Quick ‘n Easy Non-toxic DIY Cleaner to Make Your Faucet Sparkle

Elena K, Hometalk Team
by Elena K, Hometalk Team
7 Materials
$6-8
20-60 Minutes
Easy
I love my utility sink! It’s so convenient to be able to clean paint and concrete — yes, I do cast concrete and work with paints & glues often — without having to be concerned about damaging the kitchen faucet. Problem is, all these materials make it dirty in no time. And once dried, they’re not easy to remove—trust me. But lately I’ve been perfecting a recipe that removes soap scum and debris with minimal work. Read on to learn how to make yours.
Ready to make your faucet sparkle again?
So. Now, you want to know the recipe, right? Grab a lemon and baking soda because it’s so easy that you’ll want to try it right away! Ready? Go!
Lemon, baking soda & borax is all you need!
STEP 1: GATHER YOUR INGREDIENTS This may likely be the easiest recipe to date I’ve come up with! INGREDIENTS: - Lemon, cut in half, or quarters - Baking soda: 3 tablespoons - Borax: 1 tablespoon - Hydroxide Peroxide (optional) to remove old brown stains You’ll also need: - Small container to mix the baking soda with the borax - Tablespoon - A sponge or soft scrubber



Give your faucet a little lemon love!
STEP 2: CUT YOUR LEMON IN HALF AND START RUBBING! First, get a fresh lemon and cut it half — Most likely you won’t even need that much! Rub the lemon and let it sit for a few minutes. It should remove the hard water stains from your faucet almost immediately but feel free to do a second pass. Rinse with warm water and a sponge. TIP: for easier access to hard-to-reach areas slice the lemon in quarters. CAUTION > avoid using a Brillo pad or hard scrubber, they may scratch the faucet.
Looking better! But still need more love.
STEP 3: DIY BB MIX TO MAKE YOUR FAUCET SPARKLING CLEAN! I know. It looks better but that dish soap is still a little yucky. That’s were the BB MIX (i.e. baking soda & borax) comes in handy. Grab your container and mix: - 3 tablespoons of baking soda - 1 tablespoon of borax TIP: Use the spoon or your fingers to press the clumps until they dissolve. Almost ready. But wait! If you’ve read my other posts, you know I LOVE to label my concoctions. So get tape and a marker and write the ingredients, proportions, and the date. TIP: Don’t forget to add a label to your mix! For example: all-purpose cleaner, or BAKING SODA + BORAX MIX.
Ready for round two? ;)
STEP 4: TIME TO DIP THE LEMON IN YOUR BB MIX Take a new piece of lemon and dip it in the BB (soda + borax) mix. TIP: remember you can cut the lemon in quarters or eights, to be able to access smaller areas.
Ready? Time for more rubbing
STEP 5: LET’S RUB THE LEMON ON THE FAUCET AGAIN! Now, we’re finally ready to rub! I hope you enjoyed the first round or the Lemon-love rub because we’re going to do it again. Start rubbing the areas still dirty while you squeeze the lemon, and enjoy the wonderful fresh citrus scent. Have to say it was such a nice surprise! So fragrant that it almost made me want to clean all my faucets at once — ALMOST. Luckily I was able to refrain myself! ;) TIP: Use a circular motion, as you do when doing your dishes. Let it sit for a bit — 5-10 min should be enough — before wiping off. Next, we’re going to clean the sink. For instructions on how to remove it go to STEP 8
Done with the faucet? Let’s do the sink next
STEP 6: GIVE SOME LEMON & BB LOVE TO YOUR SINK TOO! If your sink is as dirty as mine, you’ll want to apply the BB (baking soda + borax) mix with the lemon. Otherwise, skip this step and the next and go to STEP 8 to remove the rub off the faucet. Again, dip a new piece of lemon into the BB mix and start rubbing, concentrating on the dirtiest areas. Squeeze the lemon as you go, and keep dipping it in the mix to get that BB love deep into the stains. TIP: change the lemon as many times as you feel necessary. I used a whole lemon for my double sink.
Let it sit for a bit before rinsing
STEP 7: READY FOR A COFFEE (or TEA) BREAK? Yes, you heard me right. It’s break time! Grab a coffee and your favorite treat, and relax. We’ll be back in 15-30 minutes. Yes, you deserve it: cleaning is not for sissies!) I got my chocolate fix while I was waiting. Yum! TIP: If your faucets are not heavily soiled, there’s no need to leave the BB mix for long. Feel free to wipe it off as soon as you’re done applying it.
Ready for the great reveal?
STEP 8: WIPE IT OFF TO REVEAL A SPARKLING FAUCET! I know you’re itching to see how your brand new faucet looks like. But first, let’s wipe the Lemon Love BB Rub off. Grab your sponge or soft scrubber, dip it in water, and start removing the Lemon Rub. CAUTION: Do not use a hard scrubber or a brillo pad or you may end up with a scratched faucet. TIP: rinse your sponge as it gets dirty and squeeze excess water before each use. Move on throughout the faucet to reveal the sparkle within, and continue with the sink (if you’ve chosen to do it as well.)
Use Hydrogen Peroxide to remove stains
STEP 9: SPRAY HYDROGEN PEROXIDE TO GET RID OF PESKY STAINS! You know the brown stains that sometimes appear in old enamel sinks, right? Often, though not always, after pouring drain opener or bleach. No matter how hard you tried, they don’t seem to go away. If you still have these after using the Lemon BB Rub, use hydrogen peroxide (look for a bottle containing 3% peroxide) to remove them. TIP: Pour the peroxide in a spray bottle and spray the stain.
Who’d have thought there was a brass pipe?
STEP 10: MAKE A PASTE MIXING BAKING SODA/BORAX & PEROXIDE Once you’ve sprayed, get the BB (baking soda + borax) mix — or just plain baking soda — and rub some into the sprayed area. Alternately, you can also spray the peroxide into the BB (baking soda + borax) mix to make a paste to apply to the stained area. Either way, let it sit for 30-60 min and wipe it off with a sponge. That should do! TIP: Feel free to make a second application after if the stain still persists.
I love my NEW 100 years old vintage sink
You know? This was a little more work than I anticipated, but I have to say it was all worth it: I finally have a sparkling vintage sink, just the way I like it. I hope you get yours to shine, too - Happy cleaning! If you enjoyed this post, make sure to follow me - i’m working on a couple of concoctions to remove different kind of stains and also, to clean floors. For a recipe to remove soap scum of your shower doors check http://www.hometalk.com/diy/clean/bathroom/3-ingredient-green-diy-soap-scum-remover-for-your-glass-shower-doors-21433429, to learn how to make green wipes go to http://www.hometalk.com/diy/upcycle/non-toxic-reusable-diy-cleaning-wipes-20996563, and find the cutest Fizzy Love Bombs to Clean Your Toilet here: http://www.hometalk.com/diy/clean/bathroom/love-fizzy-bombs-to-clean-your-toilet-and-laundry-in-no-time-19208798



