The Easy Salt Hack To Tackle Old Soap Scum Stains In Minutes

Soap scum happens. It's unsightly and difficult to remove. If trying to wash it away is one of your least favorite cleaning tasks, you are not alone. It makes for a difficult household chore and plagues pots, pans, sinks, and showers. However, soap scum has a kryptonite, and it is hiding in your kitchen cabinet. It just so happens that the very same ingredient you use to enhance the flavor of your favorite dishes and stop oil splatters in the kitchen can also get rid of that pesky white residue buildup. Salt is coarse, abrasive, and your new best friend when you need to roll up your sleeves and put a little elbow grease into your scrubbing technique. 

Simply create a DIY homemade cleaning solution using equal parts table salt, baking soda, and white vinegar. Mixing these ingredients together will create a paste that you can use to eliminate soap scum without harming your surfaces. That said, it cannot be used on natural stones. These surfaces are too porous and soft and can be easily damaged.  

Once you've created your salty homemade cleaning solution, rub the paste across the surface you want to clean. If there is really thick soap scum in a sink or on a shower door from weeks or months of neglect (no judgment), allow the paste to set for about an hour. Use this downtime to organize your kitchen like a chef or test Ina Garten's method for organizing the fridge. Then, go back, scrub the surface, and rinse. If you are using this cleaning solution on your cookware, smear a bit of paste on the affected area and, with a wet sponge, work in circular motions to gently scrub. Just make sure to thoroughly dry the cookware afterward, or you will end up with water stains.

Why does it work? Soap scum forms when your bar or liquid cleanser reacts with oils and minerals, particularly the magnesium and calcium in water. This reaction is compounded when you are dealing with hard water. Salt helps break down and loosen these oils and minerals. This, along with salt's gritty nature, helps to remove buildup, leaving your kitchen and bathroom free of soap scum.