Jo's bathroom cleaner

Bathroom Cleaning Paste

I try to use as few products as possible when cleaning and, honestly, not to use them too often! I mostly use soap or detergent, bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) and (white) vinegar. I use washing soda occasionally in the dishwasher and washing machines and citric acid to descale the loos. We live in an area with very hard water and white vinegar isn't always enough. Stained limescale is pretty unappealing, lets face it.

If I want anybody else to take a turn cleaning the bathroom though, I've found it's best to have a product other family members can use rather than some vague instructions. Jo at All The Blue Day shared her recipe for homemade Gumption a while ago and I've been making it regularly for a couple of years.

It takes a couple of minutes to make and is a really effective scrubbing paste that removes soap scum and tide marks in the bath. (One of my children used to really seize the day and come home filthy. People would comment on how good their immune system must be.)

The clove oil is a mould inhibitor so perfect for the bathroom, but if you don't like it or don't have it or you are pregnant, feel free to omit it or replace it with another essential oil.

I buy soda bic in bulk online to avoid having to buy lots of little plastic tubs from the supermarket.

Bathroom  Cleaning Paste 

1 cup soda bic (baking soda)  

1 Tbsp cream of tartar

10 mls (2 tsp) liquid castile soap (I grate 2 tsp soap and dissolve in hot water)

40-50 mls water

10 drops clove oil (optional)

Ends of carbolic soap

As I have carbolic soap left from a trip to a living history museum (the smell makes my husband nostalgic!) I finely grated a couple of teaspoons of it and dissolved it in hot water to make the 2 teaspoons of soap. It also colours the finished paste a delicate pale pink. You could grate any left over bits of soap and use it. I got a bit carried away and grated more than 2 teaspoons but that's fine.

In a bowl combine the powders and make sure there are no big lumps of bicarb. 

Add the 40-50ml water to the soap, using warm water if you grated bar soap because otherwise it stays lumpy.

Pour the soap mixture onto the powders, add the essential oils if using and stir well with a fork.

Scrape into a glass jar and leave uncovered as it will foam up before settling down again.

And that's it. Apply with a cloth and rinse well, or better still persuade somebody else to do it for you.