Scouring powder is one of those cleaning staples you don’t know you need until you really need it. Dirty dishes? Cruddy sink? Scummy bath tub? There’s a scouring powder for that. And I guarantee it will save you a toooon of elbow grease. Just sprinkle one of these homemade baking soda scouring powders on dingy surfaces and use a sponge to gently rub it in, then rinse it (and all that dried on gunk) down the drain.
And voila! You’ve got yourself a sparkly clean home in seconds.
DIY Baking Soda Scouring Powder 3 Ways
Scouring powder has long been used to clean stuck-on food and dirt from hard surfaces such as ceramic, pots and pans, baking trays, sinks, showers and metal fixtures. Like an exfoliating scrub for your home, just combine your baking soda scouring powder with a little water and gently rub it over surfaces to buff away dirt and make ’em sparkle.
Most store-bought brands of scouring powder contain calcium carbonate, but you can get the same effect with easy-to-find ingredients like baking soda, washing soda and diatomaceous earth. This homemade scouring powder will naturally take care of odor, but you can always add ingredients like herbs, essential oils and citrus rinds to give it a fresh scent of its own. Some of my favorite add-ins are:
- 1 teaspoon of dried herbs like rosemary, thyme and sage
- 2 tablespoons finely grated orange, lemon or grapefruit rinds
- 1 tablespoon coffee grounds
- 2 teaspoons dried rose or lavender petals
- 5-10 drops essential oil, such as lavender, sweet orange, rosemary and lemongrass
Feel free to use any combination of scents that you like and switch them up depending on your mood or the season. Same goes for the ingredients themselves. Baking soda is the main ingredient in my homemade scouring powder, but I’ve used everything from caster sugar to bentonite clay to take care of tough messes and filmy surfaces.
To boost the effectiveness of your baking soda scouring powder, try:
- Combining scouring powder with a teaspoon of water and applying the paste directly to surfaces. As the baking soda sits it will help soften the grime so you won’t need to scrub nearly as hard.
- Adding ¼ cup borax to your scouring powder for extra cleaning action.
- Using in combination with ½ teaspoon dish soap.
- Swapping out the water for distilled white vinegar to help loosen tough dirt and get rid of odors. Follow up with a second vinegar rinse if you notice water spots or a filmy residue.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup baking soda
- 1/4 cup washing soda
- 1/4 cup diatomaceous earth (optional but highly recommended for hard-to-clean surfaces!)
- 10 – 15 drops essential oils of your choosing (here are some of our favorites)
Optional Ingredients (choose 1 or make all 3)
- Lemon + Thyme: 1 tablespoon lemon peel (finely grated) and 1 teaspoon ground thyme
- Grapefruit: 2 tablespoons grapefruit peel (finely grated)
- Rose + Heather: 1 teaspoon each rose petals and heather blossoms (dried, preferably)
Instructions
1. Mix ingredients in a small bowl until well combined, then pour into a clean container. If using herbs in your mixture, I recommend grinding them in a coffee grinder before mixing them in. If you don’t have a clean coffee grinder, just adding them whole shouldn’t hurt anything.
2. Store in an airtight jar or spice shaker.
3. To use, simply sprinkle on surface and scour with a moist sponge. For added cleaning power, add enough water or white vinegar to make a paste. Rinse thoroughly with warm water.
Use scouring powder within 2 weeks.
love baking soda ~ its good to use a little in the palm of your hand with your fav shampoo to get rid of build up of product in your hair too .it leaves it feeling really clean and shiny. I use it alot ,for cat litter .cleaning .laundry etc… I buy it in bulk in the summer .you can find it in huge bags in the “pool” area of most superstores. thanks for sharing
Mattie,
Thanks for the information about finding baking soda in bulk in the pool area!
My wife loves baking soda, but always complains that she runs out so quickly with the small boxes. Thanks for the tip, I will check out the pool aisle! FYI, she uses it on her skin too. It was a real lifesaver for her when she had shingles.
Love these ideas!!! I cannot wait to try these!
Sometimes I use a little baking soda with a little salt for brushing my teeth ~ especially after being sick.
Have a blessed day!
Is there anything cleaning related that baking soda cannot do?! Love this, I will be trying it tonight.
As I’ve told you so many times before, you have totally helped me ‘green up’ my entire cleaning routine! In fact, I did a beauty detox too, and I think these two things are the entire reason I got pregnant. Out with the chemicals, in with the fertility! Seriously!
I can’t wait to make these scrubs, but I was wondering: have you cleaned a stainless steel sink with baking soda before? I’m just wondering if it’s safe. I know you mention it is, but I always get a film…
First, congrats to you! So exciting! 🙂 Second, I’ve cleaned my kitchen sink, which is stainless steel, with the powder – just poured some in, scrubbed and rinsed. I didn’t have a problem with a film but let me know if you try it and do!
Love this idea for party favour. Where did you get the bottles . They are adorable. Thanks
what a great idea! where do you get your bottles? LoVE them!!
Your instructions say to use the mixture within 2 weeks. But if I don’t add any oils or other mix-ins, and I just use the baking soda, washing soda, and diatomaceous earth, can I mix up a big batch to keep on hand for longer term than that? I used to keep a bottle of bar keepers friend under the sink but it probably took me a year to go through it. And I always prefer mixing batches that last longer whenever possible. So, hoping to try this natural ingredient list but also have it stored and ready when I need it.
Also thanks for this post!! Love easy recipes to keep my home clean without chemicals. And at a great cost!
And FYI, I found a 4lb bag of the Diatomaceous Earth for $7.86 at Walmart in the garden section as opposed to Amazon’s 2 lb bag for $14.
Thanks also to the other person who told us to look for baking soda in bulk sizes in the pool section! Happy cleaning!!