A Nontoxic Way to Whiten Sinks, Tubs and More

As part of my new year overhaul I spent about five hours cleaning my kitchen. I washed the curtains, cleaned out the fridge and scrubbed the white double sink. Because I was in the mood to be very thorough — not something I give myself over to very often when cleaning — I was on a mission to remove the yellowing on the bottom of the sinks.

First I poured a bit of washing soda into both and filled them about ¼ full of hot water to dissolve the washing soda and let the water stand for a few hours. While this removed some grease, the yellowing remained.

While thinking that most people use bleach for such jobs, I had one of my rare moments of envy of those who don’t care to be green; I wished I could use bleach. But, because I know that bleach is not health- or eco-friendly, I tried to scrub the yellow off with my softscrub formula of baking soda with enough liquid soap or natural hand/dish detergent to make a frosting-like texture. I scooped the blend onto a sponge and scrubbed away for awhile to no avail.

Somewhere near the end of this last round of scrubbing I thought aha, why not try the non-chlorine bleach alternative made of sodium perborate. The one I had on hand was Seaside Naturals’ “Bleach Alternative.” I followed the same procedure I had used with the washing soda, dissolving the crystals in hot water — enough to cover the yellowed area — and let the combination stand in the sinks for a few hours. Presto. Sodium perborate worked like a charm. And there was no odor during any of the process.

You could use this same technique in a bathtub. To whiten discolored grout, make a paste and apply it between tiles. Leave the paste on for a few hours, keeping it damp, before rinsing.