Easy, natural DIY Soap Scum Remover
🌱 DIY Green Cleaning Recipe
By Analisa from Under Your Sink
Soap scum is one of those stubborn household annoyances that never seems to budge with a quick wipe. It’s that filmy, chalky layer you see on shower screens, tiles and around taps. It forms when soap meets the minerals in hard water, creating a residue that clings to surfaces. Left alone, it builds up, dulls your bathroom, and can even trap bacteria and mould.
The good news is you don’t need heavy duty commercial cleaners to deal with it. A few simple, natural ingredients will do the job just as well, without harsh chemicals or the chemical cloud.
Why Soap Scum Happens
When the fatty acids in soap mix with calcium and magnesium found in hard water, the result is an insoluble film that sticks to glass, ceramic, and metal. Add in shampoo, body oils and dirt, and you get that stubborn, greasy layer we all know as soap scum.
The solution
Soap scum responds best to an acidic cleaner with a pH of around 2–3, which dissolves mineral deposits and breaks the bond between soap and hard water.
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Vinegar: When using vinegar as a spray, there's no need to dilute it further, as it's naturally water-based. This property allows you to thicken it with Xanthan Gum to create a gel-like consistency or use direct in a spray bottle.
- Citric Acid: An equally effective yet cheaper alternative to vinegar! This is one budget-friendly solution for dissolving soap scum. Just mix 1 teaspoon of citric acid with 500ml of warm water to achieve the same acidic pH as vinegar. You can even prepare this directly in a spray bottle.
If you prefer a gel-like consistency for your soap scum remover, you can turn either the vinegar of citric acid solution above into a gel. Here's how: