going through soft scrub with bleach withdrawls!

[sasntappy]

We use all ecofriendly cleaning supplies- just vinegar, baking soda, Dr Bronners, and essential oils, but sometimes I really miss bleach. How do you get a porcelain sink actually white? Remind me again why I shouldn't use bleach. I'm losing my resolve:

[Spastica]

Baking soda and water work well - oxygen bleach (like OxyClean) work well too.

[boongirl]

I also read here once upon a time that porcelan sinks sometimes get scratches in them that then get dirty easily. The more you scrub them and clean them the more you make the scratch a bit bigger each time, even with soft scrub. Sometimes they need to be re-enameled or whatever it is that is coating them needs to be replaced. I know my old sink never looks white but I don't care. Someday, I will replace it or reseal it.

Oh, and I use baking soda, bon ami, or plain dish soap.

[sasntappy]

Thanks for the replies---I hadn't tried oxyclean or anything like that. It's worth a try! And you're right, I think my biggest problem is I just need to get over it...

[Evie P.]

Baking soda always works great on our porcelain sink.

Just think of the bleach disrupting all those hormones in all living things and doing all those other nasty things to all living creatures and you will see your less white sink as a source of pride!

[granolamomma]

[whispering] But softscrub in the sink is bad again.. why? Is it an eco factor (getting in the water and soil)? B/c my family doesn't really touch the inside of the sink very often (well, kids never), and like pp said, I can't seem to get it clean. I don't ever miss my napalm cleaners until I see a dirty sink. Why is that?

Help me break the urge! :

[Vaquitita]

i got most of the stains out of my very old very stained porcelain sink by sprinkling it with baking soda, squirting with vinegar, and elbow grease.

[jocelyndale]

My elbows ran out of grease a long time ago and I haven't found a way to refill them.

So for the sink, I *DO* use a store-bought product: Earth Friendly Products creamy cleanser. It doesn't contain bleach, but it gets my sink all pretty and clean. I use it with a washcloth.

[somanythings]

I have found that if you mix Dr. Bronner's with baking soda, into a paste (that will remind you wistfully of soft scrub. . .) rub it onto the surface, and LEAVE IT for as long as you can stand to (even a couple hours, if you can manage to close off a bathroom that long) then go back and scrub/rinse, it works better than just squirt, sprinkle, scrub, rinse all at once.

[melissa17s]

Bon Ami has been the most successful cleaner for me on enamelled surfaces.

[Joules]

I haven't tried this yet, but it seems to have that "Soft Scrub" consistency (albeit, without the bleach):

Homemade Soft Scrubber:
http://www.care2.com/channels/solutions/home/182

[sasntappy]

I'm relieved to find out I'm not the only one out there with this dilema: I tried the bakingsoda and Dr. Bronner's mixture and it worked pretty well. Will definately try the other suggestions too. Thanks for the help!