How to Clean a White Sink Without Bleach–A guest post from Kendra at Our Homemade Happiness
When we first moved into our apartment, I thought the white sink was a beautiful piece in our all-white kitchen. Little did I know, white kitchen sinks do not stay white and beautiful very long. I used to think Soft Scrub with Bleach was the only way to keep my white sink white. I’ve since figured out a couple easy ways to keep my sink white without toxic chemicals.
A simple scrub made with baking soda and dish soap works great. First, I dry my sink because baking soda will dissolve on a wet sink. Then I sprinkle a little baking soda in my sink, add a couple drops of dish soap, and scrub with a scrubber until it comes clean. Sarah over at Nature’s Nurture uses salt and baking soda to scrub her sink, so add some salt if baking soda/dish soap isn’t cutting it. I also use this baking soda scrub and a scrub brush to clean my textured bathtub.
If there are still some stubborn stains that won’t come off, I add a few drops of tea tree oil, hydrogen peroxide, or lemon juice to the baking soda scrub to whiten the sink. Then I scrub a little more. You may need to let the tea tree oil, hydrogen peroxide, or lemon juice sit on the stain for a bit depending on how bad it is.
If I’m in a hurry, I use a Magic Eraser instead of the baking soda scrub. I know, I know, it’s not “green,” but I like that it doesn’t have cleaners in it. It’s the scrubber’s texture that gets stains off. It really does seem magical since stains and marks come off so quickly. It works on bathtubs, walls, floors, and appliances too. I buy a generic version at Walmart for $.72/scrubber, but you can also find them on Amazon for about $1/scrubber. On Pinterest today, I found this pin about a generic version on ebay that’s way cheaper. Coolness!
These methods also work on stainless steel sinks. How do you keep your kitchen sink clean without harsh chemicals?
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Hi, I’m Kendra! I blog about all things homemade, especially cleaners, skincare, and healthy eating. I started my blog, Our Homemade Happiness, after my husband suffered from mono symptoms for over two years and his blood results showed some liver disease. Since the liver is responsible for filtering out chemicals and toxins from the bloodstream, I started to realize how many chemicals are in everything we buy, from processed food to household cleaners, lotion, and even air freshener. I’ve become inspired to rid my home of as many chemicals as I can, one product at a time, and blog about it along the way.
Anonymous
April 16, 2016 at 9:14 pmMark Baker
November 26, 2013 at 1:08 pmThanks for sharing this post, Amy! I’m sure it will help a lot of households in keeping their sinks sparkly clean. This solution is pretty easy to execute since the required ingredients are commonly found in a house. A sink is one of the most common parts of the house that gets clogged, taking care of them will benefit any homeowner for a long time.
Mark Baker @ Esco Now
Brittany Lewis
February 16, 2013 at 8:34 pmAwesome–I was just thinking I’d like to wash my bathtub without bleach this next time, so I’ll be trying this. I have tried using vinegar in the past, but it doesn’t clean as well as I’d like it to. I do like using vinegar in my stainless steel sink, though!
Jen
October 30, 2012 at 10:18 pmKendra, do you not add any water at all? I did this this weekend with no water, and it just was gunking up my scouring pad so I had to add a little which then dissolved the baking soda! Wondering if you really added no water at all. Thanks for the motivation to shine my sink!
Kendra | Our Homemade Happiness
December 5, 2012 at 4:01 pmI get the scouring pad wet but I try not to put extra water in the sink. The dish soap is liquid so that the scrub isn’t too dry.
Cami
October 28, 2012 at 9:14 pmI have a stainless steel kitchen sink and textured tubs. I use baking soda, tea tree oil liquid Castille soap (a couple drops) and vinegar. First I spray the sink/tub with vinegar; usually let sit to help kill some germs. Then I sprinkle in a little baking soda, then the drops of Castille soap. This is my miracle cleanser. Been using it over a year now. Don’t know if someone mentioned, but tea tree oil has antibacterial properties and so does the vinegar. The smell of the tea tree oil is wonderful!!
Cate Fisher
October 26, 2012 at 4:16 pmI use about a tablespoon of baking soda mixed with just a splash of vinegar. The goal is to make a paste out of the two. It works wonderfully to make my kitchen sink white again and to get rid of soap scum in my bathtub.
Cate Fisher
October 26, 2012 at 4:14 pmI make a paste out of baking soda and vinegar that works wonderfully. I just put a tablespoon or so of baking soda in a small bowl and a splash of vinegar. When the foaming dies down I mix it and add more of either ingredient until I have a soft paste. I just scoop chunks of the paste out of the bowl with a dish rag and scrub the sink . I also use it to get rid of soap scum in my bathtub.
anne jan
October 25, 2012 at 11:33 pmThis is great. I usually use a baking soda/dish soap mixture around the house, but I haven’t tried it in my kitchen sink yet. I always worry that the stains are just too tricky. Wish me luck!