DIY Green Cleaning Scouring Powder: Magical 2-Minute Surface Scrub
Introducing another super star among our green cleaning favorites : a 2-ingredient scouring powder that works like magic on tough to clean surfaces in the kitchen and bathroom!
We love using this non scratching super effective green cleaning powder on our bath tubs, toilets, tile, oven doors and racks, kitchen sinks, cook-tops, stainless steel and other cookware, and any surfaces that need a good scrubbing.
I tell people that when my husband cooks, he always makes the kitchen sparkling clean even before we sit down to eat! However, I was never a fan of the surface scrub powder that he used to use. I could smell the unpleasant fumes and I always wondered what harsh chemicals were in those cleaning powders.
Not any more! Hubby is so impressed with this … ever since I made the first batch 3 years ago, that we no longer have any conventional scouring powders in our home!
In case you smart people ask about the cost, I decided to do a comparison, and I was amazed to find that the harsh conventional cleaning powder costs 5 to 7 times more than our green cleaning scouring powder!
It only takes a minute to make. What is not to love?
How to make green cleaning scouring powder:
( Some of the helpful resources are affiliate links. Full disclosure here. ) You will only need 2 ingredients to make this super effective surface scrub
Mix 4 parts baking soda with 1 part washing soda. Put in a glass jar with a tight lid, and shake well. Don’t forget to label it so no one confuses it for something else!
For less stubborn stains, we love using a simple cleaning powder made with just baking soda and a few drops of essential oil. We have also used grated lemon zest or lavender buds in the baking soda to clean areas except for the bath tub (since the bath drain could be clogged ).
I made these free printable labels you can download at the end and print them on label sheets like these!
How does this green cleaning scouring powder work?
Baking soda is a mild abrasive at a PH of 9, and a natural disinfectant. It’s tough on stains and germs, but easy on people and animals.
Sodium carbonate, (also known as washing soda, soda ash and soda crystals) is a form of white, water-soluble salt, historically extracted from the ashes of plants growing in sodium-rich soils. Washing soda can effectively remove grease build-up and soap scum on kitchen appliances and bathroom surfaces.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Washing soda is non toxic (the Environmental Working Group gives it an A score as a healthy cleaner) but at a PH of 11, it is more alkaline than baking soda (PH 9) (just like cement in concrete which has a PH of 12-13), and should be handled with care. Always wear gloves if handling it directly, and never inhale the dust particles or let them get to your eyes. Keep it out of the reach of children and pets. Our cleaning powder only contains 20% washing soda, and 80% baking soda, so it is not as caustic as 100% washing soda.
How to use our green cleaning scouring powder.
Let’s use a white porcelain enamel kitchen sink as an example. You can use the same process for other surfaces like …
I decided to make it extra dirty with coffee stains on the left side and metal scuff marks on the right, and show you how easy it is to clean the kitchen sink with our magical green cleaning scouring powder!
First, wipe off any solids and excess water from the sink with a damp towel. The sink (or any surface you are trying to clean) should be slightly damp but without water droplets. The goal is to make the cleaning powder stick to the surface without being dissolved too quickly.
Sprinkle the scouring powder and scrub the surface using a dry or slightly damp sponge. You will notice the stains starting to come off right away.
Continue scrubbing for a few minutes. Rinse clean. If there are any stubborn spots left, repeat the above process one more time. You will be delighted by the sparkly clean sink or surface !
I used the same process to remove the metal scuff marks left by cookware in the white porcelain sink. See before-after photo below. You can clean oven doors, bath tubs, tile countertops the same way.
A side note about sink: we are starting our kitchen remodel, and this sink will be replaced by a stainless steel farmhouse sink. We would not choose a porcelain enamel sink for the kitchen in future. They get stained so easily from pretty much everything in the kitchen such as coffee grounds, grease and sauces, and contacts with stainless cookware! Things also break easily in a porcelain sink.
Download the free printable labels and all the DIY goodies for free here:
Additional green cleaning resources you may love:
Here are a few of our favorite super effective and easy DIY green cleaning recipes with free printable labels!
Super effective and easy DIY green cleaning recipes with free printable labels!
My talented blogger friend Bren is a green cleaning expert, here are some great tips she has on cleaning with baking soda and vinegar.
Green cleaning should smell amazing too! This DIY citrus green cleaner will make your home smell so fresh and clean!
Here’s a DIY 2-ingredient mattress cleaner that removes stains without bleach, and also works wonders on upholstery, yoga mat, tile grout, and more!
Happy cleaning! See you next week!
Hi, Ananda! I’ve made and used all of your green products and my husband and I LOVE THEM! I recently found Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap with Tea Tree Oil, which may make some of the products easier to make…time will tell. Thought I’d pass this along to you while praising your homemade products. P.S. I lived in West LA for five years- now I’m in VT. Can you say “culture shock”? LOL!
hi Christine! thank you so much!! 🙂 love all Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soaps! hope you don’t mind the cold in VT, but you will get such a glorious fall season right?!? xo
wow, this is so amazing article about diy green cleaning scouring powder surface. i really inspired by your article because some people face allergic reaction from soaps. these are the best homemade tricks about cleaning scouring powder surface ..thanks for sharing this amazing article.
the labels for this are not on the page with the downloads! where can I find them?
hi Jeannie! thank you for catching that! we added Set 2 to the green cleaning labels, they are all on the download page now! 🙂
Hello. Tried your washing soda link and came up with a page showing TV and monitor hardware, and various types of compression sleeves. Will just look in my local Cdn. Tire store.
hi barb, i checked and this is the correct link- https://amzn.to/2Kv0gZh have a great week! 🙂
Do you have any cleaners for wood kitchen cabinets that are greasy
hi Carol! i would mix a little baking soda with drops of dish soap, use medium pressure so as not to scratch the wood surface. 🙂
Wondering if this might clean hard water/rust stains? Any thoughts? Have you tried it? Thank you.
hi phyllis! this works quite well on hardwater stains, i think it would help with rust stains too! 🙂
Where do we buy soda wash soap?… Have been looking in my grocery store but to no can find could you tell me where ?
hi! you can get it on amazon here (my affiliate link) https://amzn.to/2tCk3d3 🙂