Suggested materials:
  • Lemon, cut in half, or quarters   (Supermarket)
  • Baking soda   (Supermarket, Drugstore, Dollar store)
  • Borax   (Supermarket, Drugstore, Dollar store)
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Frequently asked questions
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3 of 5 questions
  • Pia Pia on Oct 10, 2016
    Where is the pic of the soap dish? It seems that is one of the dirtiest 😬 I would really like to clean that way. Do you have any ideas about walls? Someone used to smoke inside the room and would like to rid the stains without having to spend too much. Any suggestions?
  • Jana Jana on Oct 10, 2016
    My stove back has brown "burn" stains from the oven (vents) I've tried everything I can think of to get it white again, but nothing has worked. I'm going to give this a try! Should I be cautious about scratching? What causes that? My apt is well over 50 years old, and also has an enamel sink which I will be using the second tip for.
  • Angel Angel on Jan 21, 2017
    I have an unremovable brown stain on the utmost top of the bowl where water does not go to upon flushing. Do you think using your BB mix and adding pure lemon juice to the mix to create a paste would help to apply with an old toothbrush?
Comments
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2 of 28 comments
  • Kca11578356 Kca11578356 on Jan 22, 2017
    Thank you very much! I will look for it my next trip to the grocery store!
  • Aimee Aimee on Jan 22, 2017
    To me, lemons can be pricey, as can any type of produce. I have been using S.O.S pads for this kind of cleaning for years. My late grandpa used it in the military way back when and it really does the job. I guess it just depends on your budget.
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