My favorite DIY recipe is also my favorite nightly ritual – the Nightly Sink Scrub. It’s a recipe I came up with a few years ago and it pretty much started my DIY cleaners obsession which also turned into my first book, The Organically Clean Home. The great thing about this recipe is that it’s so simple to whip up and it does such a great job at giving the sink a little scrub, you’ll love it! Did you know that the sink is pretty much the dirtiest spot in your whole home? Another reason to give it a nightly scrub!
Gather your simple ingredients:
- 2 cups baking soda
- 10 drops lemon essential oil
- 10 drops clove essential oil
- castile soap (or dish soap) (this is not added to the baking soda until it’s used – keep reading!)
- container with a lid or a shaker top (I like a mason jar, this one specifically :)) – I’ve previously used a shaker top but have switched to a lid – either way works!
- sink safe scrub brush – I use this one and keep it under my sink in a vintage mason jar. I can toss the head in the dishwasher to sanitize it as needed.
See how easy it is to mix up and use…
- put baking soda in your container
- add essential oils to the top of the baking soda
- stir and combine with a kitchen knife
- wet your sink
- sprinkle liberally in your sink
- add a squirt or two of dish or castile soap
- scrub with a sink-safe scrubber
- rinse thoroughly
I keep this jar and scrubber under the kitchen sink just for cleaning the sink – it’s convenient and easy to grab every night.
There you have it – a simple and effective DIY cleaning recipe to add to your repertoire!
More posts in this series – just click on the image to go to the post:
Debbie says
May 2, 2016 at 2:42 pmAwesome! Luckily I have all the ingredients except for the scrub brush. Good reason to go to the store? Yep, also need to get some groceries.
Alexis says
May 2, 2016 at 9:13 pmDoes this work well for a porcelain sink?
Nina Reeder says
May 3, 2016 at 10:27 pmCan you substitute out the essential oils? I have lemon but not clove. I also have Melaleuca, Lavender, Eucalyptus, On Guard (which has clove), Peppermint and Cedarwood. What would you recommend?
Becky says
May 4, 2016 at 3:58 pmI would use the OnGuard with a little lemon 🙂
KATHY BROWN says
May 5, 2016 at 3:52 pmAre the essential oils necessary, and if so do you use that combo for a specific reason?
Becky says
May 8, 2016 at 11:34 amNo, they aren’t necessary – I just like the smell of that combo 🙂
Christine Maier says
May 15, 2019 at 1:01 amI love this ritual of a nightly sink scrub. However, the amount of essential oils should be reconsidered. 20 drops is quite a lot. Essential oils should be used with restraint as they are so highly concentrated. An incredibly large amount of plant material is required to make essential oils. Doterra gives some examples on their website. For example 105lbs of Rose’s for a 5ml bottle of rose oil. Keep this in perspective as we use oils. Please reconsider the amount of EO you are recommending.
b r says
May 20, 2019 at 1:36 amI do consider the amount with each recipe – essential oils are very concentrated. This one jar is about 15-20 uses so 1-2 drops per use is minimal 🙂 20 drops of essential oils is about 1 mL.
Melinda says
May 5, 2016 at 4:55 pmDo you need the essential oils?
Becky says
May 8, 2016 at 11:33 amNo 🙂
Ida says
May 12, 2016 at 2:08 pmLove this cleaning tip! Will try it today after work 😀
Lawson says
July 5, 2016 at 9:09 pmwhere do we find labels for the jars with the recipe of the contents?
Becky says
July 17, 2016 at 9:15 pmHere:
http://clean-mama-home.myshopify.com/collections/spray-bottles-1
Anika says
July 14, 2016 at 1:20 pmI was just wondering, is the clove oil that you use the same as clove bud oil?
Becky says
July 15, 2016 at 10:35 amYes it is!
Danika says
July 21, 2016 at 4:19 pmI just love your blog:) Will you share with me the brand of your favorite essential oils?
Becky says
August 13, 2016 at 6:04 pmI use doTERRA 🙂
Cynthia says
November 6, 2016 at 12:27 amHi Becky!
What do you use to clean the drain holes in the toilet where the water comes out underneath … I use the disposal scrub thing like you do and I scrub under there and even though the scrubber pad is clean those holes look gross! I can’t stand to get too close to it bc it seems uber gross!
Please advise ,
Cynthia
Becky says
December 6, 2016 at 11:51 amA pumie!
Cari says
January 8, 2017 at 9:49 pmHi
Can I use this scrub on a blanco silgrante sink?
Becky says
January 9, 2017 at 2:17 pmYes!
Nancy Blskemore says
January 21, 2017 at 5:56 pmI’m lookin
Michelle says
March 14, 2017 at 6:40 amcan I reuse? or do we need to make up a fresh batch every night?
Becky says
March 14, 2017 at 7:01 pmThe batch lasts me for several weeks 🙂
Joanna says
April 10, 2017 at 10:03 amOne stupid question: Where do you find essential oils?
Becky says
May 21, 2017 at 12:08 pmYou can get them at Target, Wal-Mart, health food stores, etc. I like doTERRA and Plant Therapy 🙂
Ingra Smith says
July 24, 2017 at 2:45 pmHi Becky! Thanks for sharing your nightly sink scrub. I’m excited to start this! I was wondering about your labels. Did you make them? If so, where can I do that? Or, can I buy them from you? Thanks kindly, Ingra
b r says
July 31, 2017 at 12:41 amHi Ingra! I sell them here:
https://clean-mama-home.myshopify.com/collections/spray-bottles-1
Kristin says
September 18, 2017 at 11:18 amCan you use this on a white corian sink? Our sink stains like crazy from coffee, spaghetti sauce, etc. I would love to find a more natural, less chemical way to clean it.
esvee says
January 10, 2018 at 7:28 pmdo you think you could use a drop or two of dish soap instead of castile? i don’t stock castile but always have dish soap on hand, usually 7th generation or ecos. tia!
b r says
January 11, 2018 at 5:07 pmAbsolutely!
esvee says
January 11, 2018 at 8:20 pmthanks!
Corey says
January 23, 2018 at 2:57 pmI have a porcelain sink. Would this be safe for it?
b r says
January 23, 2018 at 4:04 pmAbsolutely!
Miss knitter says
March 14, 2018 at 12:23 pmCan I use actual lemon juice from fresh lemons in place of the essential oil for scent?
b r says
March 14, 2018 at 1:49 pmYes! But you would just add the lemon juice as you use the scrub, don’t add it to the baking soda in the jar.
Kellie says
April 12, 2018 at 3:50 amHi There! So I used the Castile soap to make a foaming hand soap like in another one of your blog posts. And the mixtures are always cloudy (works and foams fine). Just wondering if this is supposed to happen or if I can prevent this (purely esthetic reasons, since my soap dispenser is clear, the mixture just looks murky/unclean). Thanks!!
b r says
April 18, 2018 at 6:28 pmI give ours a shake when I see this and keep using it 🙂
Eveline says
July 21, 2018 at 8:24 pmAfter seeing this, I immediately stood up from my couch and scrubed the sink.😂 And i enjoyed it a lot! With the lemon essentials oils its smells heavenly! my sink shines and smells very nice. Thank you!! Hi from Germany 😄
b r says
July 30, 2018 at 2:31 amYay! Happy cleaning 🙂
Melissa says
September 24, 2018 at 1:14 amCan I use this on my copper sink?
b r says
October 1, 2018 at 10:26 amYes!
Althea says
October 9, 2018 at 6:53 pmIs this safe to use on a granite composite sink?
b r says
October 10, 2018 at 10:37 amYes!
Yvette says
October 14, 2018 at 4:51 amWhat DYI Cleaner can I use on stainless steal kitchen appliances? Thanks!😊
b r says
October 16, 2018 at 10:27 amHere are a couple posts:
https://www.cleanmama.net/?s=stainless
Ashley says
October 15, 2018 at 7:36 pmMy sink always looks great after I clean it, but during daily use I don’t dry it and am left with water marks on the sides. Any recommendations for preventing those? Thank you!
b r says
October 16, 2018 at 10:21 amTry drying it in between uses and/or spraying it with cleaner and drying it.
Lisa says
December 3, 2018 at 8:25 pmDoes this disinfect? Like if I had chicken juice in the sink, will this be enough?
b r says
December 7, 2018 at 4:43 pmI spray hydrogen peroxide with chicken or meat.
Jessica says
January 21, 2019 at 11:58 pmHi! Is that wax paper you are using to funnel the baking soda into the scrub container?