Goodbye, strong smelling chemicals!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009 at 6:48PM 
So, in follow up to yesterday's post about using household items for cleaning, this afternoon I went out and bought some spray bottles, a jug of vinegar, and some lemon juice. In one bottle I put straight vinegar, and in another bottle I put a 50-50 mix of water and vinegar, plus a bit of lemon juice to help cut down on the vinegar smell. I used the 50-50 mix, which is supposed to be a good all-purpose cleaner, to clean the bathroom mirror and sink. Quick, easy, and well done! I don't think I've seen the faucet quite so shiny before! Next up, I sprayed the top half of shower door with straight vinegar. I admit there was quite a build up of soap scum, so I was curious to see what vinegar would do. I wasn't using anything with much scrubbing power, just a sponge. After some rubbing and rinsing, I found that the vinegar did indeed get rid of some of the soap scum, but not all of it. Even if I had used a scrub brush, it seemed that it would take an extra hit of elbow grease to get it clean. I thought it might be the perfect opportunity to try out the recipe for home made soft scrub I had.
The recipe calls for 1/2 cup baking soda mixed with 1/2 cup liquid dish soap, then 1/8 to 1/4 cup of vinegar. I thought it might do the job...the baking soda is a great, yet gentle, abrasive, which could be the kick I would need to get rid of that scum! I mixed it up and got a great foamy goop. I applied it with a plastic-sort of pot scrubber, the kind you use for non-stick pans. I could feel the extra scrub from the baking soda as I rubbed the cleaner around...I also thought it might do better than straight vinegar because it was thicker and stuck to the walls of the shower instead of dripping down. I used it on the walls & floor of the shower, the shower door, the metal around the door, and the tap...gave everything a good scrub and rinsed it all down...the results??
F a n t a s t i c!!!
I have to say, it did a great job! The glass is clean, the tap sparkles, and there are no more water spots on the metal around the door. I did miss a few spots, but overall I am very happy with the results. There was some left over to use the next time, but when I need more I might change the recipe up a bit...I think a 1/2 cup of dish soap is too much...it seemed to take forever to rinse it away, and it was hard to wash all of the bubbles out of the cloth I was using when I rinsed the walls down. I think I'd rather have less dish soap and more vinegar, or perhaps lemon juice. The next time I make it, I think I'll try 1/4 cup dish soap, 1/2 cup baking soda, and maybe 1/4 to 1/2 cup vinegar.
All in all, 2 thumbs up!!
Reader Comments (2)
Inspiring!! I use an environmentally safe product I buy at the Cross Cancer hospital, which is okay, but no good for deeper cleaning. I will give your recipe a try for my bathroom.
If you come across a formula for scrubbing the toilet, please post. I'm one of those that will mix toxic chemicals in a quest for perfectly white porcelain, but am concerned about what I'm putting down the drain (meaning the chemicals).
Aha! I shall make another entry to discuss this further...