Clean Mama's Guide to a Healthy Home: The Simple, Room-by-Room Plan for a Natural Home

by Becky Rapinchuk

NIGHTLY SINK SCRUB This is one of my favorite cleaning recipes and daily rituals. Once the kitchen is clean after dinner, I do a little sink scrub, and it just gives it that perfect reset at the end of the day. I love lemon and clove for their subtle fresh, homey scent, and you can adjust to suit your taste or omit the essential oils altogether. Use it in the bathroom sink too! 2 cups baking soda 20 drops essential oils (I recommend lemon and clove—I usually use 15 drops lemon and 5 drops clove) 1 to 2 squirts castile or plant-based dish soap In a container with a lid or a shaker top—a mason jar is a perfect container for this—combine the baking soda with the essential oils. Stir and combine them well (remember, do not add the castile or dish soap yet). Put the lid on the jar, and in the evening when your dishes are done and the dishwasher is loaded up, wet the sink and sprinkle this mixture liberally over the sink. Add a squirt or two of the castile or dish soap at this point, and scrub with a sink-safe scrubber (perhaps keep one under your kitchen sink in a mason jar just for sink scrubbing and you’ll look forward to this nightly ritual). Rinse the sink thoroughly. VARIATION: This scrub isn’t just for sinks. Use it anywhere you need a little abrasive cleaning action—add water, cleaning concentrate, cleaning spray, or dish soap, and scrub. Use it dry, sprinkled on mattresses or carpets, as a freshener—let it sit to absorb any odors and then vacuum it up.