How to Remove Soap Scum without Chemicals

If you’re wondering how to remove soap scum and want to have your bathroom look brand new without subjecting your family and yourself to harsh chemicals, you can clean all your bathroom fixtures naturally this easy way with baking soda and lemon.

Last week, I was going to have some friends over and thought, I don’t want my friends to see my neglected spare bathroom! The bathroom has been on my list of things to do for months! But then I remembered a little trick I like to do to give me incentive to tidy and clean up a room…. take a picture of it! This way you get a fresh perspective of how bad it is! When I looked at the picture I knew immediately that I needed to do some drastic cleaning! I was almost ready to tell someone to replace the bathroom fixtures because I thought there was no hope, especially for the shower fixture, but then I remembered how to remove soap scum and get my fixtures shiny and new looking…..use baking soda and lemon!

It took me about 15 minutes to work on the shower lever, but look how nicely it turned out. It looks brand new!

What is Soap Scum?

Soap scum is created from a buildup of soap, dirt, and minerals from water. The buildup results in a white solid coating and often collects on bathroom and kitchen fixtures. It can be very difficult to remove, especially if the area hasn’t been cleaned for long periods of time.

How to Remove Soap Scum Naturally:

What you need:

• 1/2 cup of baking soda (more or less as needed)
• 1 Lemon
• Wash cloth

Directions:

1. Slice the lemon in half and rub in on the fixture. Squeeze some of the lemon juice out.
2. Take a damp wash cloth and sprinkle some baking soda on it.
3. Rub the cloth with baking soda on the fixture. Keep scrubbing, it may take a lot of scrubbing to remove all of the soap scum, especially if it has been building up over a long time.
4. Repeat all steps as needed until the soap scum is removed. You can use more or less baking soda as needed as well.

I needed to scrub each area of the shower fixture several times until it was removed. It did take at least 15 minutes of scrubbing before it looked like new, so don’t give up if it isn’t budging in the first few scrubs!

Why Baking Soda and Lemon Works:

Lemons are naturally acidic as they contain acids such as citric acid. The acidic quality of lemons helps break down the build on soap scum. For this reason, lemons make a great natural cleaner.

Baking soda helps break down the built on soap scum because it is naturally slightly abrasive, but it is still gentle enough that it won’t scratch or damage the surface of your fixtures. Another great reason to use baking soda is that it also acts as a deodorizer, so it will help keep your bathroom smelling nice and fresh.

Tip for Cleaning Bathroom Fixtures

Ever since I cleaned my shower fixture with the baking soda and lemon with great results, I now try to do it at least every few weeks to remove any soap scum. This way it prevents it building up and takes much less time to clean if I do it more often.

Hope you remember how to remove soap scum with baking soda and a lemon next time you need to get your bathroom looking fabulous!