Buying cleaning supplies can get really expensive, really quickly. At $3.00 or more (average) per bottle, most of us are spending hundreds per year just trying to keep our homes clean. It doesn’t make any sense to me. Sure, we all need clean homes, but why are we paying so much to have that? We’ve been trained by big companies to think that we need those expensive products to keep our kids safe from germs and dirt at bay, but the simple truth is that we have the capability to make cleaning products at home that work just as well, are considerably cheaper and aren’t full of dangerous chemicals that can actually harm our families instead of helping them. Instead of spending that money and bringing those chemicals into our homes, we should all be learning how to make our own homemade cleaning products. This homemade soft scrub recipe is just one of the homemade cleaners that we use in our home and I’m 100% positive that once you try it, you’ll love it just as much as we do!
The thing about cleaners is that for the most part, they really don’t need to be complicated to work the way that we want them to. This homemade soft scrub is incredibly easy yet it works exactly the same as the commercial stuff. We love it around our house for one reason. I react very, very badly to bleach and the commercial stuff is full of it. Instead of having my throat feel like it’s going to close up because I’m using commercial Soft Scrub, I use my own homemade soft scrub and don’t have any issues at all. Plus? It’s so much cheaper! Why should I pay $2.87/bottle at Walmart when I can make it for way less than that? Please don’t get me wrong. There is absolutely nothing “wrong” with commercial cleaners. If you want to use them, by all means, use them. We had zero choice to remove chemicals from our home since we learned that too many chemicals affects my health in a very negative way. If the chemical content of commercial cleaners isn’t an issue for you, that’s fine. Take a look at the monetary savings alone.
Replacing all of your store bought cleaners with homemade cleaners can easily save you hundreds each year. I know that I can think of other places than Walmart or the local grocery store that I’d rather spend hundreds of dollars. We saved over $2500 the first year that we stopped buying and started making and you know what? It’s a year later and I haven’t got a single regret.
How to make homemade soft scrub
This easy to make cleaning paste is very similar to the types you can find on the shelves in its consistency but uses great ingredients that you can feel good about using. It smells wonderful, too! As far as shelf life, this is one recipe that does not have it. You’ll want to make it in small batches (which is what the recipe makes) because it tends to separate or harden if it’s left in the container unused for a while. The best advice I can give you and what I personally do is to just make the one batch right before you need it and use it up before you make more.
The essential oils that we use in our homemade soft scrub are perfect for cleaning your bathroom with but work just as great in the kitchen. Rosemary will help kill any mold or mildew and the lemon oil will not only disinfect but will also help cut through any scum or grease that may be on the area that you’re cleaning. If you want to make it a bit more harsh on germs, adding 3 or so drops of tea tree oil which will help boost its germ killing power.
Supplies needed to make homemade soft scrub:
- ½ cup baking soda
- ½ cup Liquid Castile Soap (or make your own homemade liquid Castile soap)
- 5 drops Rosemary essential oil
- 5 drops Lemon essential oil
Add the Castile soap to your container first. You can use whatever type of container you prefer. I usually use a 4 oz jelly jar though since they’re easier to work with for the most part. Also, you can use any scent of soap that you want. I prefer almond scented Castile soap for this particular recipe since it blends really well with the rosemary and lemon essential oils.
Add the baking soda to your container then using a whisk, mix very well. It will be very clumpy so be sure that you whisk it enough to get the vast majority of clumps out. The baking soda is the first thing that hardens and having it too clumpy only speeds up that process.
After you have whisked all of the clumps out of the baking soda, add the essential oils and whisk again until you get a consistency that is sort of frothy and resembles frosting. Once you get to that consistency, you’re done! It’s ready to use!
Take a toothbrush & dip into the jar, and rub on surfaces, such as sinks fixtures, shower head or any other surface that needs a good cleaning. Let your homemade soft scrub sit for a few minutes then wipe clean with a damp cloth and polish as needed.