Melamine and Magic

I recently received a sample of the new Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to try out. Since I'm already a devoted Magic Eraser follower, I didn't really have to try the sample to know how well it works. The thing does its job so well, it's scary. Just dampen the sponge with water and scrub for a bit, and whatever stain you want erased is gone.

How does it work? Micro bristles? Porous melamine material? Whatever. Like a religious fanatic, I don't really need an explanation. I just know it gets into places that seem impossible to reach and cleans things that seem impossible to clean. Does it release some toxic material that melts everything in its path? According to the US Dept.. of Health, it isn't considered toxic unless ingested. So unless you're planning to use the Magic Eraser to whiten your teeth or scrub your warts off or fill your stomach up on days you forget to eat breakfast, I would say it's safe.

It really should be called I-don't-know-how-the-hell-it-works-it-must-be-Magic Eraser (maybe that's the real name and they just shortened it to Magic Eraser). To illustrate my point, I decided to tackle a bit of stairway railing that 3Po covered with permanent marker 3 years ago.



He had scribbled on 4 or 5 balusters when he was two, and I used the Magic Eraser to scrub clean all the balusters except this one. I don't know why I left it; maybe I ran out of Magic Erasers (they disintegrate with use into a lumpy sort of mess), maybe I got sick of scrubbing, maybe I got distracted. In any case, I've left it sitting for 2 years and it's time to clean it up.

No surprise, those melamine thingies sure did their job. Two years ago I was a bit worried that I'd scrub all the varnish off the wood and have ugly, bleachy spots all over the balusters, but they look fine.

In fact, the only surprise for me was the clean-smelling new Citrus Scent and the fact that it's recommended and marketed for regular kitchen and bathroom cleaning. Major D-uh! moment there.... I know that people use the Magic Eraser for a bajillion things -- my favorites are removing scribbles from walls and floors and stairs, cleaning Crocs shoes, removing grime from the wheels on our van, and whitening our kitchen sink -- but Inever really thought about using it for regular cleaning. So I cleaned the bathroom last night, after we arrived home all dusty and grimy from our camping weekend, and of course, the bathroom came out sparkling. Just like magic.


This is a compensated review under BlogHer's Review program.