baking soda not working for me

[anomaly13]

I used to use bon ami for the kitchen and bathroom sinks and the bath tub. But I wanted to try baking soda cause it's cheaper and I already use it for other things in the house. However it is just not working. The bathroom sink is old and has some stains, from years of hard water dripping, not sure what it is made of. Same with the tub. The kitchen sink is new, installed just before we moved in almost 2 years ago, but get this....it's plastic! I never thought a kitchen sink could be plastic, just assumed it was something that wasn't plastic until dh set a hot pan in the sink to run water over it and when he picked it up ther was a big melted spot. I just can't get it sparkling white. Recenly had to pour drain cleaner down the drain and that left it really clean but I don't want to resort to chemicls.

Why is bs not working for me?

[nathansmum]

So is the problem with water staining the surfaces or it not getting shiny? I would think if it's a shine issue and it's plastic, I'd tend to not use BS as it could scour and scratch the surface. BS gets my porcelain and stainless steel lovely and shiny, but I don't have any plastic. If it's the water staining the plastic, then I don't know, but we do have a slight brown stain where the bath tap dripped for a while and it's still there.

[mommaof3boz]

I use Ajax with bleach everywhere and its pure magic. If you used it on your sink you could just wet the sink, sprinkle a bit and let it sit for 10 minutes. It will turn blue when the bleach activates. Then gently sponge it out. It also does wonders for the garbage disposal smells. It will work great in the bathroom. Not sure though how you feel about bleach. I personally am fine with it.

[crl]

Not sure about the plastic sink. For the rest, I find baking soda with liquid soap of some kind makes a great paste and really works a lot better than baking soda alone. I use Trader Joes castille soap in the bathrooms and dish soap in the kitchen. But I've also used shampoo in the bathroom and it was fine.

Catherine

[Blueone]

Do you mix it with vinegar? That works the best. It creates a nice foam!

[cristeen]

BS works great as a degreaser, but it will not bleach out hard water stains.

When nana came over a few weeks ago to give me a post-partum kitchen cleaning, she took Ajax with bleach to my white kitchen sink... it had been a lovely orange-ish color for years because of the iron in the water, and it was white by the time she left.

I'm not going to bleach it every day or even every week, but once in a while to get it white again - it's the only thing that works.

[anomaly13]

in the bathroom the tub and sink are really old like from the 30's, I think the sink is iron with some enamel coveing it? the tub seems to have been covered with something because it chips off sometimes. If we were not renting we would definatly replace the kitchen sink and the bathtub, but if I could get the stains off the bathroom sink I would love to keep it.

So I guess I will try the Ajax, maybe Bon Ami or bs with real soap first even though I know they don't have bleach but I prefer to keep it green, kwim?

[bigteamug]

I've from lots of old house people about using cream of tartar as a one-time type deal for really bad stains...buy it in bulk at the health food store - not cheap, but WAY cheaper than the spice section at the regular grocery store - you can also use cream or tartar for home made play dough.


"Commercial rust removers are very effective in removing rust stains. Wear rubber gloves when you work with these products because they contain acid. You can also clean discolored porcelain fixtures with a paste made of cream of tartar moistened with hydrogen peroxide or a paste made of borax moistened with lemon juice. Scrub the paste into lightly stained areas with a brush, and rinse well."

That is one recipe, you can try searching and see what else comes up...

[luv-my-boys]

Originally Posted by anomaly13

in the bathroom the tub and sink are really old like from the 30's, I think the sink is iron with some enamel coveing it? the tub seems to have been covered with something because it chips off sometimes.

That sounds like it could have been re-glazed. If the re-glaze was not done properly or heck even if it was it might chip or flake off in time or due to clensing products. You mentioned that you are renting I would definately let the landlord know in writing (keep a copy) that you are having problems with the "chipping" so that if/when you move out you are not stuck with damage charges. Also it just might be time to have them replaced

[Owen'nZoe]

Was the Bon Ami working? Sure it is a little more than BS, but it really isn't expensive as far as cleaners go, and from what I understand it is pretty environmentally friendly. Why not stick with it?

I have some sort of plastic sink in the kitchen (the builder called it a solid surface sink, which I guess is technically true, since it is plastic all the way through). I hate it so very much. So much. Bleach is the only thing that works to keep it clean, and even then some things (like rust stains from when DH left my cast iron wet in the sink overnight ) don't come out. Usually I just live with a sink that always looks dirty, but I do let DH bleach it when we're having company over.

[AuntLavender]

Baking soda dissolves in water so it can't scrub for long

That's the problem with it. Bon Ami doesn't dissolve and you get better scrubbing action. Ajax with Bleach combines powdered bleach with an abrasive to whiten stains.

I don't like powdered cleansers with bleach since they smell like vomit to me.

If the thing you are trying to scour is very dirty you may need something more than plain baking soda. Mixing liquid soap with it will give it some benefit of soap in that dirt sticks to it.

Also what kind of scrubber do you use? My tiled shower requires a brush not a scrubber sponge type thing to stay clean.

[mumkimum]

I use borax from time to time (monthly, I'd say) in-between using bs more often to clean things like our sink, bath, etc. I'd say it's priced between bs and something like bon ami and has been great for odd, old stains that we've got in a few areas. I'll let it sit and soak for at least 10 minutes or so before cleaning off. So that's something else you could consider using.