differently next time is find an essential oil to enhance the scent.
As it stands, it was a great, cost-effective way to declutter your home without having to buy and store another product.