Homemade Scouring Powder Recipe – All Natural & Non-Toxic

Want to make a natural and homemade scouring powder? Here’s an incredibly effective DIY recipe, made with entirely non-toxic ingredients.

My love of green cleaning is widely known. But it might surprise you to hear I am not actually a lover of cleaning or housework. I like having a clean and tidy house. But the actual cleaning and tidying part? There’s no love lost.

My household cleaning philosophy is it gets cleaned when it’s dirty – apart from the things that need regular cleaning that is! And if we have people coming over I will clean and tidy a bit more than normal.

My hope is that when my daughters are older they will remember me sitting on the floor building Lego houses with them more than the sparkling clean kitchen sink we always had, or the perfectly clutter-free living room. That’s what I tell myself anyway…

That being said, the kitchen sink does need cleaning sometimes. We installed a white ceramic kitchen sink when we refurbished our kitchen and it really does show the dirt. When it does need a good thorough clean I’ve been turning to this homemade scouring powder that I’ve been making for a little while now.

I’ve adapted the recipe from Crunchy Betty to give it a bit more scouring power, and boy is it a good one!

How to Make Homemade Scouring Powder

This DIY scouring powder consists of only three simple ingredients but packs a strong punch.

The secret is the citrus peel. Gently dried and ground finely, it’s packed full of fruit oils that cut through grease easily. Combined with the abrasiveness of the bicarbonate of soda and salt makes light work of dirt and grime.

Beautiful smelling, it’ll leave your sink with a delightful citrus zing. It’s also a fantastic way of using up citrus peel that might otherwise be binned if you don’t have access to composting facilities.

It does take a little bit of patience to make but the best things do come to those who wait!

Ingredients

• The peel of one grapefruit or large orange; or two large lemons/limes or clementines. Whatever you have to hand basically!
• 2 tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda (I buy mine in bulk)
• 3 tablespoons of coarse salt

Method

• Take your citrus fruit peel and tear it into small pieces – no larger than the size of a ten-pence piece.
• Sit the peel on a plate and leave somewhere dry and warm. An airing cupboard, the top of a radiator or on a nice sunny window ledge is ideal.
• Leave the peel to dry out – turning the peel at least once per day – until the peel is hard and dry. Depending on where you’re drying your peel, it might take a day to four days.
• Place the dry peel in a food processor/blender and blitz until you have a soft, fine powder.
• Combine the powdered peel with the bicarbonate of soda and salt and place in a clean dry lidded jar.

How to Use Your Scouring Powder

As with any cleaning product, natural or otherwise, always test on an inconspicuous area first. This all-natural scouring powder is ideal for use on ceramic sinks and toilets. However, it might be too abrasive for acrylic baths/shower trays or some metal sinks.

Once you’re happy you’re good to go:

• Sprinkle your scouring powder liberally onto the surface you want to clean.
• With a damp cloth simply scrub the area, adding more scrub as you feel is required.
• Once finished rinse down the area that you’ve cleaned.

If you want something a bit gentler you can either omit the salt, use more finely ground salt, or swap the salt for borax substitute, like in the Crunchy Betty recipe. If you do use the borax substitute, then make sure you rinse whatever you’ve just cleaned thoroughly once you’re done scrubbing. This is because borax is notoriously difficult to remove once dried. It sets solid!

Storage

Keep your homemade scouring powder in a clean dry lidded jar. If you are using salt or borax in your mixture it should keep for around a month, if not it will probably keep for around 2 weeks. Use your nose and your discretion. Discard it if it starts to look or smell funny, and remake a new batch.

And as with any cleaning product – make sure you label the jar and store it away from children and pets.

Why It Works

If you’re dubious about using homemade cleaning products, and sceptical as to if they really work, then I hear you. I was exactly the same when I first started out making my own products. That’s why, coming from a scientific background, I like to really examine each ingredient I use to make sure I always get the best results.

In the case of this specific DIY scouring powder recipe, here’s why it works – broken down ingredient by ingredient:

• Citrus peel – the oils in citrus peel contain natural solvents that help cut through grease and grime. When finely ground, the peel also provides a gentle abrasive texture for scrubbing stubborn dirt, while leaving a fresh, uplifting scent.
• Bicarbonate of soda – this acts as a mild abrasive, making it effective at lifting dirt without scratching surfaces. It also neutralises odours, helping to freshen up your sink.
• Coarse salt – the salt granules add extra scouring power, making it easier to tackle tough stains or grime. Its coarse texture scrubs away dirt while still being gentle on ceramic surfaces.